After getting your real estate license, you must keep it active by doing continuing education (CE) courses and submitting them to your state board. Many agents approach this task as an afterthought, just wanting to cross it off their list. But if you choose wisely, you will gain some valuable—and interesting—knowledge in the process. I’m sharing the five top online real estate continuing education providers for you to choose from, highlighting our favorite features and relevant course topics.
- Mckissock Learning: Best for career support
- The CE Shop: Best for course topic variety
- Kaplan: Best for video courses
- Fortune Academy: Best for instructor support
- AceableAgent: Best for mobile app
The Close’s Top Picks of Online Schools for CE
| McKissock Learning: Best for career support | |||
| The CE Shop: Best for class topic variety | |||
| Kaplan: Best for course format variety | |||
| Fortune Academy: Best for instructor support | |||
| AceableAgent: Best for mobile app |
Need to learn more about getting a real estate license before choosing a school? Check out our article How to Get a Real Estate License in 5 Simple Steps to get all the info you need—plus learn How Much It Costs to Become a Realtor in our full guide.
Best CE with Career Support: McKissock Learning
 |
|
|---|---|
Pros
| Cons
|
My Expert Opinion on McKissock Learning
National brand Colibri Real Estate owns Missock Learning and offers continuing education courses for real estate agents and brokers in every state. The continuing education courses stand out from other online real estate schools because each state has a unique CE membership option. The membership is an annual fee and includes all of the CE courses in your state, plus a variety of career resources like a webinar library, how-to videos, job aids, and discounts. Ultimately, Colibri and McKissock Learning are the best choices for agents who want ongoing support as they grow their careers.
💡Room for Improvement: A few noncredit CE courses are offered through live video, but in general, McKissock could improve its live course offerings. Video or live course options for credit courses would make the platform more engaging.
McKissock Learning Continuing Education Cost
The cost of McKissock’s continuing education real estate courses varies based on each state and the number of required hours. Prices also change for real estate agents versus brokers. In general, McKissock’s CE courses range between $29 and $300 for individual classes, $69 and $300 for packages, and $99 and $269 for the CE PLUS Membership.
Best for CE Course Variety: The CE Shop
 |
|
|---|---|
Pros
| Cons
|
My Expert Opinion on The CE Shop
The CE Shop is a well-known real estate school that lives up to its name, offering various continuing real estate education in every state. It provides multiple course packages for both agents and brokers. The course packages include the NAR-required ethics courses, so Realtors can complete their license renewal and Realtor requirements simultaneously. This school also offers one of the largest varieties of online real estate continuing education topics, from property inspection to market analyses to commercial real estate and everything in between.
Plus, The CE Shop offers education for various real estate-related careers, like home inspection and appraisal. Learn more about other jobs you can get with a real estate license in our guide.
💡Room for Improvement: The CE Shop could be improved with more interactive or instructor-led course options. There are a few live online courses in some states, but more availability would be great for students.
The CE Shop Continuing Education Cost
Similar to McKissock Learning, prices for The CE Shop’s courses vary because each state has a different number of required hours for real estate continuing education. However, course packages generally range between $79 and $325 and individual courses are around $19-$59.
Use Promo Code: TheClose35—Save 35%
Best for Video Courses: Kaplan
 |
|
|---|---|
Pros
| Cons
|
My Expert Opinion on Kaplan
Kaplan is a well-known online school for multiple industries, and it fits into our list of the best real estate continuing education courses for many reasons. It offers the most course formats of any school, with many video courses and live online CE courses. Kaplan is the clear choice for real estate agents who want the most modern and engaging course options.
Plus, Kaplan also has a huge variety of professional development courses. Kaplan has great options if you want to improve your skills with noncredit courses or earn a real estate designation to develop a specialty and set yourself apart from other agents.
💡Room for Improvement: Kaplan could improve the online courses with a mobile app. This would make it easier for busy real estate agents and brokers to work on their CE or professional development without repeatedly opening the website on their phones.
Kaplan Continuing Education Cost
Like other schools, the cost of CE with Kaplan will depend on your state’s requirements and your chosen package or course. In general, packages range from $25 to $399, and individual courses range from $15 to $49.
Use Promo Code: Kapre5—Save 5%
Best for Instructor Support: Fortune Academy
 |
|
|---|---|
Pros
| Cons
|
My Expert Opinion on Fortune Academy
Fortune Academy is a highly rated online school that provides continuing education for real estate in most states. It also offers online courses in multiple formats: self-paced online, live online, interactive online, and in-person. One of the best features of Fortune Academy is 24/7 Expert Connect, which means that students can reach out to instructors anytime by phone, email, or live chat. This will help students understand complex concepts and clarify questions quickly.
💡Room for Improvement: Although Fortune Academy offers four different learning formats, most real estate continuing education courses are only available in the self-paced online format. Adding live online or interactive courses would give students across the US more interesting and engaging options.
Fortune Academy Continuing Education Cost
The cost of completing your continuing education package with Fortune Academy will depend on your state’s requirements and the packages or courses you choose. Packages range from $50 to $325, and individual courses can be anywhere from $16 to $51.
Use Promo Code: Close30—Save 30%
Best for Mobile App: AceableAgent
 |
|
|---|---|
Pros
| Cons
|
My Expert Opinion on AceableAgent
AceableAgent is a real estate school with an incredibly user-friendly education platform. It’s the only continuing education real estate school on our list to offer its online classes through a mobile app, which makes it much more efficient for students to work through courses on the go. In the five states where it offers CE courses, there are package options..
💡Room for Improvement: AceableAgent is based in Texas, and it only offers courses in a handful of states. Its continuing education courses in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, and New York are offered through other schools like Kaplan and Real Estate Institute.
AceableAgent Continuing Education Cost
The cost of AceableAgent’s real estate continuing education packages ranges from $59 to $175, and the individual courses are between $19 and $49. Check your state’s requirements for more details.
Click here to save 25%
Every State’s Continuing Education Requirements
Not sure what your state’s real estate continuing education requirements are? Use this handy tool below to determine how many CE hours you need and how often you need them.
Alabama Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 15
Renewal Cycle: Every 24 months
Next Due Date: 9/30/2024
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 3 mandatory hours (risk management), 12 elective hours
Alaska Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 20
Renewal Cycle: Every 24 months
Next Due Date: 01/31/2024
Specific Fulfillment Requiremnts: 8 mandatory hours (core curriculum, identified by the Alaska Real Estate Commission each cycle), 12 elective hours
Arizona Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 24
Renewal Cycle: Every 24 months
Next Due Date: Depends on your licensing date
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 18 mandatory hours (3 – agency law, 3 – contract law, 3 – commissioner’s standards, 3 – real estate legal issues, 3 – fair housing, 3 – disclosure), 6 elective hours
Arkansas Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 7
Renewal Cycle: Every 12 months
Next Due Date: 12/31/2023
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 1 mandatory hour (safety training), 6 elective hours
California Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 45
Renewal Cycle: Every 48 months
Next Due Date: Depends on your licensing date
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 26 mandatory hours (8 – required survey course covering a broad spectrum of topics, 18 – consumer protection), 19 elective hours
Colorado Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 24
Renewal Cycle: Every 36 months
Next Due Date: Depends on your licensing date
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 12 mandatory hours (annual 4-hour commission update course every year), 12 elective hours
Connecticut Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 12
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: 5/31/2024
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 6 mandatory hours (3 – CT Real Estate Law for Brokers and Salespersons, 3 – Understanding and Preventing Racial Bias in Real Estate), 6 elective hours
Delaware Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 21
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: 4/30/2024
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 18 mandatory hours (a survey course covering topics like agency and fair housing, professional standards, real estate documents, office management, legislative issues, and so on), 3 elective hours
Florida Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 14
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: Depends on your licensing date
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 6 mandatory hours (courses deemed “essential” topics like Ethics and Business Practice), 8 elective hours
Georgia Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 36
Renewal Cycle: 48 months
Next Due Date: Depends on your licensing date
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 3 mandatory hours (license law), 33 elective hours
Hawaii Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 20
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: 11/30/2024
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 6 mandatory hours (commission designated core course), 14 elective hours
Idaho Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 18
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: Depends on your licensing date
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 6 mandatory hours (spread across 2 ID Commission core courses), 12 elective hours
Illinois Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 12
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: 9/30/2024
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 4 mandatory hours (Illinois core curriculum), 8 elective hours
Indiana Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 36
Renewal Cycle: 36 months
Next Due Date: 6/30/2026
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: No mandatory hours, but 12 hours of CE must be completed every calendar year
Iowa Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 36
Renewal Cycle: 36 months
Next Due Date: Depends on your licensing date
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 12 mandatory hours (8 – law, 4 – ethics), 24 elective hours; 12 hours for every 36-month cycle must be completed via live instruction
Kansas Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 12
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: Depends on your licensing date
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 3 mandatory hours (Kansas-required core class), 9 elective hours
Kentucky Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 6
Renewal Cycle: 12 months
Next Due Date: 12/31/2023
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 3 mandatory hours (legal), 3 elective hours
Louisiana Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 12
Renewal Cycle: 12 months
Next Due Date: 12/31/2023
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 4 mandatory hours (topic to be determined each year by the Louisiana Real Estate Commission), 8 elective hours
Maine Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 21
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: Depends on your licensing date
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 3 mandatory hours (Maine designated core course), 18 elective hours
Maryland Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 15
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: Depends on your licensing date
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 10.5 mandatory hours (3 – ethics, 3 – agency, 3 – legislative, 1.5 – fair housing), 4.5 elective hours
Massachusetts Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 12
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: Depends on your licensing date
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 12 elective hours
Michigan Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 18
Renewal Cycle: 36 months
Next Due Date: 10/31/2024
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 6 mandatory hours (2 hours of CE covering legality topics) to be completed every year, 12 elective hours
Minnesota Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 15
Renewal Cycle: 12 months
Next Due Date: 6/30/2024
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 3.75 mandatory hours (Minnesota module course, topic to be determined each year), 11.25 elective hours
Mississippi Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 16
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: Depends on your licensing date
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 8 mandatory hours (2 – license law, 2 – contract law, 4 – agency law), 8 elective hours
Missouri Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 12
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: 9/30/2024
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 3 mandatory hours (a core topic chosen every cycle by the Missouri Real Estate Commission), 9 elective hours
Montana Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 12
Renewal Cycle: 12 months
Next Due Date: 10/31/2023
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 12 elective hours; note that there are special continuing education requirements for agents with their license less than two years
Nebraska Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 18
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: 11/30/2024
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 6 mandatory hours (topic designated by the Nebraska Real Estate Association every cycle), 12 elective hours
Nevada Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 24
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: Depends on your licensing date
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 12 mandatory hours (various legal and ethics topics), 12 elective hours; note that at least 12 of the 24 hours must be taken through live instruction
New Hampshire Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 15
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: Depends on your licensing date
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 3 mandatory hours (New Hampshire designated core course), 12 elective hours
New Jersey Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 12
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: 5/31/2025
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 6 mandatory hours (2 – ethics, 1 – fair housing, 3 – remaining designated core topics), 6 elective hours
New Mexico Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 36
Renewal Cycle: 36 months
Next Due Date: Depends on your licensing date
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 20 mandatory hours (12 – New Mexico Real Estate Council core course hours, 4 each year of CE period, 4 – ethics, 4 – core elective), 16 elective hours
New York Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 22.5
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: Depends on your licensing date
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 4 mandatory hours (3 – fair housing, 1 – agency law), 18.5 elective hours
North Carolina Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 8
Renewal Cycle: 12 months
Next Due Date: 6/10/2024
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 4 mandatory hours (core requirement determined each cycle by the NC Real Estate Commission), 4 elective hours
North Dakota Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 9
Renewal Cycle: 12 months
Next Due Date: 11/15/2023
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 9 elective hours
Ohio Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 30
Renewal Cycle: 36 months
Next Due Date: Depends on your licensing date
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 9 mandatory hours (3 – core law, 3 – ethics, 3 – civil rights), 21 elective hours
Oklahoma Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 21
Renewal Cycle: 36 months
Next Due Date: Depends on your licensing date
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 6 mandatory hours (an hour on each of the following topics: broker relationships, code and rules, contracts and forms, fair housing, professional conduct, hot topic (determined by the Oklahoma Real Estate Commission each cycle)), 15 elective hours
Oregon Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 30
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: Depends on your licensing date
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 3 mandatory hours (Oregon Law and Rule course), 27 elective hours
Pennsylvania Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 14
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: 05/31/2024
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 3.5 mandatory hours (taken on the topics of Redlining, Steering, Implicit Bias, Diversity and the Fair Housing Act), 10.5 elective hours
Rhode Island Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 24
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: 04/30/2024
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 6 mandatory hours (one hour each focusing on Law of Agency, Law of Contracts, Fair Housing, Lead Hazard Mitigation, and Rhode Island License Law and Ethics), 18 elective hours
South Carolina Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 10
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: 6/30/2024
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 4 mandatory hours (Core Course), 6 elective hours
South Dakota Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 24
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: Depends on your licensing date
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 12 mandatory hours (a combination of hours from the following topics: Real Estate Contracts, Real Estate License Law, Fair Housing, Ethics, Environmental Issues, Antitrust, The American with Disabilities Act, or Brokerage Services), 12 elective hours. Please note: Real estate professionals who act as property managers or residential real estate rental managers have additional continuing education requirements.
Tennessee Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 16
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: Depends on your licensing date
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 6 mandatory hours (Tennessee Real Estate Council designated Core Course), 10 elective hours
Texas Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 18
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: Depends on your licensing date
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 11 mandatory hours (8 – Texas Real Estate Association Legal Update Courses, 3 – contract-related coursework), 7 elective hours
Utah Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 18
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: Depends on your licensing date
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 12 mandatory hours (3 – core course, 9 – designated approved topics, determined by the Utah Real Estate Commission every cycle), 6 elective hours
Vermont Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 16
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: 05/31/2024
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 4 mandatory hours (determined by the Vermont Real Estate Commission each cycle), 12 elective hours
Virginia Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 16
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: Depends on your licensing date
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 8 mandatory hours (3 – ethics, 2 – fair housing, 3 – split among the topics of emerging trends, real estate agency, and real estate contracts), 8 elective hours
Washington Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 30
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: Depends on your licensing date
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 3 mandatory hours (core course), 27 elective hours; please note that first year licensees have an additional 60 hours of continuing education required
West Virginia Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 7
Renewal Cycle: 12 months
Next Due Date: 6/30/2024
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 7 elective hours
Wisconsin Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 18
Renewal Cycle: 24 months
Next Due Date: 12/14/2024
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 18 mandatory hours (3-hour courses on 6 Wisconsin Real Estate Commission approved topics, determined each cycle)
Wyoming Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
How Many Hours Required: 45
Renewal Cycle: 36 months
Next Due Date: Depends on your licensing date
Specific Fulfillment Requirements: 24 mandatory hours (determined each cycle by the Wyoming Real Estate Commission), 21 elective hours
How We Selected the Best Real Estate Continuing Education Classes
At The Close, our team of licensed real estate professionals, writers, and editors thoroughly analyzes dozens of real estate schools and determines the best for our readers. Based on our methodology at The Close, we create a weighted rubric that evaluates each school. The features we explored are essential for students to become successful agents and brokers in the real estate industry.
Our detailed criteria included the following:
- Course Features
- This comprises items that assist agents and brokers in completing their education, like pass and refund guarantees, career and instructor support, coaching, training, interactive study groups, and course extensions.
- Value
- Pricing and availability of coursework are important factors to assess. This accounts for real estate school offerings in prelicensing, post-licensing, continuing education, broker prelicensing, and exam prep.
- Learning Format & Accessibility
- Real estate professionals must consider the best format for their learning, which includes self-paced, on-demand video, livestream, and in-person classes. Also, accessibility via multiple devices, like computers, tablets, and mobile devices, determines the convenience for users.
- Expert Score
- The Close closely reviews each course for standout features, details, ease of use, and the value for money spent from a real estate expert’s perspective.
- Help & Support
- If students need additional support, knowing the customer service options through phone, email, live chat, and ticket system is necessary.
- Reputation
- This examines the reputation of each real estate school through the lens of current and past students, reviewing the customer reviews and popularity of each provider.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the continuing education requirements for a real estate license?
Real estate continuing education requirements are determined by state. In general, states require real estate agents and brokers to complete a certain number of hours of CE every few years, like 14 hours of CE every two years in Florida or 36 hours every four years in Georgia.
How much is a real estate license renewal?
The cost of renewing your real estate license includes the price of your CE hours and the license renewal fee from the state. The CE schools on our list have course packages ranging from $25 to $399. License renewal fees can also range anywhere from $32 to $361 in your state.
How do I keep my real estate license active?
To keep your real estate license active, you have to complete continuing education courses and submit proof of completion within your state’s required timeframe. If you’re a new real estate agent, some states have specific first-time renewal or post-licensing requirements.
Bringing It All Together
Renewing your real estate license might not sound like an exciting task. Still, various great online real estate schools make the process easy and interesting. By choosing a continuing education real estate school and package that fits you best, you can learn about interesting topics and improve your skills.
Have you completed your continuing education yet? Which provider did you use?