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.
