Over the past 80 years, Kaplan has honed a tried-and-true method that delivers results for students in a wide range of professional and educational arenas. Operating in 28 countries, their secret to success is simple: high-quality content taught by subject matter experts and delivered in a way that meets the needs of their students.
If you’re looking for a school that boasts some of the most qualified instructors in the industry and class formats tailored to your learning style, then Kaplan Real Estate could be the ideal real estate education provider for you.
Trust Chris: Former Kaplan Instructor, Realtor & Coach
As a senior instructor for Kaplan Test Preparation, I taught in classrooms and online. It’s fair to say that with my real estate background, coaching expertise, and teaching experience, I’ve got a unique perspective on online real estate education. You can count on my Kaplan Real Estate review to be thoughtful and objective both from a real estate and a professional test prepper’s standpoint.
The Close Recommendation
After thoroughly reviewing Kaplan Real Estate School’s offerings and testing their platform for ourselves, The Close is happy to recommend it for real estate prelicensing coursework. Their experienced instructors, courses designed for various learning styles, and an excellent first-attempt pass rate make them a standout choice for real estate training.
Readers of The Close can SAVE 5% on Kaplan Real Estate Education classes using promo code KAPRE5
Kaplan Real Estate Video Walk-through
Curious about what’s like to be a Kaplan Real Estate Education student? In this video, we’ll share with your our all-access pass to Kaplan’s OnDemand class, the most popular package choice. Your experience will vary slightly depending on your state (we chose a course from the great state of Minnesota to try ourselves), but with this video, you an idea of what to expect with Kaplan OnDemand when you sign up.
The Close Review: Kaplan Real Estate Education
If you watched our video walk-through, you know we tested out all the different elements of the Kaplan Real Estate Education experience. In this section, we go even deeper, breaking down all the must-know information you need when deciding on the right real estate school for you.
Kaplan Real Estate Education Pros & Cons
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Where Is Kaplan Real Estate Education Available?
Kaplan Real Estate is currently available in about half the U.S., although some states have more limited package selections. Though we’d love to see Kaplan expand their offerings, they do offer options for the most populated areas in the country, making them a valid choice for most would-be Realtors.
Kaplan Real Estate Availability: State-by-State
How Much Does Kaplan Real Estate Cost?
The cost of Kaplan Real Estate courses varies depending on your state and the education package you choose; it ranges from $160 to $1,100. Since each state requires a different number of prelicensing class hours to get your license, each Kaplan course will vary in terms of price, length, and content. While Kaplan is on the pricier end, we feel like the cost is well worth it.
In terms of packages, Kaplan offers three class formats (in most states), plus some additional add-ons like their popular Career Launcher program. These formats include:
- Home Study
- OnDemand
- Live Online
We’ll describe each in detail, but first, here are the costs of each of the Kaplan programs in some of the most populated states in the U.S.:
Kaplan Real Estate Program Costs: California
| Delivery Method | Package | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Home Study | California Basic Home Study | $179 |
| Home Study | California Home Study Plus | $279 |
| Home Study | Career Launcher Home Study Plus | $479 |
| Home Study | Carnegie Career Launch Home Study Plus | $679 |
| OnDemand | Basic OnDemand | $399 |
| OnDemand | Career Launcher OnDemand | $599 |
| OnDemand | Carnegie Career Launcher OnDemand | $799 |
| Live Online | Basic Live Online | $549 |
| Live Online | Career Launcher Live Online | $749 |
| Live Online | Carnegie Career Launcher Live Online | $949 |
Kaplan Real Estate Program Costs: Texas
| Delivery Method | Package | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Home Study | Texas Basic Home Study | $179 |
| Home Study | Career Launcher Home Study | $589 |
| OnDemand | Basic OnDemand | $449 |
| OnDemand | Career Launcher OnDemand | $649 |
| Live Online | Basic Live Online | $889 |
| Live Online | Career Launcher Live Online | $1,049 |
Kaplan Real Estate Program Costs: New York
| Delivery Method | Package | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Online | Carnegie Career Launcher Package (75 Credit Hours) | $909 |
| Online | Career Launcher Package (75 Credit Hours) | $709 |
| Online | New York 75-hour Salesperson Qualifying Course with Textbook and Master Exam Prep Package | $509 |
| Online | New York 75-hour Salesperson Qualifying Course | $379 |
How Long Do Kaplan Real Estate Courses Take?
Your timeline depends on which package you choose and how many classroom hours your state mandates.
For instance, if you’re in Michigan, you’re only required to put in 40 classroom hours before taking your state licensure exam. If you’re in Texas and you opt for the Live Online option, it could take six weeks or more to complete your 180 required course hours. To learn more about the prelicensing requirements in your state, check out our guide.
Course Formats
Kaplan Real Estate offers three course formats for your prelicensing real estate education: Home Study, OnDemand, and Live Online. Assuming all three are available in your state, you can choose the format that best suits your learning style.
Home Study
Home Study is Kaplan’s textbook-based, self-paced option for learners who absorb information well by reading. With Home Study, you’ll guide yourself through multiple PDF textbooks, completing the reading, worksheets, and quizzes. You’ll also have access to the Kaplan Real Estate Interactive Study Groups, which are weekly webinars where students ask their instructors questions and coordinate with other students to study together.
OnDemand
If you prefer a video-based course, Kaplan’s OnDemand learning format is a hybrid curriculum of video content taught by expert instructors combined with text, along with supplemental information, activities, and quizzes. Plus, you’ll have access to the Interactive Study Group Webinars mentioned above. This package also includes an interactive Exam Prep workbook called OnDemand Review.
Live Online
If you need the structure of scheduled classes and want real-time access to expert instructors, Kaplan’s Live Online environment lets you join a real class with a live instructor and other students, interacting in real time—but from the comfort of your own home. The materials for this package are almost the same as those in the other two packages, but delivered in a virtual classroom. Because it is such a unique offering in the world of online real estate schools, this is our pick for Kaplan.
Optional Add-ons: Textbooks, the Kaplan Career Launcher & More
Within each package, there are different tiers. For example, California has a Home Study and Home Study Plus, which includes a textbook. The Career Launcher is offered in all three packages in many states and includes an eight-hour course called Real Estate Accelerator, which teaches everything you need to start your real estate business.
It also offers Career Mentor Live Online Connect, which is full of tips and tools to help you get the most out of courses and prepare you for your career. The Carnegie Career Launcher is one more option that includes a course, Win Friends and Influence People: Secrets of Success, based on Dale Carnegie’s 30 principles.
Kaplan Real Estate Instructors
One of Kaplan Real Estate’s greatest strengths is its faculty. Most, if not all, instructors are practicing professionals as well as teachers, and are some of the most experienced agents, brokers, lenders, inspectors, and attorneys in their fields. Kaplan faculty are often guest speakers at conferences around the country, and even offer expert opinions for legislation.
Kaplan Real Estate Pass Rate
Not every state publishes pass rates broken down by education provider, but according to the Texas Real Estate Commission, for combined years 2020-2022, the Kaplan Real Estate student pass rate is 67.66%, which is on par with Colibri Real Estate and higher than The CE Shop.
Customer Service & Student Support
Kaplan offers several avenues of customer service. Their website has a chatbot ready to answer simple questions. Their technical team is on hand to answer questions via email 24/7 or by phone during business hours. When we placed a call, it was answered within seconds and the support staff was helpful and knowledgeable.
Currently enrolled students may email for questions about their lessons or the curriculum and expect an answer back the next business day. We wish there were better options here for more immediate assistance with questions related to the content of the classes.
Is Kaplan Real Estate Accredited?
If Kaplan Real Estate offers courses in your state, that means that their courses have been approved by the state governing board and are fully accredited.
The Kaplan Real Estate School Student Experience
Wondering what it’s actually like to take a course with Kaplan Real Estate? Here are the Kaplan platform highlights:
Signing Up & Logging In to Kaplan
Right from the get-go, the Kaplan experience is straightforward and easy to use. Signing up for Kaplan courses and getting started takes only a couple of clicks.
Getting Started With Kaplan Real Estate School
After logging in, you arrive at your course menu, where you can click into any of the courses you’ve purchased.
Coursework
Following the course orientation, Kaplan students can launch Unit 1 of the OnDemand package. Lessons start with a video lecture, followed by a short quiz and an opportunity to take notes in your supplemental material.
Unlike the completely self-paced Home Study option, which requires extensive reading, the Kaplan Real Estate OnDemand package is based almost entirely on these video lessons. It’s a perfect strategy for learners who need to watch and listen to absorb information effectively.
As a former Kaplan instructor, I can tell you that in the Minnesota OnDemand course, the level of expertise and expectations for quality instruction are incredibly high. It’s clear that the instructors aren’t just reading from a script—they know and practice real estate and are ready to engage with students.
Supplemental Real Estate Materials
Kaplan students can fulfill their course requirements by watching the video lessons and completing the quizzes. However, you’d be remiss if you didn’t also reference the supplemental workbooks and study materials.
These long-form PDF documents provide tools to expand your learning—a strategy that Kaplan instructors have been using for a long time. The more ways students internalize and then demonstrate their understanding of the material, the more likely they’re able to synthesize the information for successful performance on their exam and in their careers.
Wrapping Up for the Day
When you’ve finished for the day, the OnDemand log-off procedure couldn’t be more straightforward. The Kaplan system tracks your progress through the course, so there’s no need to save your work periodically.
The top right-hand corner of the interface has a menu that allows you to navigate back to the course menu quickly, get notifications pending on your account, contact your instructor, or log out.
When I first experimented with this menu, I thought I did something wrong because it was so quick and easy. It turns out that the interface doesn’t need to be complicated to be effective. I definitely appreciated this straightforward design.
Room for Improvement
Even though the Kaplan platform is very robust, it isn’t perfect. If The Close had a say in it, here’s what we’d fix:
Limited Live Online Availability
Kaplan Real Estate only covers about half the states in the country, and even then, there’s limited availability of their Live Online product. This program is a marquee feature of Kaplan Real Estate, and we’d love to see it made available to more students.
Outdated Interface
One of the critiques Kaplan often hears is that their interface is outdated and boring. We agree—the platform has a distinct Windows 2000 vibe. We know that the flash and dash of a more modern interface won’t necessarily better prepare you for your career as a real estate professional. But we think that design and user experience are important, and this is an area where Kaplan could improve—especially when it comes to mobile devices.
Limited Access to Student Support
We’d love to see better on-demand student support. Kaplan offers excellent student support via email for every Kaplan program, but sometimes, email isn’t the best medium for asking quick or multipart questions. Yes, there are the Q&A webinars every week, but if there isn’t one of those happening for another five days and you have a question now, that can be frustrating. We’d love to see some phone-based instructor support.
Final Thoughts: Does Kaplan Pass the Test?
I went into this Kaplan Real Estate School review as a former Kaplan teacher with years of experience teaching their Live Online program. Some of the same criticisms that were true when I taught are still true today: their interface feels old, their real-time student support could be improved, and you can’t get their programs everywhere. But the many positives far outweigh these few negatives.
Kaplan’s program should be a serious contender for anyone wanting to get into real estate. Their courses are well worth the cost, and students of the Kaplan program will face their state licensing exam well prepared and ready to start their careers.
Over to You
If you want to find out more about how Kaplan Real Estate stacks up against the other real estate education companies out there, make sure to check out our buyer’s guide for the Best Real Estate Schools.
Have you taken Kaplan Real Estate courses? Tell us about your experiences in the comments!
