Teaching License from Illinois to Delaware: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) - Licensure and Certification ↗
A teaching certificate transfers from Illinois to Delaware by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) - Licensure and Certification, verify your Illinois license, and meet Delaware's endorsement requirements. Test scores are not required for a reciprocity credential - Delaware states test scores are only needed for applications that do not meet Delaware reciprocity requirements or for new (non-reciprocal) certificate applications; a holder of a current, valid out-of-state license therefore transfers without retaking Delaware's Praxis tests.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The honest version of Illinois to Delaware: your Illinois teaching license gets you in the door, not into the classroom on its own terms. Delaware will review your credential, issue a provisional certificate so you can begin teaching, and then require its own tests and coursework within its completion window before the full license. Nothing about holding an Illinois license waives Delaware's requirements — plan them into your first year.
What changes, Illinois → Delaware
| Illinois (current) | Delaware (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $150 ($150 PEL application fee for out-of-state (and out-of-country) applicants, assessed electronically in ELIS; license registration fees are additional and required before employment) | $100 (One-time, non-refundable $100 application fee for a first Delaware license; reimbursable upon employment in a Delaware public or charter school once the educator is fully licensed and certified) |
| Processing time | Not stated on the reviewed ISBE application page | Not stated on the reviewed DDOE out-of-state applicant page |
| Licensing authority | Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) - Educator Licensure | Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) - Licensure and Certification |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Delaware sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Delaware's current requirements on the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) - Licensure and Certification website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) - Licensure and Certification (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current and valid out-of-state license/certificate (expired licenses are not reciprocal) and apply online in the Delaware Educator Data System (DEEDS) via the EdAccess login.
- Document at least one year of successful teaching experience under the out-of-state license for an Initial License by reciprocity (four years for a Continuing License).
- Have official (unopened) transcripts for all degrees/coursework sent directly to the Delaware Department of Education from regionally accredited institutions.
- Submit Form E (Verification of Teaching Experience) completed by the prior school/personnel office when the experience was outside a Delaware public/charter school.
- Pay the fees ($100 (One-time, non-refundable $100 application fee for a first Delaware license; reimbursable upon employment in a Delaware public or charter school once the educator is fully licensed and certified)) and allow Not stated on the reviewed DDOE out-of-state applicant page.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Delaware accept a Illinois teaching license?
A teaching certificate transfers from Illinois to Delaware by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) - Licensure and Certification, verify your Illinois license, and meet Delaware's endorsement requirements. Test scores are not required for a reciprocity credential - Delaware states test scores are only needed for applications that do not meet Delaware reciprocity requirements or for new (non-reciprocal) certificate applications; a holder of a current, valid out-of-state license therefore transfers without retaking Delaware's Praxis tests.
Will I have to retake tests moving from Illinois to Delaware?
Test scores are not required for a reciprocity credential - Delaware states test scores are only needed for applications that do not meet Delaware reciprocity requirements or for new (non-reciprocal) certificate applications; a holder of a current, valid out-of-state license therefore transfers without retaking Delaware's Praxis tests. Holding a Illinois license does not by itself waive Delaware's tests — experience or National Board certification is what typically does.
Can I teach in Delaware right away?
Generally yes on a provisional or one-year Delaware certificate issued while you complete its requirements; districts hire on that credential.
What does the Illinois-to-Delaware transfer cost and how long does it take?
$100 (One-time, non-refundable $100 application fee for a first Delaware license; reimbursable upon employment in a Delaware public or charter school once the educator is fully licensed and certified); processing Not stated on the reviewed DDOE out-of-state applicant page.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- DDOE - Out-of-State Applicant (Initial/Continuing License by reciprocity, DEEDS, $100 fee, Form E, tests waived for reciprocity) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- ISBE - Educator Licensure Application (Reciprocity / Out-of-State supporting documentation and fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- ISBE - Educator Licensure (requirements hub) ↗ (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]