In Illinois, nursing home administrators must be licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Licensing requirements are:

• must be at least 21 years old;
• a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university;
• or satisfactory completion of approved course of instruction in Nursing Home Administration (no experience requirement);
• or graduation from a three-year diploma nurse program and employer's affidavit certifying two years of qualifying experience;
• or an associate’s degree or a minimum of 60 semester or 90 quarter hours of credit earned from an accredited college or university and an employer’s affidavit certifying the applicant’s qualifying experience;
• passage of a written exam; and
• payment of an application fee.

Licenses must be renewed every two years. Payment of a fee and 36 hours of continuing education are required.

Additional licensing information can be obtained from: