Illinois Adult Driver Education: The 6-Hour SOS Requirement for Ages 18-20
If you are 18, 19, or 20 years old and applying for your first Illinois driver's license, the Illinois Secretary of State (SOS) will not issue that license until you complete an SOS-certified adult driver education course of at least 6 hours, taken in a classroom setting or online depending on the provider's certification. This site is an independent guide to that requirement: what it covers, who has to take it, what it costs across the providers compared here, and how the process fits into the rest of your first-time license application. This site is not the Illinois SOS and does not deliver the course; see About This Site for exactly what this site is, and Affiliate Disclosure for how this site makes money when a reader enrolls through one of its provider links.
What Is Illinois Adult Driver Education?
The Illinois Secretary of State requires every first-time applicant age 18, 19, or 20 to complete an SOS-certified adult driver education course of at least 6 hours, classroom or online, before a license is issued under 625 ILCS 5/6-107.5.
The course is separate from Illinois teen driver education (ages 15-17, delivered through secondary schools), from traffic school or defensive driving courses taken to dismiss a citation, and from the written knowledge test and road skills test you still take afterward. It exists specifically to cover adults who are applying for a first license without having gone through a secondary-school driver education program as a teenager.
The requirement is a one-time obligation. Once a certified provider transmits your completed 6-hour course to the SOS, you never need to repeat it, even when you renew your license years later. See Illinois Adult Driver Education Requirements for the full breakdown of the statute, the hour minimum, and how the requirement is structured.
Who Has to Take the Illinois 6-Hour Course?
Illinois requires the course only for first-time applicants who are 18, 19, or 20 years old; applicants 21 or older are exempt, and teens 15 to 17 complete a separate driver education program through their secondary school instead.
A first-time applicant who is already 21 or older when they apply skips this course entirely and moves straight into the standard license application steps. Someone who already holds an Illinois license and is only renewing or upgrading it does not need to take this course either, since the requirement attaches to first-time applicants, not to every applicant. A first-time applicant ages 18-20 who already completed a qualifying driver education course elsewhere, or who already holds a valid out-of-state license, is also exempt from this specific course, per the Illinois SOS's own eligibility criteria.
The line between this course and teen driver education matters because the two programs are governed by different statutes and delivered through completely different channels - one through SOS-certified providers (classroom or online), the other through Illinois secondary schools. See Who Needs Illinois Adult Driver Education for the full eligibility breakdown, including the exact statute citations for each exemption.
How Does the Illinois Adult Driver Education Process Work?
A first-time applicant picks an SOS-certified provider, completes at least 6 hours of instruction in a classroom or online, and the provider transmits the completion record to the Secretary of State.
The Illinois SOS states that courses may be taught in a classroom setting or online, depending on the certification of a provider, and that choice makes no difference to whether the requirement is satisfied. The curriculum itself covers 20 required topics set by 92 Ill. Adm. Code 1066.45, ranging from Illinois traffic laws and right-of-way rules to distracted driving, impaired driving, and railroad crossings. The course does not include, and is not required to include, any behind-the-wheel training.
Choosing a provider that is actually SOS-certified matters more than choosing the cheapest one, because a completion from a provider that is not currently certified will not transmit to the SOS and will not satisfy the requirement. See How Illinois Adult Driver Education Works for the full step-by-step process, and Illinois SOS-Certified Adult Driver Education Providers for how this site verifies which providers to name.
What Does the Illinois Adult Driver Education Course Cost?
Among three of the four providers compared here, the course costs $48.75 to $59.95; DriversEd.com does not list a flat price. Illinois adds only a $5 statutory administrative fee that the provider collects from the student.
Unlike some state-mandated courses, there is no fixed statutory price for Illinois adult driver education; each SOS-certified provider sets its own commercial price, and prices can change without notice. The one government-side charge that applies to the student is a $5 fee the provider collects and remits to the Secretary of State (625 ILCS 5/6-107.5(f)); separately, providers post a $50,000 surety bond of their own to become certified in the first place.
See Illinois Adult Driver Education Cost for the full priced comparison, each row dated to the provider page it came from.
Which Providers Are SOS-Certified for Illinois Adult Driver Education?
The four providers compared here are confirmed on the Illinois SOS's own official roster, a public HTML table listing roughly 60 providers statewide: Top Driver, DriversEd.com, Pass Drivers Ed, and Drivers Education of America.
This site treats this as a partial, not definitive, list, and says so on every page that names a provider. Anyone using this site to pick a provider should still confirm current certification directly with the SOS before paying, since certification status can change and the SOS's live roster is not visible here in real time.
See Illinois SOS-Certified Adult Driver Education Providers for the full comparison, including which provider is linked here as a paid affiliate relationship and which are listed as plain informational links.
What Happens After You Finish the Course?
The Illinois SOS emails you a link to download your Certificate of Completion once you finish the course; you print it and bring it to a Secretary of State Driver Services facility for your remaining tests.
You do need to bring your printed Certificate of Completion, plus your other required identification documents, to your SOS Driver Services appointment; the SOS's own guidance describes an email that includes a link to download the certificate, sent to the address you gave your course provider, not the certificate delivered without any action on your part.
See After the Illinois Adult Driver Education Course for the full sequence of what happens next, including realistic timing for when the transmission typically shows up in the SOS system.
Sources
| Fact | Value | Authority | URL | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Course hour requirement | At least 6 hours (may vary by provider); classroom or online depending on the provider's certification; does not include behind-the-wheel training | Illinois Secretary of State (SOS) | https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/drivers/driver-education/adefaq.html | 2026-09-20 |
| Statutory mandate | 625 ILCS 5/6-107.5 | Illinois General Assembly | https://www.ilga.gov/Legislation/ILCS/Fulltext?DocName=062500050K6-107.5 | 2026-09-19 |
| Certification and curriculum rule | 92 Ill. Adm. Code Part 1066, Section 1066.45 (20 topics) | Illinois General Assembly (JCAR) | https://www.ilga.gov/agencies/JCAR/EntirePart?titlepart=09201066 | 2026-09-19 |
| Age eligibility | Applicant is 18, 19, or 20, has never previously been licensed, and has never completed an approved driver education course | Illinois Secretary of State (SOS) | https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/drivers/driver-education/ade.html | 2026-09-20 |
| Cost range across the four providers compared here | $48.75 to $59.95 for three providers; DriversEd.com does not list a flat price | Top Driver, Pass Drivers Ed, Drivers Education of America (provider pricing pages) | https://www.driverseducationofamerica.com/illinois/ | 2026-09-19 |
| Official SOS roster access status | Public HTML table listing roughly 60 certified providers, including all four named on this site | Illinois Secretary of State (SOS) | https://apps.ilsos.gov/adultdrivered/providerlist | 2026-09-19 |
| Out-of-state license exemption | Applicant surrenders the out-of-state license and takes applicable Illinois tests; no Adult Driver Education Course proof required | Illinois Secretary of State (SOS) | https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/drivers/driver-education/adefaq.html | 2026-09-20 |
| Certificate of Completion delivery | Secretary of State emails a link to download the Certificate of Completion to the address given to the course provider; the applicant prints it and brings it to a Driver Services facility for the vision, written, and road test | Illinois Secretary of State (SOS) | https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/drivers/driver-education/adefaq.html | 2026-09-20 |
| Statutory age-window wording ("at least 18 ... but less than 21") | Does not specify whether measured at application, completion, or issuance | Illinois General Assembly | https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ILCS/details?MajorTopic=TRANSPORTATION&Chapter=VEHICLES&ActName=Illinois%20Vehicle%20Code.&ActID=1815&ChapterID=49&ChapAct=625+ILCS+5%2F&SeqStart=84800000&SeqEnd=85800000 | 2026-09-19 |
Frequently asked questions
Is this site the Illinois Secretary of State?
No. This site is an independent informational aggregator, not the Illinois SOS and not a government agency. See About This Site for what we are and how we verify facts.
Does this site charge for the course?
No. This site does not sell or deliver the course; it compares SOS-certified and roster-confirmed providers and links out to them. Some of those links may earn a commission when a reader enrolls; see Affiliate Disclosure for the full statement.
Do I have to take this course if I am moving to Illinois with an out-of-state license?
No, based on our sources. The Illinois SOS requires you to surrender your out-of-state license and take the applicable Illinois tests, but does not require proof of having taken an Adult Driver Education Course if you already hold a valid out-of-state driver's license.
What if I am 20 now but will turn 21 before I finish my application?
625 ILCS 5/6-103 bars license issuance to "any person at least 18 years of age but less than 21 years of age" without the completed course, but the statute text itself does not say whether that age window is measured at application, at course completion, or at issuance. Confirm the exact cutoff mechanics directly with the Illinois SOS.
Can I take the course before I turn 18?
No. The Illinois SOS's own eligibility criteria limit the Adult Driver Education Course to applicants who are already 18, 19, or 20; a 17-year-old instead follows the separate secondary- school teen driver education pathway and cannot enroll in this course early.
Where do I go after I finish the course?
You continue your first-time license application at an SOS Driver Services facility for the written knowledge test, vision screening, and road skills test. See After the Illinois Adult Driver Education Course for the full sequence.
What does the Illinois adult driver education course teach?
The 6-hour curriculum covers 20 required topics under 92 Ill. Adm. Code 1066.45, including Illinois traffic laws, right-of-way rules, distracted and impaired driving, and railroad crossings. See Illinois Adult Driver Education Requirements for the full topic list and the statute behind it.