Worth it for reach more than pay. Illinois adds the sixth-largest state, 12.7 million people, for just $175 in state fees, while NP pay runs about 5% below the national mean. Practice starts under a written collaborative agreement, a full-practice-authority license unlocks at 4,000 hours, and IDFPR publishes no processing timeline, so plan in months.
Why Illinois.
- 3.7%Share of the US population one license adds12.7 million people, the sixth-largest state in the country.Source: US Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 state population estimates
- 2.9% vs 3.7%NP supply against population shareIllinois holds 2.9% of US NP jobs but 3.7% of the US population (computed from BLS and Census data). The gap is room for incoming NPs.Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Nurse Practitioners
- Reduced practicePractice environmentPractice runs on a written collaborative agreement, except in hospitals, where privileges govern. A separate full-practice-authority license is earnable at 4,000 post-certification hours plus 250 CE hours.Source: AANP state practice environment, Illinois
- Same rate as in-personIllinois Medicaid telehealth paymentHFS reimburses telehealth at the same rate paid for face-to-face services and names advanced practice nurses as distant-site providers.Source: 89 Ill. Adm. Code 140.403, telehealth services
- 296Federally designated primary-care shortage areasDemand for NP-led care runs from Chicago's South Side to downstate farm towns.Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, health professional shortage areas
What it takes.
| RN licensure by endorsement | $50 |
|---|---|
| APRN licensure application | $125 |
| Fingerprint background check, ISP and FBI (vendor-set) | Varies |
| Optional six-month temporary permits, RN or APRN | $25 each |
| All-in | $175 in state fees |
Paid to IDFPR and non-refundable, with no proration against the fixed renewal date. Livescan fingerprint fees are vendor-set, and Nursys, certifier, and transcript fees come on top. A full-practice-authority license later is its own $125 application. Fees change; verified July 28, 2026.
No published timeline: IDFPR reviews in order received. The department publishes no endorsement clock; new licenses post within 2 to 4 business days of issuance, and the moving pieces (fingerprints, verifications from up to three states, transcripts) set the pace. Nothing is guaranteed.
The weight: two licenses (Illinois RN, then APRN), 7 core document types, and up to 4 conditional ones, moving between 7 parties, including IDFPR, an Illinois-licensed fingerprint vendor, the Illinois State Police and FBI, boards from your original, current, and recent-practice states, your school, and your national certifier. Done yourself, that’s 5 to 10 hours per application and months of status-checking.
Renews every two years on a fixed date, May 31 of even years: $80 RN plus $80 APRN per cycle, no proration. 80 CE hours per cycle (they cover the RN license too), including 20 pharmacotherapeutics hours, 10 of them on opioids or substance abuse, plus Illinois’s mandated one-hour topics. Official board site: IDFPR, Illinois nursing licensure.
We file Illinois for you.
We do
- Prepare and submit both IDFPR applications, clean and complete, in as little as 48 hours.
- Chase verifications from your original, current, and recent-practice states, plus your school and certifier.
- Route fingerprints through a licensed vendor, with the card-scan path handled for out-of-state prints.
- Watch the order-received queue and answer anything IDFPR asks.
You do
- Share your credentials and license history once, in our secure portal.
- Approve and e-sign the applications we prepare.
- Keep seeing patients.
Frequently asked questions
IDFPR publishes no processing clock: applications are reviewed in the order received, and a new license posts within 2 to 4 business days of issuance. Fingerprints, multi-state verifications, and transcripts set the real pace, so plan in months. A $25 temporary permit can bridge up to six months.
$175 in state fees: $50 RN licensure by endorsement plus $125 for the APRN application. Vendor-set fingerprint fees, Nursys verification, certifier, and transcript costs come on top, and optional six-month temporary permits run $25 each.
No. Illinois has not joined the Nurse Licensure Compact, so a multistate RN license doesn’t authorize practice there. Every Illinois APRN license requires a single-state Illinois RN license first, which is why the add is two applications.
Usually, yes: outside hospitals and surgical centers, Illinois APRNs practice under a written collaborative agreement. In hospital settings, clinical privileges govern instead. A full-practice-authority license removes the agreement requirement after 4,000 post-certification hours plus 250 CE hours.
No, and the APRN Compact isn’t operational anywhere yet: four of the seven states it needs have enacted it. An Illinois APRN license remains the only way to practice as an NP in Illinois. Our APRN Compact explainer covers the details.
Both licenses renew by May 31 of even-numbered years at $80 each per cycle, and there’s no proration: a license issued in spring renews at full fee weeks later. Budget accordingly if your approval lands close to the date.
80 hours per two-year cycle, among the heaviest loads NPs carry anywhere, though they satisfy the RN license too. At least 20 hours are pharmacotherapeutics, 10 of those on opioid prescribing or substance abuse, plus Illinois’s mandated one-hour topics. A passed recertification exam counts for 60 hours.
On average, no: $130,940 a year, about 5% below the national NP mean of $137,300. The Illinois case is coverage: the state holds 2.9% of US NP jobs against 3.7% of the US population, with 296 designated primary-care shortage areas.
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Sources
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Nurse Practitioners (29-1171), Illinois
IDFPR, Illinois nursing licensure
68 Ill. Adm. Code 1300.30, nursing fee schedule
225 ILCS 65/65-43, APRN full practice authority
225 ILCS 65/65-35, collaborative agreements
IDFPR, APRN continuing education FAQ
NCSBN, Nurse Licensure Compact members
NCSBN news, South Dakota enacts the APRN Compact (fourth state)
South Dakota Board of Nursing, APRN Compact status
AANP state practice environment, Illinois
US Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 state population estimates
This guide is informational only, not legal advice. Fees and timelines change; the verified date and sources are on this page.