Alternative Route to Certification (ARC)
National-Louis University offers Alternative Route to Certification (ARC) in the elementary and secondary education programs. For more information regarding the Elementary ARC program, please click here.

Current ARC Students
Students currently enrolled in the Alternative Route to Certification programs are required to apply for certification two times with National-Louis University and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). 

The first certificate that ARC students will obtain is the provisional alternative certificate.  ARC students will be eligible for the provisional alternative certificate after:

1. the required first year courses have been taken and passed with appropriate grades.
2. the Elementary/Middle Level content exam has been passed (for Elementary ARC Only).  The Secondary ARC program requires a passing score on the appropriate content exam prior to admission to the University.
3. the Application for Alternative Certificate has been completed and submitted to the Certification Office of National-Louis University.

Please note: After the Certification Office processes the alternative certification paperwork, it is the responsibility of the student to apply with ISBE. Afterwards the student will need to register his or her certificate with a Regional Office of Education (ROE) (or county office). Please click here to obtain information on how to register with the state. 

The second certificate that ARC students will obtain is the initial teaching certificate.  ARC students will be eligible for the initial teaching certificate after:

1. a provisional alternative certificate has been issued first by ISBE.
2. the required courses have been taken and passed with appropriate grades.
3. all financial obligations to the University have been met.
4. the appropriate Assessment of Professional Teaching (APT) test has been passed.
5. the Application for Teaching Certificate has been completed and submitted to the Certification Office of National-Louis University.

Please note: Certification entitlement is not automatic upon completion of a program.  

The content test will need to be taken in addition to the Basic Skills Test (BST) and the Assessment of Professional Teaching (APT) Test to obtain an initial teaching certificate. All certification types, tests and test numbers are subject to change per Illinois State Board of Education requirements and regulations.  Please visit the ISBE website and the ICTS website for the most current detailed information.