Getting licensed as a social worker in Illinois
Checked against the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Professional Regulation (Social Work Licensing) on .
Get your Illinois licensing checklist
Your board, the portal you apply in, the fees, the supervised hours, and the order to do them in.
Your first license
Licensed Social Worker (MSW route: no supervised experience and no ASWB exam required since 2022-01-01)
LSWExam comes after the first credential
Illinois: "no ASWB examination for the LSW since January 1, 2022 (Public Act 102-0326)".
Known fees
| LSW application processing | $50 |
|---|---|
| Known total | $50 |
What else it takes
- Supervised hours
- 3,000 hours, for the LCSW
- ASWB exam level
- None for this credential
- Licensure compact
- Not a member (legislation pending)Multistate licenses are not yet being issued. Last checked against the compact's own site.
- Last checked
Next step
Earn a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree accredited by CSWE, OR a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree accredited by CSWE. BSW-degree applicants: complete three years of supervised professional experience after the BSW was awarded, supervised by an LSW, LCSW, or other appropriate social work supervisor, averaging at least 4 hours per month in supervision, documented on form VE-SW.
The ladder
Illinois has 3 rungs. 1 needs an ASWB exam.
bachelors
LSW
No ASWB exam
Licensed Social Worker (BSW route: BSW plus 3 years of supervised professional experience; no ASWB exam since 2022-01-01). Practice is supervised at this rung.
masters
LSW
No ASWB exam
Licensed Social Worker (MSW route: no supervised experience and no ASWB exam required since 2022-01-01).
clinical
LCSW
ASWB Clinical
Licensed Clinical Social Worker.
Requirements change
Nothing on our law calendar changes Illinois's exam requirement today. The change that does touch you is national: ASWB launched the 2026 exams on August 3, 2026 with three content areas and 122 items, and held fees at $230 Masters and $260 Clinical. ASWB's announcement.
Law calendar read . If Illinois moves, this page moves with it.
Already passed? Track your supervised hours toward your clinical license.
Illinois asks for 3,000 hours of supervised experience. The board sets no total for supervision hours (4 hours per month).
Checked against the published rule. Last checked September 6, 2026.
Join the Hours waitlistPrograms in Illinois
How first-timers from each accredited program here did on the ASWB exam. A rate built on fewer than 10 first-time exams is one or two people, so those programs show how close they are to that floor instead of a percent. Source: ASWB, 2025 report.
Augustana College
Illinois
- Clinical first-time
- No exams reportednational 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- No exams reportednational 73.9%
No Clinical first-time exams in the 2025 report for this school.
Aurora University
Illinois
- Clinical first-time
- 62.3% of 361national 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- 73.6% of 53national 73.9%
62.3% of Clinical first-timers from here passed in 2025. National rate 75.7%.
Bradley University
Illinois
- Clinical first-time
- No exams reportednational 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- Too few to rate so farnational 73.9%
No Clinical first-time exams in the 2025 report for this school.
Chamberlain University
Illinois
- Clinical first-time
- 56.2% of 16national 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- 51.9% of 54national 73.9%
56.2% of Clinical first-timers from here passed in 2025. National rate 75.7%.
Chicago State University
Illinois
- Clinical first-time
- 17.6% of 17national 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- Too few to rate so farnational 73.9%
17.6% of Clinical first-timers from here passed in 2025. National rate 75.7%.
DePaul University
Illinois
- Clinical first-time
- 85% of 20national 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- Too few to rate so farnational 73.9%
85% of Clinical first-timers from here passed in 2025. National rate 75.7%.
Dominican University
Illinois
- Clinical first-time
- 59.3% of 59national 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- Too few to rate so farnational 73.9%
59.3% of Clinical first-timers from here passed in 2025. National rate 75.7%.
Erikson Institute
Illinois
- Clinical first-time
- 92.3% of 13national 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- Too few to rate so farnational 73.9%
92.3% of Clinical first-timers from here passed in 2025. National rate 75.7%.
Governors State University
Illinois
- Clinical first-time
- 29.4% of 34national 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- Too few to rate so farnational 73.9%
29.4% of Clinical first-timers from here passed in 2025. National rate 75.7%.
Greenville University
Illinois
- Clinical first-time
- No exams reportednational 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- No exams reportednational 73.9%
No Clinical first-time exams in the 2025 report for this school.
Illinois State University
Illinois
- Clinical first-time
- 80% of 25national 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- Too few to rate so farnational 73.9%
80% of Clinical first-timers from here passed in 2025. National rate 75.7%.
Lewis University
Illinois
- Clinical first-time
- 52.4% of 21national 75.7%
- Masters first-time
- Too few to rate so farnational 73.9%
52.4% of Clinical first-timers from here passed in 2025. National rate 75.7%.
Sources
We read the board's own pages. Nothing here is a guess.
- Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Professional Regulation (Social Work Licensing) · LSW applicant resourcesidfpr.illinois.gov · Last checked
- 225 ILCS 20 - Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice Actilga.gov · Last checked
- 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1470 - Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice Act rules (index)www.ilga.gov · Last checked
- LSW fees · LSW application processingwww.law.cornell.edu · Last checked
- Social Work Licensure Compact · member jurisdictionsswcompact.org · Last checked
- LCSW fees · ASWB Clinical examinationwww.aswb.org · Last checked
SWTPA is not affiliated with any state board or with ASWB. Requirements change; the board's page is the source of record. This record is also available as JSON.
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