All states
Renewal requirements by state › Illinois
Illinois license renewal
Illinois nursing CE renewal requirements
Illinois RNs renew every two years and need 20 contact hours of continuing education each renewal, and some of those hours may need to be on the required topics below.
Illinois APRNs renew every two years and need 80 contact hours of continuing education each renewal, including 20 contact hours of pharmacology.
✓ Verified October 8, 2026 against Illinois’s board of nursing, state rules and the Nurse Licensure Compact. Sources are listed below.
At a glance
- Renewal cycle
- Every two years
- RN continuing education
- 20 contact hours
- APRN continuing education
- 80 contact hours
- Nurse Licensure Compact
- No
- Reports to CE Broker
- No
Required topics
“Part of the total” hours count toward the overall requirement; “on top of the total” hours are extra.
RNs
| Topic | Hours | How often | Counts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alzheimer's and dementia diagnosis, treatment and careOnly RNs providing direct care to adults aged 26+ | 1 | Every renewal | Part of the total |
| Implicit bias awarenessAll RNs, from the 2024 renewal | 1 | Every renewal | Part of the total |
| Mandated reporter trainingRNs working with children | — | Every 6 years | Part of the total |
| Sexual harassment preventionAll RNs | 1 | Every renewal | Part of the total |
| Cultural competencyAll RNs (and APRNs), from 1 Jan 2025 | 1 | Every 6 years | Part of the total |
APRNs (in addition to RN requirements)
| Topic | Hours | How often | Counts |
|---|---|---|---|
| PharmacotherapeuticsAll APRNs - 10 of the 20 must be opioid/substance abuse | 20 | Every renewal | Part of the total |
| Safe opioid prescribingAPRNs holding an Illinois controlled substances license | 3 | Every renewal | Part of the total |
RN renewal in detail
- Flat 20 hours per cycle.
- Your first renewal after licensure is exempt from the CE requirement.
- When it expires: May 31 of even years.
APRN renewal in detail
- 80 total: at least 50 from CE programs (incl. at least 20 pharmacotherapeutics, 10 of them opioid/substance abuse); up to 30 from presentations, EBP/QI, publications, research or precepting. The 80 also satisfies RN renewal.
- APRNs must hold a current national certification.
- Your first renewal after licensure is exempt from the CE requirement.
- When it expires: May 31 of even years.
Using HIVE Nurse for your hours
HIVE Nurse is approved as a provider of continuing nursing education by the Florida Board of Nursing (CE Provider #50-57054). Boards differ on whether they accept CE from a provider approved by another state’s board, so check Illinois’s rules before you count a course.
The renewal checker builds your own list from these rules and can remind you before your license expires.
Sources
Some details for Illinois are being re-confirmed with the board. Check the source before you renew.
Rules change. Your board’s website is the final word.