Licensure Exams Pass Rates

Several NIU programs prepare students for licensure, certification or other qualifying examinations. Pass rates for each follow.

Teacher Educator Licensure

Students becoming teacher educators take various relevant ILTS content test licensure exams in order to begin practicing in their field. Below is a table including the pass rates of students completing the exam for the most recent year. Pass rates are included for students taking the exam from Aug. 15, 2023, through Aug. 14, 2024, for the state and NIU.

See more information about the accreditation of NIU’s educator licensure and preparation programs.

Illinois Educator Licensure Exam Pass Rates 2023-2024

Program NIU Pass Rate % State Pass Rate %
Chief Business School Officer (ILTS-224) 83 72
Director of Special Education (ILTS-234) Below 10 testers 57
Early Childhood Education (ILTS-206) 65 62
Elementary Education (ILTS-305) 76 73
English Language Art (ILTS-207) 53 79
World Language: French (ILTS-252) Below 10 testers (no test) Below 10 testers
World Language: Spanish (ILTS-260) Below 10 testers 86
Health Education (ILTS-211) 72 70
Learning Behavior Specialist I (ILTS-155) 90 79
Learning Behavior Specialist I (ILTS-290) 94 86
Library Information Specialist (ILTS-220) 80 90
Mathematics (ILTS-208) 82 46
Middle Grades General (ILTS-298) Below 10 testers Below 10 testers
Middle Grades Language Arts (ILTS-201) 70 Below 10 testers
Middle Grades Math (ILTS-202) 100 74
Middle Grades Science (ILTS-203) Below 10 testers Below 10 testers
Middle Grades Social Science (ILTS-204) 95 84
Music (ILTS-212) 91 80
Physical Education (ILTS-213) 95 67
Principal (ILTS-195) 100 81
Principal (ILTS-196) 90 82
Reading Specialist (ILTS-221) Below 10 testers 83
Reading Teacher (ILTS-222) 72, below 10 testers 88
School Counselor (ILTS-235) 100 94
School Psychologist (ILTS-237) Below 10 testers 64
Science: Biology (ILTS-239) Below 10 testers 51
Science: Chemistry (ILTS-240) Below 10 testers Below 10 testers
Science: Earth and Space Science (ILTS-241) Below 10 testers 85
Science: Environmental Science (ILTS-242) Below 10 testers Below 10 testers
Science: Physics (ILTS-243) Below 10 testers 93
Social Science: Economics (ILTS-244) Below 10 testers 95
Social Science: Geography (ILTS-245) Below 10 testers 93
Social Science: History (ILTS-246) 56 54
Social Science: Political Science (ILTS-247) Below 10 testers Below 10 testers
Social Science: Psychology (ILTS-248) Below 10 testers Below 10 testers
Social Science: Sociology and Anthropology (ILTS-249) Below 10 testers 90
Special Education: General Curriculum (ILTS-163) Below 10 testers 66
Speech-Language Pathologist: Non-teaching (ILTS-232) 95 97
Superintendent (ILTS-225) Below 10 testers 90
Teacher of Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired (ILTS-228) Below 10 testers Below 10 testers
Technology Specialist (ILTS-223) Below 10 testers 82
Test of Language Proficiency: Spanish (ILTS-056) 84 91
Visual Arts (ILTS-214) 94 88

View a summary of teacher candidates’ performance on state-mandated licensure tests (see Measure 3: Candidate Competency at Completion under Candidate Performance)

Other Types of Licensure

College of Business

Accountancy

Certified Public Accountant (C.P.A.) – See below for the most recent pass rates on the C.P.A. exam for the state and NIU. Students included have taken the exam in 2024.
  • NIU: 47.52%
  • State: 46.96%

Learn more information about the accountancy program

College of Health and Human Sciences

School of Allied Health and Communicative Disorders

See the exam pass rates for the below three areas:

School of Health Studies

  • Medical Lab Sciences - see the exam pass rates. (more information about the medical lab sciences program)
  • Registered Dietitian Program - See below for the most recent pass rates on the registered dietitian exams for NIU and at the national level. Students included have taken the exam in 2024.
    • Didactic Program in Dietetics 
      • NIU: 82%
      • National: 86.8%
    • Dietetic Internship
      • NIU: 80%
      • National: 86%
    • See information about the nutrition and dietetics programs

School of Nursing

Registered Nurse – See below for the most recent pass rates. Students included have taken the exam in 2024.

Undergraduate Nursing program

NCLEX exam pass rate 

  • NIU: 92 %  
  • State: 87 %  
  • National: 91 %  

Graduate Nursing Program

Family Nurse Practitioner Certification
  • ANCC ( American Nurses Credentialing Center)
    • M.S., Nursing – 100%
    • DNP – 100%
    • National – 86%
  • AANPCB (American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board)
    • MS, Nursing – 93%
    • DNP – NR (not reported)
    • National – 83%

See information about the nursing programs

School of Interdisciplinary Health Professions

Rehabilitation Counseling - See the exam pass rates (listed under the statistics about graduates question) See information about the rehabilitation counseling programs

College of Law

See below for the most recent pass rates for the Illinois Bar exam for NIU and for the state and national levels. Students included have taken the exam in 2024.

  • NIU: 57%
  • State: 78%
  • National: 75%
See information about programs within the College of Law.