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LicenseReciprocity

Teaching License from Illinois to South Carolina: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) — Office of Educator Services ↗

A teaching certificate transfers from Illinois to South Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) — Office of Educator Services, verify your Illinois license, and meet South Carolina's endorsement requirements. South Carolina accepts a valid, standard out-of-state credential that documents both completion of an approved educator preparation program recognized by the issuing state and that the issuing state's certification examination requirements were met; in that case SCDE does not require South Carolina's exams for the fields being transferred. If the applicant did not complete subject-area and pedagogy assessments as part of the licensing or certification process in another state, SCDE may require South Carolina testing and will notify the applicant. Separately, an educator issued an Initial certificate must document successful completion of a pedagogy assessment during that certificate's validity period..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

The honest version of Illinois to South Carolina: your Illinois teaching license gets you in the door, not into the classroom on its own terms. South Carolina 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 South Carolina's requirements — plan them into your first year.

What changes, Illinois → South Carolina

Side-by-side: Illinois vs South Carolina (Teaching (K-12)), verified 2026-08-07
Illinois (current)South Carolina (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)$105 ($105 non-refundable application processing fee paid online through My SC Educator Portal; the fingerprinting and criminal-records-review vendor fee is charged separately and is not published on the reciprocity pages)
Processing timeNot stated on the reviewed ISBE application pageSCDE publishes no processing timeframe on its out-of-state or reciprocity pages — the word 'weeks' does not appear on them; SCDE states only that submitting all documentation at one time expedites processing of the application
Licensing authorityIllinois State Board of Education (ISBE) - Educator LicensureSouth Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) — Office of Educator Services

The destination column is what you must satisfy — South Carolina sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

  1. Confirm South Carolina's current requirements on the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) — Office of Educator Services website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) — Office of Educator Services (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Hold a current, valid, standard credential from another US state, the District of Columbia, or DoDEA — temporary, emergency, provisional, and conditional out-of-state credentials are not accepted for reciprocity.
  5. Create a My SC Educator Portal account and complete the Standard Application for Out-of-State Educators before any other step.
  6. Complete the SCDE fingerprinting process and criminal records review — fingerprinting completed for another state, agency, or purpose cannot be used.
  7. Submit official transcripts from each regionally accredited college attended, a copy of all pages of the existing out-of-state credential, and score reports for any certification exams completed.
  8. Submit an Experience Verification Form from each employer; at least 27 months of qualifying experience earned in the last seven school years in the state of the transferred certificate is required for a Professional rather than an Initial certificate.
  9. Pay the fees ($105 ($105 non-refundable application processing fee paid online through My SC Educator Portal; the fingerprinting and criminal-records-review vendor fee is charged separately and is not published on the reciprocity pages)) and allow SCDE publishes no processing timeframe on its out-of-state or reciprocity pages — the word 'weeks' does not appear on them; SCDE states only that submitting all documentation at one time expedites processing of the application.

Official links

South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) — Office of Educator Services ↗South Carolina application ↗

Related guides

Reverse: South Carolina → IllinoisTeaching in IllinoisTeaching in South CarolinaAll teaching states

Frequently asked questions

Does South Carolina accept a Illinois teaching license?

A teaching certificate transfers from Illinois to South Carolina by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) — Office of Educator Services, verify your Illinois license, and meet South Carolina's endorsement requirements. South Carolina accepts a valid, standard out-of-state credential that documents both completion of an approved educator preparation program recognized by the issuing state and that the issuing state's certification examination requirements were met; in that case SCDE does not require South Carolina's exams for the fields being transferred. If the applicant did not complete subject-area and pedagogy assessments as part of the licensing or certification process in another state, SCDE may require South Carolina testing and will notify the applicant. Separately, an educator issued an Initial certificate must document successful completion of a pedagogy assessment during that certificate's validity period..

Will I have to retake tests moving from Illinois to South Carolina?

South Carolina accepts a valid, standard out-of-state credential that documents both completion of an approved educator preparation program recognized by the issuing state and that the issuing state's certification examination requirements were met; in that case SCDE does not require South Carolina's exams for the fields being transferred. If the applicant did not complete subject-area and pedagogy assessments as part of the licensing or certification process in another state, SCDE may require South Carolina testing and will notify the applicant. Separately, an educator issued an Initial certificate must document successful completion of a pedagogy assessment during that certificate's validity period.. Holding a Illinois license does not by itself waive South Carolina's tests — experience or National Board certification is what typically does.

Can I teach in South Carolina right away?

Generally yes on a provisional or one-year South Carolina certificate issued while you complete its requirements; districts hire on that credential.

What does the Illinois-to-South Carolina transfer cost and how long does it take?

$105 ($105 non-refundable application processing fee paid online through My SC Educator Portal; the fingerprinting and criminal-records-review vendor fee is charged separately and is not published on the reciprocity pages); processing SCDE publishes no processing timeframe on its out-of-state or reciprocity pages — the word 'weeks' does not appear on them; SCDE states only that submitting all documentation at one time expedites processing of the application.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]