Q: Who should I contact if I have questions about licensure?
A: Email info@cote.illinois.edu or call 217-333-2804.
Q: How do I access my student portal
A: Click on the Log In button in the upper-right corner.
Q: What is the GPA Requirement?
A: The minimum overall grade point average requirement for undergraduate students is 2.5. Graduate programs require a minimum 3.0 overall GPA. The overall GPA includes grades for transfer and UIUC courses.
Q: What is the Course Grade of C- or Higher Requirement*?
A: State law requires that all coursework in the content and professional education areas have grades of C- or higher. Coursework with a grade lower than C- cannot be used to meet licensure requirements. This applies to subsequent endorsements and/or approvals as well. For graduate students, this includes undergraduate courses used toward meeting program requirements.
* Beginning in Fall 2022, "CR" grades can no longer be accepted for licensure, endorsement, or approval requirements.
Q: When will I get my license and when will it expire?
A: Your license will be issued when you logon at ELIS, claim your license, and pay your fees. It will be valid until June 30th immediately following five years of being issued.
Q: What is the edTPA?
A: The edTPA is the state of Illinois mandated final performance assessment for all licensure candidates. Passage is required to obtain an Illinois license. Your program faculty and staff will provide you program specific information on the edTPA assessment which will be completed in your final student teaching/internship semester.
Q: How do I Receive an edTPA Fee Voucher?
A: The edTPA voucher is located on your student portal. If you do not have one at the time of registration, please contact the Council.
Q: Must I have passed all of my licensure tests before I apply for licensure?
A: No. You should apply for licensure during the last semester of your program and prior to completing all tests. However, the content test and the edTPA must be passed before you can be entitled for licensure.
Q: When should I apply for licensure?
A: If you are completing an approved program at the Urbana campus you should apply at the beginning of the semester in which you will complete your program.
Q: Where can I get an application for licensure?
A: Applications are available through your Student Portal under Prior to Licensure.
Q: Can I print an application from the Illinois State Board of Education web site and submit that to the Council on Teacher Education?
A: No. You must use the application provided by the Council on Teacher Education.
Q: When I apply for licensure will the University provide the ISBE with my official transcripts?
A: No, submitting your transcripts to ISBE is part of the requirements for licensure. You will need to submit your transcripts to ISBE and send proof of sending to the Council at info@cote.illinois.edu.
Q: What is an ELIS Account?
A: ELIS (Educator Licensure Information System) is the ISBE site where all your educator licenses and endorsements are housed.
Q: How do I set up an ELIS account?
A: Go to isbe.net. Follow the account set-up instructions to create your account and acquire your Illinois Educator Identification Number (IEIN).
Q: Where can I find my ELIS Account Number/Illinois Educator Identification Number (IEIN)?
A: Once you’ve set up your account it will be on your ELIS account home page.
Q: When do I apply for endorsements?
A: You can apply for endorsements at the time you apply for your license if you think you will complete the endorsement requirements prior to entitlement.
Q: Can I add endorsements to my teaching license after I am licensed?
A: Yes. Provided you qualify, you may add endorsements anytime during your teaching career. You will apply for endorsements via your ELIS account.
Q: Can I use coursework from a community college toward endorsements?
A: Assuming the coursework applies, yes.
Q: I graduated with licensure from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and am trying to get certified in another state. To whom do I send the form that needs to be completed?
A: Send the form to the Council on Teacher Education, 1310 South Sixth Street - Suite 120, MC - 708, Champaign, IL 61820, or email info@cote.illinois.edu.
Q: How can I find out what the requirements are to be certified in other states?
A: These links will take you to licensure offices for other states: U.S. Department of Education Certification Requirements by State, Illinois Division of Management Information Accreditation Information (under Professional Licensure Disclosures), and the state/jurisdiction information provided by the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification.
Q: I participated in a PDH activity and received an Evidence of Completion form from your office. Unfortunately, I can’t find the form anymore and I need to upload it into my ISBE licensure account. Can it be replaced?
A: Yes! If you can locate the email you received originally, go ahead and click the link again – you should be able to see/retrieve the form again and click it as many times as you need. If the email is no longer available, email us or call our office at 217-333-2804 with your name, the title or type of activity, an estimate of the date or semester, and an email address to which we can send you a new copy of the Evidence of Completion form.
Q: I participated in a PDH activity. I haven’t received the Evidence of Completion form I was told to expect. What do I do?
A: The most common problem is that the email with the link to the Evidence of Completion form went to spam/junk email box. You may find the email with the Evidence of Completion form link there (tip – set our address pdh@cote.illinois.edu as a safe sender to prevent this for next time).
Another explanation may be that we don’t have a record of your completed ISBE-required evaluation form – your activity organizer would have sent a link to you to complete this online. If you haven’t completed an evaluation form and have lost track of the link, your activity organizer can send it again, or email us or call our office at 217-333-2807 and we can send you the link. We will need your name, the title or type of activity, an estimate of the date or semester, and an email address to which we can send you a new copy of the link.
Finally, it may be that you completed your evaluation form but there was not a match between the email address you entered on the evaluation form and the one we received from your activity organizer – perhaps there was a typo in one or the other or two different valid email addresses were used. You won’t be able to check that on your own – if you think this may be the problem – or you’re not sure what the problem is email us or call our office at 217-333-2804 with your name, the title or type of activity, an estimate of the date or semester, and an email address at which we can follow up with you.
Q: I work with a unit on campus that would like to give PDH to educators for participating in a workshop we plan to offer. How does this process work?
A: Details about the PDH process are provided on our website. From an overview perspective, activity sponsors complete a proposal that documents how the activity meets Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) requirements, including a link to standards and alignment to ISBE professional development expectations. After CoTE approves the proposal, you will be sent a link to an attendance form and a web link to the activity evaluation form that ISBE requires each participant to complete. You will distribute that link to your participants and send the attendance sheet back to our office after the event. Once our office receives the completed evaluation form from the participant and the attendance sheet from you, we will then digitally distribute the Evidence of Completion form to the participants.
Q: We are just beginning to plan a workshop for area teachers. What should we keep in mind to be sure the PDH process goes smoothly?
A: Here are some tips:
- Have your proposal approved by CoTE in advance – that way you’ll know for sure how many PDH participants in your activity can earn.
- Collect participants’ IEINs (Illinois Educator Identification Number) at the time they register for your activity. It takes extra time and effort for you to track them down afterward the activity – and educators cannot receive PDH without the IEIN number on the attendance sheet you return.
- Plan to distribute the web link for the required evaluation form to your participants. Be sure to explain to participants that if they do not complete that evaluation form, they cannot receive PDH.
Q: The web link we received for the evaluation form is too long – I don’t think participants will remember it and we are worried some characters of the address will get cut off or lost. Can’t you send us something shorter?
A: The web links are long. We recommend you use a URL shortener tool if you’d like to make your link shorter and easier for your participants to remember. We recommend the Short URL Webtool provided by Web Services in Public Affairs at the University of Illinois.
Q: I work with a unit on campus that would like to give PDH to educators for participating in a workshop we plan to offer. This process is new to me -I’ve never worked with standards before and I just don’t know where to start.
A: We are happy to walk you through the process! Email us or call our office at 217-333-2804.
Q: What is a tuition/fee waiver and who gets it?
A: The TFW is a waiver of tuition and service fees for one term (semester). TFW are awarded to cooperating personnel such as teachers who host student teachers or Early Field Experience students.
Q: What is covered by a waiver?
A: Tuition, service fees, and the McKinley Health Center Health Service Fee for the term in which the TFW is applied.
Q: What is not covered by a waiver?
A: Application fee, medical insurance fee (which can be waived; see next question) and any laboratory fees incurred as part of a course.
Q: How can I get an exemption from the medical insurance fee?
A: Contact the Student Insurance Office (217-333-0165, insure@illinois.edu, or si.illinois.edu).
Q: Can I use my waiver for online programs?
A: Whether or not a tuition waiver can be used with online programs (also known as "self-supporting programs") depends on the program code you are assigned. Program codes are determined by the program major, degree/non-degree, on-campus or off, and if the program is an online program or face-to-face. To find out which program code you are assigned, you will need to contact your program's departmental office. Non-degree students should contact online-info@illinois.edu. You would then want to check to see if the program code is on the list of programs that don't allow the use of waivers. That list can be found at https://grad.illinois.edu/handbook/self-supporting-programs.
Q: I earned some PDH by mentoring a student teacher and completing an Experience Narrative. If I received the PDH, can I still use the tuition and fee waiver?
A: Yes! If your cooperating professional placement qualified you to earn a tuition and fee waiver, you also qualify for PDH. You may elect to use either, or both.
Q: Who should I contact if I have questions about TFW?
A: Contact the Council on Teacher Education Office (217-333-2804) or cote-waivers@illinois.edu.
Q: Are waivers transferable?
A: No.
Q: Does receipt of a waiver entitle me to register for classes?
A: No. Receipt of a waiver does not imply admission to the University or guarantee admission to a particular graduate course. Admission is the responsibility of the colleges of UIUC and their various departments.
Q: How long are waivers valid?
A: Waivers for cooperating teachers will be awarded at the end of the term of service, and may be redeemed in any one of the four terms immediately following the term of service. Thus, if a cooperating teacher hosts a student teacher (or accumulates the required number of hours of hosting EFE candidates) during the Fall term, the TFW may be used in any one of the following terms: Spring, Summer, Fall, or Spring.
Q: Can I use my waiver from UIUC at UIS or UIC?
A: Yes. Contact the Council on Teacher Education (see contact information above) to process the transfer. (Note: At UIS, the TFW only covers up to four credit hours of tuition and fees.)