Teaching License from Illinois to Kansas: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) - Teacher Licensure ↗
A teaching certificate transfers from Illinois to Kansas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) - Teacher Licensure, verify your Illinois license, and meet Kansas's endorsement requirements. Kansas content and pedagogy assessment requirements apply to out-of-state applicants but may be exempted by accepting the applicant's out-of-state test scores or verified teaching experience; where requirements remain outstanding, an Out-of-State Provisional license is available while they are completed.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The honest version of Illinois to Kansas: your Illinois teaching license gets you in the door, not into the classroom on its own terms. Kansas 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 Kansas's requirements — plan them into your first year.
What changes, Illinois → Kansas
| Illinois (current) | Kansas (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) | KSDE assesses a nonrefundable application processing fee in KLAS; a fixed amount was not published on the reviewed pages; fingerprinting is additional for first-time out-of-state applicants |
| Processing time | Not stated on the reviewed ISBE application page | Not stated on the reviewed KSDE pages |
| Licensing authority | Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) - Educator Licensure | Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) - Teacher Licensure |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Kansas sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Kansas's current requirements on the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) - Teacher Licensure website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) - Teacher Licensure (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a valid full or standard out-of-state teaching license issued after completing a state-approved preparation program.
- Hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution and have completed a teacher preparation program.
- Meet the 'recency' requirement - teaching experience and/or college credit within the last six years.
- Submit the Form 2 Initial Out-of-State application with a fingerprint card through the Kansas Licensure Applications System (KLAS).
- Pay the fees (KSDE assesses a nonrefundable application processing fee in KLAS; a fixed amount was not published on the reviewed pages; fingerprinting is additional for first-time out-of-state applicants) and allow Not stated on the reviewed KSDE pages.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Kansas accept a Illinois teaching license?
A teaching certificate transfers from Illinois to Kansas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) - Teacher Licensure, verify your Illinois license, and meet Kansas's endorsement requirements. Kansas content and pedagogy assessment requirements apply to out-of-state applicants but may be exempted by accepting the applicant's out-of-state test scores or verified teaching experience; where requirements remain outstanding, an Out-of-State Provisional license is available while they are completed.
Will I have to retake tests moving from Illinois to Kansas?
Kansas content and pedagogy assessment requirements apply to out-of-state applicants but may be exempted by accepting the applicant's out-of-state test scores or verified teaching experience; where requirements remain outstanding, an Out-of-State Provisional license is available while they are completed. Holding a Illinois license does not by itself waive Kansas's tests — experience or National Board certification is what typically does.
Can I teach in Kansas right away?
Generally yes on a provisional or one-year Kansas certificate issued while you complete its requirements; districts hire on that credential.
What does the Illinois-to-Kansas transfer cost and how long does it take?
KSDE assesses a nonrefundable application processing fee in KLAS; a fixed amount was not published on the reviewed pages; fingerprinting is additional for first-time out-of-state applicants; processing Not stated on the reviewed KSDE pages.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- KSDE - License Information and Applications (KLAS; license structure and content assessments) ↗ (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]