Obtaining Your Illinois Teaching Certificate

Candidates who (1) have completed an approved teacher preparation program, (2) are recommended for that program, (3) have successfully completed the Initial Teaching Certification examinations required by the ISBE, and (4) have met all other criteria established by IWU and the ISBE, will be issued an Initial Teaching Certificate valid for four years. Standard Certificates will be issued after that period, providing applicants have met all requirements established by the ISBE, including proof of continuing education or professional development.

Graduates of the Teacher Education Program at Illinois Wesleyan University become eligible for Initial Teaching Certificates. Note, however, that candidates do not automatically receive a certificate upon graduation. The Educational Studies Department completes a notification of entitlement which is submitted to the state after verifying all requirements have been met.

ISBE recommends spring graduates wait until after July 1 to apply for an initial certificate. Certificates run on a fiscal year cycle beginning on July 1st and ending on June 30th. If you apply for your initial certificate in May or June the first year of your four year cycle will end on June 30th of the same year.  Then you will only have three years to earn a standard certificate. It is to your advantage to have a full four years to meet the requirements of a standard certificate.

Graduates must complete the steps below to complete the certification process. You cannot complete this process until the Educational Studies Department and Registrar’s Office have certified all requirements have been completed, so wait for notification from our office. This may take up to four weeks.

After receiving email notification from the Educational Studies office, link to the ECS website  to complete the application for certification. Be prepared to use a Master Card or Visa to pay the fees (30.00). Once linked to the ECS site:

1. Set up an ECS account if you do not have one.
2. Log into ECS.
3. Select the "Applications" menu item.
4. Select the "Entitlement Certificate Application" menu item.
5. Click on the "Apply Online" link to the right of your entitlement certificate.
6. Follow the 11 step wizard through the application process.

Your certificate will be mailed to the address you provide on the ECS system, so it is imperative that you double check the address you provided on your application.

You will need to register your certificate once you receive it. You can do this in ECS by selecting the Register/Renew menu item and following the eleven step wizard. On step three of the registration wizard, select the region of the state where you will be teaching. If you do not know where you will be teaching select the region where you live and register the certificate in that region. If you are assigned a position in another region you can log into ECS later and register for the other region at no charge.

At the end of each process use your Internet browser's print button to print the last screen. You can also print the Current Credential screen in ECS for proof of certification and registration.

Graduates pursuing certification in other states should complete the Illinois process to facilitate the procedure. You will then need to apply for certification in the state you wish to teach. Specific requirements vary by state.