How to Request Your Professional Educator License or Endorsements

The process for requesting your professional educator license or endorsements begins with our online form, accessed through the NLU Student Portal. Please keep in mind, however, that this is only the first step. Continue reading for the full process to make sure you provide the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) with all of the information needed to grant your credentials. If you have any questions along the way, email us at certification@nl.edu.

Step 1: Submit your online request

*Please note that if you are applying only for your LBS I endorsement you should not use this form, but should follow the instructions at the bottom of this page.

  • Make sure you have the following information at-hand
    • Full contact information including your Social Security number and NLU ID number
    • The names, dates and degrees of colleges and universities you have previously attended
    • Log in to the NLU Student Portal
    • Click on the Student Services tab
    • Click on the link “Request for Professional Educator License or Endorsements” under the Student Services header
    • Fill out the form
      • Note: If you answer “yes” to any of the state-required questions, we will still put your application forth to the state and the final decision regarding your application will be made by ISBE.
      • Click “Submit”
      • You will be sent to a “Thank you” screen and you will receive a confirmation email. If you do not reach the screen or do not receive the email, your request was not processed correctly and you will need to resubmit.

The Licensure Coordinator will review your request and make sure all requirements have been met. We will contact you only if there are questions. Applications from M.A.T. Elementary Education and M.A.T. Secondary Education students who have finished the licensure sequence will be processed when final grades are posted on NLU transcripts and all other requirements have been completed.  Applications from all other candidates for degree-based licensure and endorsement programs will be processed following the degree award date. This process may take up to four weeks. Applications for stand-alone endorsements are processed on a rolling basis.

Step 2: Submit your transcript

*For those applying for a Professional Educator License only, others continue to Step 3 below

  • ISBE requires that candidates for Professional Educator Licenses submit transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, both undergraduate and graduate
  • While you wait for your request to be processed, you should order transcripts from all schools except NLU and have them mailed to ISBE:          
       Illinois State Board of Education
       Educator Licensing Division  
       100 N. First St., S-306
       Springfield, IL 62777-0001
  • When all of your grades and your degree are posted, order your NLU transcript and have it mailed to the address above

 Step 3: Finalize your application online with ISBE

  • Check your email for a message from our Licensure Coordinator. It will contain full instructions on how to finalize your license or endorsement with ISBE. These instructions will be specific to your particular credential and it is important that you follow them closely.
  • Upon completion of your finalization, you will receive your credentials from ISBE

Applying for the LBS I endorsement only

If you have completed the four-course sequence to add an LBS I endorsement to your current license, you must apply directly to ISBE for evaluation and issuance of this endorsement.

  • Log into your Educator Licensure Information System (ELIS) account
  • Select “Apply for Licensure, Endorsement or Approval”
  • Request the Special Education, LBS I endorsement 

The request for evaluation will be automatically sent to ISBE. You will not receive an updated license or notification directly from ISBE, instead, the credential will be automatically added to your license. Please allow six-to-eight weeks for completion of the evaluation and then log in to ELIS and check to see that it has been added.

Locations

  • CHICAGO DOWNTOWN CAMPUS

    NLU’s Chicago campus on South Michigan Avenue occupies five floors of the historic Peoples Gas Building. This landmark building, across the street from the Art Institute of Chicago and Grant Park, is easily accessible by train, bus and car and is surrounded by restaurants, parking lots/garages and shops.

    122 S. Michigan Avenue
    Chicago, IL 60603
    (888) 658.8632
    Info » | Directions »

  • ELGIN

    Conveniently located in a fast-growing business district off I-90 and Route 31, NLU Elgin features 10 classrooms with high-tech media equipment; a computer lab with high-speed Internet access; two conference rooms; and comfortable student lounges. Parking is free at this recently remodeled and upgraded teaching site, which now includes wireless Internet access.

    620 Tollgate Road
    Elgin, IL 60123
    (888) 658.8632
    Info » | Directions »

  • NORTH SHORE

    Opened in the summer of 2006, NLU North Shore at Skokie is a state-of-the-art modern campus located just off the Edens Expressway near the Old Orchard Shopping Center. The campus includes 44 wireless classrooms equipped with high-tech media equipment; four computer labs with high-speed Internet access, including a walk-in lab in the library; six conference rooms; a public café for beverages and snacks; a student welcome center; a library for research and study; and multiple, comfortable student lounge areas.

    5202 Old Orchard Road
    Skokie, IL 60077
    (888) 658.8632
    Info » | Directions »

  • LISLE

    Located just minutes from the East-West Tollway (I-88), NLU Lisle features 42 wireless classrooms equipped with high-tech media equipment; four computer labs with high-speed Internet access, including a separate walk-in lab in the library; a café for beverages and snacks; a student welcome center; a library for research and study; conference rooms; and six comfortable student lounge areas with wireless access.

    850 Warrenville Road
    Lisle, IL 60532
    (888) 658.8632
    Info » | Directions »

  • WHEELING

    Located in one of Chicago's major northwest suburbs, the newly renovated NLU Wheeling includes 20 classrooms with high-tech media equipment, four conference rooms, four computer labs with high-speed Internet access, large student lounge areas with wireless capabilities and interactive video capabilities, and an extensive research library. The site also houses the university library research collection.

    1000 Capitol Drive
    Wheeling, IL 60090
    (888) 658.8632
    Info » | Directions »

  • FLORIDA (TAMPA)

    Established in 1988 and located in one of the city's major business districts, NLU's Florida Regional Center serves students in 13 counties in central Florida. In addition to six classrooms, this location features a conference room, a computer lab with high-speed Internet access, an extensive research library and comfortable student lounges.

    5110 Eisenhower Boulevard Suite 102
    Tampa, FL 33634
    (800) 366.6581
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  • WISCONSIN

    NLU's Milwaukee campus has a proud history of serving graduate students in education in southeastern Wisconsin. Nearly one in five certified Wisconsin teachers looks to NLU for graduate education programs – more than any other university in the state. In addition to classrooms with high-tech media equipment, the campus offers a state-of-the-art computer lab with wireless Internet access and an extensive IDS research library.

    12000 West Park Place, Suite 100
    Milwaukee, WI 53224-3007
    (414) 577.2658
    Info » | Directions »