Engineering License from South Carolina to Illinois: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation — Board of Professional Engineers ↗
A PE license transfers from South Carolina to Illinois by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation — Board of Professional Engineers, verify your South Carolina license, and meet Illinois's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer via your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Illinois requires passage of both the FE and PE exams for licensure, but an endorsement applicant whose FE was waived in another jurisdiction may submit a waiver request to the Board (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1380.280); Illinois has no separate state law exam. Note: Professional Engineer (PE) and Structural Engineer (SE) are separate Illinois licenses.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Illinois grants PE licensure by comity, so a Professional Engineer licensed in South Carolina does not start over — but does file a full Illinois application. Your South Carolina license, ABET degree, qualifying experience, and FE and PE results reach the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation — Board of Professional Engineers through your NCEES Record; the board's task is to confirm they meet Illinois's practice act, not to re-test you. FE and PE exam results transfer via your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Illinois requires passage of both the FE and PE exams for licensure, but an endorsement applicant whose FE was waived in another jurisdiction may submit a waiver request to the Board (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1380.280); Illinois has no separate state law exam. Note: Professional Engineer (PE) and Structural Engineer (SE) are separate Illinois licenses. Two things govern your timeline: keeping your South Carolina license active and unencumbered while the Illinois application is pending, and clearing any Illinois-specific exam or statutes review before the license issues.
What changes, South Carolina → Illinois
| South Carolina (current) | Illinois (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $60 (SC Board PE-by-comity application fee per the LLR fee schedule; transmitting an NCEES Record costs $175 for the first board and $100 for each additional board, paid separately to NCEES. Biennial renewal is separate.) | $100 ($100 Professional Engineer license application fee (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1380.275; the same single application fee applies to endorsement); renewal is $30 per year. Request that NCEES transmit your Record to Illinois — NCEES charges $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately) |
| Processing time | LLR publishes no comity processing time; comity applications are reviewed once the NCEES Record and references are received (NCEES Record completion itself averages 2-3 weeks). | IDFPR does not publish a guaranteed endorsement turnaround; the board's PE FAQ states that using an NCEES Record may shorten processing time |
| Licensing authority | South Carolina Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors (SC Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation — Board of Professional Engineers |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Illinois sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Illinois's current requirements on the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation — Board of Professional Engineers website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation — Board of Professional Engineers.
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current, active PE license issued by another U.S. jurisdiction under substantially equivalent standards.
- Satisfy the NCEES Engineering Education Standard (EAC/ABET degree or approved equivalent; evaluations showing deficiencies are not accepted).
- Submit an NCEES Record in lieu of transcripts, experience forms, and exam certifications (encouraged; may shorten processing).
- Note that PE and SE are licensed separately in Illinois and neither can offer the other's services.
- Pay the fees ($100 ($100 Professional Engineer license application fee (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1380.275; the same single application fee applies to endorsement); renewal is $30 per year. Request that NCEES transmit your Record to Illinois — NCEES charges $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately)) and allow IDFPR does not publish a guaranteed endorsement turnaround; the board's PE FAQ states that using an NCEES Record may shorten processing time.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Illinois accept a South Carolina PE license?
A PE license transfers from South Carolina to Illinois by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation — Board of Professional Engineers, verify your South Carolina license, and meet Illinois's endorsement requirements. FE and PE exam results transfer via your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Illinois requires passage of both the FE and PE exams for licensure, but an endorsement applicant whose FE was waived in another jurisdiction may submit a waiver request to the Board (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1380.280); Illinois has no separate state law exam. Note: Professional Engineer (PE) and Structural Engineer (SE) are separate Illinois licenses.
Do I retake the FE or PE exam moving from South Carolina to Illinois?
FE and PE exam results transfer via your NCEES Record and are not retaken; Illinois requires passage of both the FE and PE exams for licensure, but an endorsement applicant whose FE was waived in another jurisdiction may submit a waiver request to the Board (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1380.280); Illinois has no separate state law exam. Note: Professional Engineer (PE) and Structural Engineer (SE) are separate Illinois licenses.
What does the South Carolina-to-Illinois comity application cost?
$100 ($100 Professional Engineer license application fee (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1380.275; the same single application fee applies to endorsement); renewal is $30 per year. Request that NCEES transmit your Record to Illinois — NCEES charges $175 first board / $100 each additional, paid separately).
Can I keep my South Carolina PE license after I'm licensed in Illinois?
Yes — PE licenses stack. Keep the South Carolina license active (its renewal and continuing-education/PDH clock run separately) and you hold both. Engineers working near state lines or nationally routinely carry several PE licenses at once, all sourced from a single NCEES Record.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- IDFPR — Professional Engineering Frequently Asked Questions (endorsement pathway, FE/PE requirement, NCEES Record, PE vs SE) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Ill. Admin. Code tit. 68, § 1380.275 — Fees (Professional Engineer license $100) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- IDFPR — Professional Engineering (Practice Act, rules, application forms) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NCEES — Records Program (comity licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- S.C. Code Regs. 49-203 — Licensure by Comity (verbatim SC Code of Regulations via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- SC LLR Board of Registration for PEs & Surveyors — PE Individual Licensure by Comity ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]