State guide: Illinois

What SAU nursing students in Illinois need to know about clinicals

Updated September 24, 2026 · Reviewed by the Spring Arbor Preceptor placement team

Illinois is on SAU's list for every nursing program, but it takes more planning than most states. Compact licenses do not work there, so an Illinois-issued RN license is a must, and its rules set up a filing for schools based elsewhere without saying clearly whether graduate study is included. Settle both questions early.

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Spring Arbor nursing clinicals in Illinois: possible for MSN NP tracks: FNP, AGPCNP, PMHNP, PNP, Nurse Educator and MSN/MBA, Post-master's certificates, DNP (Strategic Leadership), RN-to-BSN. RN license: not in the compact. NP practice: reduced. — Illinois on Spring Arbor's nursing state authorization list: authorized; RN license not in the compact; NP practice reduced (AANP).

Illinois by SAU program

When we checked on September 24, 2026, every SAU nursing program showed Illinois as authorized. The right-hand column is what to raise with SAU for each track.

SAU programs and Illinois clinicals (SAU state authorization page, checked 2026-09-24)
SAU program group	Clinicals in Illinois?	Raise with SAU
NP tracks: FNP, AGPCNP, PMHNP, PNP-PC	Yes	Illinois RN license; whether SAU's Illinois program approval covers your track
Nurse Educator and MSN/MBA	Yes	Same license need; 125 practicum hours
Post-master's certificates	Yes	APRN preceptors can count a semester of precepting toward Illinois CE
DNP (Strategic Leadership)	Yes	How the 1300.340(n) process applies to a doctoral practicum
RN-to-BSN	Yes	Hours are embedded in coursework

Illinois's approval process for programs from other states

Illinois lays out a formal route in 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1300.340(n). A nursing program from another state that wants clinical placements in Illinois sends in five items: evidence that its home board approves or accredits it; a letter naming the time frame, the agencies and the units; the course syllabus; the signed contract with the facility; and faculty qualification and preceptor forms. Once granted, approval is good for two years, renewable, with a report owed each year. The same section expects nursing faculty to be licensed as RNs in Illinois.

The open question is scope. That paragraph lives among the rules for approving RN programs, and nothing in it confirms that MSN, DNP or RN-to-BSN study is covered. A separate provision, 225 ILCS 65/50-15(b)(10), lets RNs licensed in other states practice within graduate or degree-completion study under faculty supervision, but it refers to programs "in this State". Ask SAU's program director, in writing, whether SAU holds Illinois approval for your track and how long a new one would take.

Preceptors, practice and where to look

Under 1300.340(j), program faculty approve and orient each preceptor, the preceptor must be on hand whenever you give care, and their RN license must be current in whichever state you are practicing in. For NP tracks, SAU takes certified NPs, physicians and PAs; see preceptor requirements.

AANP lists Illinois as reduced practice: in some settings NPs keep a collaborative agreement with a physician, and prescribing certain Schedule II drugs and benzodiazepines carries extra conditions.

Illinois gives you one selling point. An APRN can count 10 CE hours toward renewal for each academic semester or quarter spent precepting an APRN student, capped at 30 per renewal, with documentation from the student's school (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1300.130). Ask SAU what it can document before you mention it.

Chicago, Naperville and Elgin form the biggest market, then Rockford, Peoria and the Metro East suburbs of St. Louis. Systems to contact include OSF HealthCare, Endeavor Health, Northwestern Medicine, UChicago Medicine and Advocate Health Care.

Licensing: an Illinois license, no substitutes

Because Illinois has not joined the compact, a multistate license from Indiana or any other member state gives you nothing there. You need an Illinois RN license, which also satisfies SAU's requirement that your license carry no restrictions in the practice state. If you live in Illinois but train across a state line, that state's license rules apply instead; see RN licenses for clinicals.

Why Spring Arbor students in Illinois choose us

We look for Illinois preceptors who can be present for every shift, mention the renewal CE rule when it fits, prepare the forms SAU and any Illinois filing need, and pick the search back up if a preceptor leaves. SAU faculty rule on every Illinois preceptor and site, and your paperwork reaches them complete. Talk to the placement desk.

FAQ

Questions Spring Arbor students ask

Do I need an Illinois RN license for SAU clinicals in Illinois?

Yes. No multistate license works in Illinois, since the state is not in the compact, and SAU's catalog asks for an unrestricted license in the state where you practice. If you are moving to Illinois mid-program, apply for the Illinois license well before your next clinical course starts.

Does SAU need IDFPR approval before my clinicals?

Possibly. Illinois's rule at 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1300.340(n) grants two-year approvals to schools from other states seeking clinical placements, but it is filed among the RN program rules and is silent on graduate study. Ask SAU's program director whether SAU holds that approval for your track.

What can I offer an Illinois APRN who agrees to precept me?

Illinois lets APRNs count precepting toward license renewal: 10 CE hours per academic semester or quarter with an APRN student, up to 30 per renewal period, documented by the student's school. Check with SAU what documentation it gives preceptors before you raise it in your request.

I live in Metro East near St. Louis. Can I train in Missouri?

Missouri is on SAU's authorized list, so a Missouri site is possible with faculty approval. You would need a license valid in Missouri, and Missouri's own rules for outside programs would apply. Read our Missouri page and confirm with SAU before you commit to a site.

Keep going

GuideBy stateWhere Spring Arbor University nursing students can do clinicals: not authorized in AL, AZ, LA and NY, Washington for residents only, and a guide for every state.LicenseRN license for clinicalsSpring Arbor asks for an unrestricted RN license in your state of practice. What that means for your clinical state, compact licenses and moving mid-program.StatesState authorizationSAU's nursing programs aren't authorized in AL, AZ, LA or NY; Washington is residents only; the DNP page adds Mississippi. What that means for clinicals.SearchFinding your own preceptorSAU says online NP students choose their own preceptor in their home state. What that means day to day, how the wording changed, and the help SAU lists.State guideIndianaIndiana's board does not review graduate or RN-to-BSN programs, and compact licenses work there. How Spring Arbor students in Indiana line up clinicals.State guideMissouriMissouri is authorized for Spring Arbor nursing and is a compact state. What collaborative practice means for preceptors, border metros and where to look.

Last checked 2026-09-24

We check these pages against Spring Arbor's own published sources. SAU's nursing faculty and current catalog have the final word.

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