Teaching License from Illinois to New Hampshire: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: New Hampshire Department of Education — Bureau of Credentialing, Division of Educator Support and Higher Education ↗
A teaching certificate transfers from Illinois to New Hampshire by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New Hampshire Department of Education — Bureau of Credentialing, Division of Educator Support and Higher Education, verify your Illinois license, and meet New Hampshire's endorsement requirements. Initial teacher and instructional specialist candidates must pass a basic academic skills assessment — the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators or a comparable out-of-state test, with comparability decided during application review; alternatively a score at or above the 50th percentile on a nationally recognized test such as the SAT, ACT or GRE satisfies the requirement (Ed 505.01).
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The honest version of Illinois to New Hampshire: your Illinois teaching license gets you in the door, not into the classroom on its own terms. New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire's requirements — plan them into your first year.
What changes, Illinois → New Hampshire
| Illinois (current) | New Hampshire (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) | $150 (Ed 505.09 fee schedule — $150 for an initial Beginning Educator License or Experienced Educator License including one licensure area endorsement by any licensure pathway, and $150 to add another endorsement. A separate $100 Criminal History Record Check Clearance fee applies to first-time applicants) |
| Processing time | Not stated on the reviewed ISBE application page | The Bureau of Credentialing does not publish a stated processing time; applicants are directed to the Credentialing Knowledge Base / Help Desk for status. Set to null rather than guess |
| Licensing authority | Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) - Educator Licensure | New Hampshire Department of Education — Bureau of Credentialing, Division of Educator Support and Higher Education |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — New Hampshire sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm New Hampshire's current requirements on the New Hampshire Department of Education — Bureau of Credentialing, Division of Educator Support and Higher Education website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the New Hampshire Department of Education — Bureau of Credentialing, Division of Educator Support and Higher Education (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Complete a state-approved educator preparation program in another state, whether or not that state is a NASDTEC signatory.
- Either hold full out-of-state licensure in a comparable endorsement area not expired more than 3 years, or apply within 3 years of the preparing institution's recommendation.
- Pass the basic academic skills assessment or an approved substitute score.
- Pass a criminal history records check and a DCYF Central Registry check before any credential is issued (required of all first-time applicants since January 11, 2023).
- Apply and pay through the NH Department of Education credentialing system administered by the Bureau of Credentialing.
- Pay the fees ($150 (Ed 505.09 fee schedule — $150 for an initial Beginning Educator License or Experienced Educator License including one licensure area endorsement by any licensure pathway, and $150 to add another endorsement. A separate $100 Criminal History Record Check Clearance fee applies to first-time applicants)) and allow The Bureau of Credentialing does not publish a stated processing time; applicants are directed to the Credentialing Knowledge Base / Help Desk for status. Set to null rather than guess.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does New Hampshire accept a Illinois teaching license?
A teaching certificate transfers from Illinois to New Hampshire by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New Hampshire Department of Education — Bureau of Credentialing, Division of Educator Support and Higher Education, verify your Illinois license, and meet New Hampshire's endorsement requirements. Initial teacher and instructional specialist candidates must pass a basic academic skills assessment — the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators or a comparable out-of-state test, with comparability decided during application review; alternatively a score at or above the 50th percentile on a nationally recognized test such as the SAT, ACT or GRE satisfies the requirement (Ed 505.01).
Will I have to retake tests moving from Illinois to New Hampshire?
Initial teacher and instructional specialist candidates must pass a basic academic skills assessment — the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators or a comparable out-of-state test, with comparability decided during application review; alternatively a score at or above the 50th percentile on a nationally recognized test such as the SAT, ACT or GRE satisfies the requirement (Ed 505.01). Holding a Illinois license does not by itself waive New Hampshire's tests — experience or National Board certification is what typically does.
Can I teach in New Hampshire right away?
Generally yes on a provisional or one-year New Hampshire certificate issued while you complete its requirements; districts hire on that credential.
What does the Illinois-to-New Hampshire transfer cost and how long does it take?
$150 (Ed 505.09 fee schedule — $150 for an initial Beginning Educator License or Experienced Educator License including one licensure area endorsement by any licensure pathway, and $150 to add another endorsement. A separate $100 Criminal History Record Check Clearance fee applies to first-time applicants); processing The Bureau of Credentialing does not publish a stated processing time; applicants are directed to the Credentialing Knowledge Base / Help Desk for status. Set to null rather than guess.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- NH Department of Education — Bureau of Credentialing ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NH Code of Administrative Rules Ed 500-514 — Certification Standards (Ed 505.01 basic academic skills; Ed 505.05 out-of-state approved program) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NH Department of Education — Ed 505.09 adopted rule text (credential fee schedule) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- 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 2026-08-07
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]