Graduation & Licensing

Pre-Graduation Testing

State examination and testing is now available when a student has reached 80% of their curriculum hours for eventual licensure. The industry is hopeful that this will help students who are not able to pass the state examination on their first attempt since the student will still be enrolled in school and have more resources available to better prepare for their next state examination attempt.

This pre-graduation legislation (click here) is specific to the sections of the Barber, Cosmetology, Esthetics, Hair Braiding, and Nail Technology Act that deal with the state examination, but the other requirements for licensure, which are contained in other sections of the Act, were not addressed in the legislation because those sections of the Act were not modified by the legislation.

In other words, every other aspect of licensure did not change in anyway by the legislation. The applicable licensure qualification sections of the Act (i.e. barber, cosmetologist, etc.) are similar in structure, so for example, Section 3-2 of the Act (click here) regarding cosmetologist licensure qualifications remains the same, which includes the requirement that a licensee applicant “Has graduated from a school of cosmetology approved by the Department, having completed a program of 1,500 hours in the study of cosmetology extending over a period of not less than 8 months nor more than 7 consecutive years.” (emphasis added)

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) has confirmed that there will not be any administrative rules needed and that this legislation is more procedural so can be implemented effective January 1, 2019.

IACS has also requested of both IDFPR and Continental Testing that there be a straightforward procedural implementation so that schools can send Continental Testing a partial transcript or certificate letter indicating 80% of the hours have been completed for purpose of the pre-graduation exam, and that after graduation, the full transcript can go to Continental to then send along to the IDFPR with the exam results for purposes of license application review.

Please let us know of any issues you may have with the implementation of this new law (click here for IACS executive director Mike Lane and click here for IACS lobbyist Brian Wojcicki).