All four Illinois beauty licenses in one place. Illinois uses NIC national exams via Continental Testing Services (CTS/PSI) — and uniquely, no practical exam is required for any license type. Written only, for every modality. CE required at renewal. Apply through IDFPR's CORE portal.
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10 questions from the NIC cosmetology bank and 10 terminology cards from the decks — the same items, the same rationales, the same study modes you get after checkout. Illinois tests on the NIC exam, so this is the exam you'll sit. No email, no signup.
Illinois · Cosmetology
1,500 hours, the NIC national exam via CTS/PSI — written only, no practical — 75% passing, and 14 hours of CE at every renewal. Apply through IDFPR's CORE portal after passing. Licenses expire September 30 of odd-numbered years.
Illinois uses its own cosmetology examination, developed with a committee of Illinois cosmetology teachers and administered by Continental Testing Services at PSI test centers. It runs 120 minutes across seven content areas — Salon Safety and Sanitation 32%, Cut & Style Hair 13%, Waving & Relaxing 13%, Hair Coloring & Lightening 13%, Analyze & Treat Scalp, Hair, Skin & Nails 11%, Nail Services 9%, Skin Services 9%. The NIC outline has four domains and not one label is shared. The CTS study guide never mentions NIC; its questions are referenced to Milady and Pivot Point. NICPrep's cosmetology bank is built to the NIC blueprint, so it covers the underlying science; this exam's outline differs. Illinois does not require a separate state law exam.
Illinois cosmetology is regulated by IDFPR under the Barber, Cosmetology, Esthetics, Hair Braiding, and Nail Technology (BCENT) Act of 1985 — renewed through 2031 in August 2025. One board governs all four beauty professions. The exam is NIC, written only, and applications are processed through IDFPR's CORE portal launched in October 2024.
Verify school approval at idfpr.illinois.gov. Full-time programs run approximately 12–15 months. After 1,200 hours, you may apply to CTS for examination authorization before graduation.
Apply at continentaltesting.net. Pay the non-refundable exam fee (~$107). CTS processes your application and approves your eligibility to test. Results and next steps come via email from CTS.
Once CTS approves your application, you receive instructions to schedule through PSI. Book at least a few days in advance. Testing is available at PSI centers statewide and via remote proctoring at select sites.
Official results are released within approximately four weeks. CTS mails you an Official Results Letter with IDFPR licensure application instructions. Do not apply to IDFPR before receiving this letter.
Apply at idfpr.illinois.gov/core.html. Submit your CTS results letter, pay the IDFPR application fee (~$50–$75), and complete the CHRI criminal history check. Processing typically takes 10 business days.
Illinois offers reciprocity for cosmetologists with a completed training program and passed licensure examination in another state, territory, or country with substantially similar requirements to the BCENT Act. Apply directly to IDFPR — no re-examination required if requirements are substantially equivalent.
Illinois cosmetology licenses expire September 30 of odd-numbered years (2025, 2027, 2029…). Renewal requires 14 hours of IDFPR-approved CE, including at least 1 hour of domestic violence awareness (for first renewal). CE is fully waived for the first renewal cycle. At least 7 of the 14 hours must be taken in a classroom setting; the remaining hours may be completed online. Renewal fee is approximately $100. Renew through the CORE portal.
Illinois · Esthetics
750 hours, NIC esthetics exam via CTS/PSI — written only, no practical — $161 exam fee, 75% passing. CE required at renewal. Illinois does not recognize a "medical esthetician" designation — a formal IDFPR warning applies to that terminology.
Illinois uses the NIC National Esthetics Theory Examination administered through CTS/PSI. NICPrep's esthetics question bank is built directly from the NIC CIB and is a direct-fit resource for the Illinois exam. The law items sit inside the theory form is required.
Illinois esthetics is regulated under the same BCENT Act and IDFPR oversight as cosmetology. No practical exam is required. The Act was renewed through 2031 in August 2025 — without that renewal, the entire licensing framework would have been repealed January 1, 2026.
Illinois esthetics covers the cosmetic care of the stratum corneum — the outermost layer of skin. Services include cleansing, massaging, and exfoliating the superficial layer; makeup and lash/brow services; hair removal (waxing, tweezing, threading); and using cosmetic preparations and certain electrical devices that affect only the epidermis. Procedures affecting living tissue (dermis and below) are outside scope and considered the practice of medicine.
Illinois does not recognize a separate "medical esthetician" license. IDFPR has issued a formal memo warning that using the term in advertising may be misleading and could result in disciplinary action. Estheticians working in medspa settings must stay within their licensed scope of practice regardless of the facility type.
Programs typically run 6–9 months full-time. Verify school approval at idfpr.illinois.gov. No apprenticeship option for esthetics in Illinois.
Apply at continentaltesting.net. Pay before completing all hours if you want to test early — but you must finish all 750 before the license is issued.
Computer-based at PSI centers. 110 questions, 90 minutes. Official results released within ~4 weeks. CTS mails your results letter with IDFPR application instructions.
Apply at idfpr.illinois.gov/core.html. Pay the $45 IDFPR application fee. Complete the CHRI check. Processing is typically 10 business days.
Illinois esthetics licenses expire September 30 of odd-numbered years — the same cycle as cosmetology. Renewal requires 10 hours of CE, including 1 hour domestic violence awareness (first renewal) and 1 hour sexual harassment prevention. CE fully waived for first renewal cycle. As of May 2025, all CE hours may be completed online.
Illinois · Barber
1,500 hours, NIC barber exam via CTS/PSI — written only, no practical — $98 exam fee, 75% passing. Illinois barbers have the lowest education entry requirement in this guide: 8th grade. Licenses expire July 31 of odd-numbered years.
Illinois uses the NIC National Barber Styling Theory Examination administered through CTS at PSI test centers. NICPrep's barber question bank is built from the NIC Barber Styling CIB and is a direct-fit study resource for the Illinois barber exam. No practical examination required.
Illinois is unusual in requiring no practical examination for barber licensing — the written NIC exam is the only state exam needed. Barbers in Illinois are regulated under the same BCENT board as cosmetologists, by IDFPR. The apprenticeship pathway is available for barbers, unlike some other Illinois license types.
Verify school approval at idfpr.illinois.gov. Apprenticeship requires an IDFPR apprentice permit before starting. Pre-file with CTS available after 1,200 hours.
Apply at continentaltesting.net. CTS approves eligibility and provides PSI scheduling instructions. A 30-day wait is required between failed attempts.
Computer-based at PSI centers. Official results from CTS within ~4 weeks. Do not apply to IDFPR until you receive your CTS results letter.
Apply at idfpr.illinois.gov/core.html. Pay the IDFPR application fee. Complete the CHRI check.
Illinois barber licenses expire July 31 of odd-numbered years — a different cycle from cosmetology/esthetics (September 30). Renewal requires 14 hours of CE. CE-free for first renewal. Renewal fee is approximately $25/year ($50 biennial). Renew through CORE.
Illinois · Nail Technology
350 hours — the shortest Illinois beauty license. NIC nail tech exam via CTS/PSI, written only, no practical. Licenses expire October 31 of even-numbered years — unlike every other Illinois beauty license, which expires in odd years.
Illinois uses its own nail technician examination through CTS/PSI: 65 questions in 90 minutes across three areas — Nail Technology Services 48–52%, Health and Safety 30–35%, Nail Care 15–20%. Like the cosmetology paper it was validated by a survey of Illinois teachers and referenced to Milady and Pivot Point, and the study guide never mentions NIC. NICPrep's nail technology bank is built to the NIC blueprint, so it covers the underlying science; this exam's outline differs. No practical examination required.
Illinois nail technology is regulated under the same BCENT framework, but on a different renewal cycle from the other three license types. At 350 hours, it's the shortest path to a licensed Illinois beauty career.
Programs typically run 2–4 months full-time. Verify school approval at idfpr.illinois.gov.
Apply at continentaltesting.net. CTS reviews and approves eligibility, then provides PSI scheduling instructions.
Computer-based at PSI centers. Official results within ~4 weeks. Wait for CTS results letter before applying to IDFPR.
Apply at idfpr.illinois.gov/core.html. Pay the IDFPR fee (~$45). Complete the CHRI check.
Illinois nail technology licenses expire October 31 of even-numbered years (2026, 2028, 2030…) — the only Illinois beauty license on an even-year cycle. All other beauty licenses expire in odd years. Renewal requires 10 hours of CE. CE waived for first renewal. Renew through CORE.
Illinois's written exams are delivered by Continental Testing Services for IDFPR, at 75% to pass. We don't build a bank for it. Illinois's cosmetology outline and the NIC blueprint our banks are built to do not share a single domain label.
2026 CIB changes, domain study tips, and new-modality launches — a few emails a month, no spam.