Real estate agent pre-licensing & continuing education. Created for agents, by agents.

Yes! You can absolutely get your California real estate license online. Online real estate classes let you finish your pre-licensing education on your own schedule, from any device.

They can be just as effective as in-person classes (or, for some learners, even more effective) and are super convenient for people with responsibilities like work or childcare.

The only parts of the licensing process that must be done in person are fingerprinting and taking the state real estate exam.

There are three eligibility requirements for getting a real estate license in California:

• Be at least 18 years old.
• Be a resident of California. (There’s a separate process for out-of-state applicants.)
• Have a clean criminal record. (You can still apply for a California real estate license with a criminal record, but the application may be denied or sent to a District Office for further investigation.)

Once you’ve completed the three required courses, you can then apply to take the California real estate salesperson exam. You can do this by using one of two applications:

• Salesperson Examination Application
• Combined Salesperson Examination and License Application

If you already have a broker, it’s best to go ahead and use the combined application. You’ll have to pay the nonrefundable $60 exam fee and the $245 license fee, but it will save you a few steps down the road.

On the applications, you’ll be given the choice to either have DRE schedule the exam for you at your chosen test site, or you can choose to self-schedule at a later date. Choosing to self-schedule will expedite the application process.

Include a copy of your course transcripts, and you’re ready to mail your application to the Department of Real Estate. It will take around two to four weeks for the application to be processed. Once it’s approved, you’ll receive either an email letting you know you can schedule the exam, or the Examination Schedule Notice if DRE handled the scheduling.

The biggest variable in determining the cost of a California real estate license is which real estate school you choose.

In California, a pre-license course can cost anywhere from $179 - $700 depending on the provider.

There are also fees that are associated with the real estate licensing process. These fees include a $60 exam fee each time you take the real estate exam, a $245 application fee, and a $60 fingerprinting fee.

Adding all these costs together, you should expect to pay somewhere around $544 to $1,065 total to get your real estate license in California

Yes! Every Premier Courses pre licensing package includes exam prep. You'll get an interactive course with quizzes and knowledge checks throughout, access to 1,000+ review questions, and study guides (one for each course).

Yes, Premier Courses' online real estate pre-license course is approved by the California Department of Real Estate (DRE Sponsor #XXXX). That means our 135-hour real estate course will fulfill all your real estate pre-licensing education requirements.

All applicants are required to pass the course and the final exam before they can sign up to take the California real estate exam.

You can complete your final exam in the comfort of your own home with an online proctor at no additional cost to you. In order to take your proctored final exam, you will need a desktop computer or laptop with a webcam and a working built-in or external microphone.

Please note that tablets, Chromebooks, and cell phones do not meet the requirements for testing.

Take the State Exam

Once you complete all three courses, you can then apply to take the state exam using one of two applications.

• Salesperson Examination Application
• Combined Salesperson Examination and License Application

With a copy of your course transcripts, you can mail in your application to the Department of Real Estate. It will take between two to four weeks for the application to be processed. Once it’s approved you will either receive an email to schedule the exam or the DRE has scheduled then exam for you.

Find a Sponsoring Broker

Technically, you can get a California salesperson license without a broker, also known as a “responsible broker.” BUT - without a broker, you can’t legally perform any activity that requires a real estate license. The whole reason you got a license is so you could work as a real estate agent, right?

If you haven’t already found a California real estate broker and included their information on the salesperson exam/license application now’s the time to start lining up interviews.