How to Get a Real Estate License
To get a real estate license, you complete the pre-licensing course hours your state requires, pass the state license exam, apply to the state's real estate regulator, pass a background check, usually with fingerprints, and, where the state requires it, activate the license with a sponsoring broker. Each state sets its own hours, fees and exam rules.
Steps to get a real estate license
- Check your state's requirements. Minimum age, education and background rules are set by the state's real estate regulator. With a criminal record, look for a way to ask the regulator about your eligibility before you pay for courses.
- Take the pre-licensing course with a school the regulator approves. Online schools count only where the state approves them.
- Apply for the license and pass a background check, usually with fingerprints. The order of these steps differs by state.
- Pass the license exam. It is given by the state or by a testing company it contracts with, such as Pearson VUE or PSI.
- Join a brokerage. A sales agent works on behalf of a licensed broker, and some states keep a new license inactive until a broker sponsors it.
Real estate license requirements by state
Course hours, exam vendor and fees from each state's regulator. Each state guide lists the full steps with sources.
| State | License | Course hours | Exam vendor | Exam fee | Application fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | sales agent | 180 | Pearson | $58 | $206 |
How long it takes
Most of the time goes into the course: Texas requires 180 hours of pre-licensing education. After the course, the application review, the background check and booking the exam take additional time.
What a real estate license costs
The total is the pre-licensing course plus the state's exam fee, the application or license fee and fingerprinting. A state guide adds them up on its cost page once every state fee is confirmed, using official fees and the regular list prices of schools.
Choosing a pre-licensing school
Regulators in some states publish the exam pass rate of each school. Those numbers are the closest thing to an independent comparison: see online real estate schools compared by pass rate and the school table in each state guide.
After you are licensed
See what agents earn on the real estate agent salary page, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for May 2025.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a real estate license online?
You can take the pre-licensing course online where the state approves online providers; Aceable, Colibri Real Estate, The CE Shop and Kaplan Real Estate Education sell online courses. The exam follows the testing rules of the state or its vendor, and only the state regulator issues the license.
How hard is the real estate exam?
The pass rate is the best measure: in Texas, the statewide first-time pass rate was 56.1% from Dec 2023 to Nov 2025. Each state guide shows its own statewide rate and the rate for each school.
Can I use my real estate license in another state?
That depends on both states. Some accept a license from another state in full or in part, others require their own course and exam. Check the regulator of the state where you want to work.