Nursing License from South Carolina to Illinois: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Illinois accept a South Carolina nursing license?
A nursing 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 (Board of Nursing), verify your South Carolina license, and meet Illinois's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Moving from South Carolina into Illinois means leaving the compact's coverage: Illinois does not participate, so the multistate privilege that made South Carolina easy stops at the border. File Illinois's endorsement application as early as the board allows — this direction of the move is paperwork-first, and starting after you arrive is the classic way to lose weeks of income. Note that while your primary residence remains in South Carolina, your multistate license keeps working in the compact states; you only lose it when you establish residence in Illinois.
What's different between South Carolina and Illinois
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Illinois. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
South Carolina to Illinois (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Illinois to South Carolina (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from South Carolina matter?
Coming from South Carolina does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Illinois.
- NLC membership
South Carolina is an NLC member state; Illinois is not in the NLC.
Because they are not both active members, the NLC does not cover this move.
A multistate license issued by South Carolina does not cover practice in Illinois.
- Application fee
Illinois lists $50–$75 for an out-of-state applicant and South Carolina lists $100 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
South Carolina and Illinois carry the same exam note for a licensee arriving from another state; any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
What changes, South Carolina → Illinois
| South Carolina (current) | Illinois (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| NLC status | NLC member — multistate license honored | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $100 (endorsement application; $110 if adding a 60-day temporary license; fingerprint background check fee paid separately) | $50–$75 ($50 non-refundable endorsement fee, or $75 with the optional 6-month temporary permit (+$25); fingerprint fee paid separately to a licensed livescan vendor) |
| Processing time | board does not publish a timeframe; applications processed in order received and valid for one year; 60-day single-state temporary license available while pending | no processing range stated in IDFPR application materials |
| Licensing authority | South Carolina Board of Nursing | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Board of Nursing) |
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 (Board of Nursing) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Board of Nursing) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Fingerprint-based criminal background check through the Illinois State Police or its designated agent.
- Hold a current license in at least one other U.S. jurisdiction.
- Request license verification through Nursys (or the CT-NUR form if your state does not participate).
- Submit proof of nursing education (ED form signed by your program director or official sealed transcripts).
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Do I retake the NCLEX moving from South Carolina to Illinois?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- IDFPR — Registered Nurse Instruction Sheet (Examination/Endorsement/Restoration), rev. 4/24 ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- IDFPR — Nurses profession page ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- SC Board of Nursing — Fee Schedule (read via Internet Archive capture of 2026-10-07; llr.sc.gov refused connections on 2026-10-29) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- SC BON — RN/LPN Licensure by Endorsement requirements and application (PDF) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- SC BON — RN Applications and Forms (read via Internet Archive capture of 2026-10-10; llr.sc.gov refused connections on 2026-10-29) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- S.C. Code § 40-33-36 — temporary license for endorsement applicants (up to sixty days) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
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