Investopedia is dedicated to helping you find the best online real estate school to become a licensed real estate professional. Our full-time research and editorial teams conducted comprehensive research into nine popular online real estate schools. Each school was evaluated on 38 criteria in four categories, focusing in large part on salesperson pre-licensing: fees, customer satisfaction, features, and availability.
Our editors and researchers independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on the links we provide, we may receive compensation. Our advertising partnerships are not a factor in how we evaluate products, though they may affect the order of products you see listed in our articles.
How We Research Online Real Estate Schools
Investopedia researched nine online real estate schools, chosen based on prior research, consumer interest, and competitive analysis of the industry. Only schools that offer at least one of the following course types were included:
- Salesperson pre-licensing
- Exam preparation
- Continuing education
- Post-licensing
- Broker preparation
Research was conducted in February 2025.
Data Collection and Scoring
Investopedia developed a quantitative model to objectively score and rank online real estate schools, based on 38 criteria important to aspiring real estate agents and professionals seeking continuing education or post-licensing education. 26 of those criteria were given weights to score schools. The unweighted criteria were collected for background. Information was collected directly from company websites and customer support representatives.
Each company was scored using our “Investopedia’s Rating” scale of 0.00 to 5.00.
- All data points were scored on a 0.00 to 1.00 scale.
- Binary criteria were scored on a scale of 0 or 1.
- Continuous criteria were scored so that the minimum data value was re-scaled to 0.00 and the maximum value was re-scaled to 1.00.
- Aggregated criteria scores were calculated based on scores of individual criteria, and the results were re-scored on a continuous scale.
- Any data point that was not disclosed by a company was given a score of 0.
Online Real Estate Schools Evaluation Categories
Our evaluation categories for real estate schools were weighted as follows. These categories consist of 38 criteria for each of the nine companies, resulting in 342 data points that make up our rubric.
| Category | Weight | Number of Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| Fees | 27.00% | 9 |
| Customer Satisfaction | 27.00% | 14 |
| Features | 26.00% | 8 |
| Availability | 20.00% | 7 |
| Total | 100.00% | 38 |
The weights and resulting company scores were used to determine our picks for the best online real estate schools.
Fees
We researched the fees for real estate salesperson pre-licensing in four states, chosen as a representative sample to include those with relatively strict and relatively lenient requirements: California, Florida, Virginia, and Texas. This category consisted of the following criteria with the accompanying weights.
| Criterion | Weight |
|---|---|
| Free Trial | 3.00% |
| California Pre-Licensing Minimum Fee | 3.50% |
| California Pre-Licensing Maximum Fee | 2.50% |
| Florida Pre-Licensing Minimum Fee | 3.50% |
| Florida Pre-Licensing Maximum Fee | 2.50% |
| Virginia Pre-Licensing Minimum Fee | 3.50% |
| Virginia Pre-Licensing Maximum Fee | 2.50% |
| Texas Pre-Licensing Minimum Fee | 3.50% |
| Texas Pre-Licensing Maximum Fee | 2.50% |
| Total | 27.00% |
Free Trial
Some online real estate schools offer a free trial so you can test out their services to see if they’ll be a good fit. This criterion was scored on a binary scale, either 0 or 1; schools that offer a free trial received a score of 1, and those that do not received a score of 0. This criterion accounted for 3.00% of the total score.
Pre-Licensing Minimum Fees
For each school, we looked at the minimum salesperson pre-licensing fees in the following four states, and gave each state fee the accompanying weight:
- California pre-licensing minimum fee: 3.50%
- Florida pre-licensing minimum fee: 3.50%
- Virginia pre-licensing minimum fee: 3.50%
- Texas pre-licensing minimum fee: 3.50%
Each minimum fee criterion was scored on a continuous scale, from 0 to 1. Schools with lower fees were given higher scores. Altogether, minimum fees accounted for 14% of the total score.
Pre-Licensing Maximum Fees
For each school, we looked at the maximum salesperson pre-licensing fees in the following four states, and gave each state fee the accompanying weight:
- California pre-licensing maximum fee: 2.50%
- Florida pre-licensing maximum fee: 2.50%
- Virginia pre-licensing maximum fee: 2.50%
- Texas pre-licensing maximum fee: 2.50%
Each maximum fee criterion was scored on a continuous scale, from 0 to 1. Schools with lower maximum fees were given higher scores. Altogether, maximum fees accounted for 10% of the overall score.
Customer Satisfaction
Customer satisfaction was measured by looking at pass rates for each online real estate school, along with customer ratings from a variety of sources. The following criteria were included and weighted in this category.
| Criterion | Weight |
|---|---|
| Pass Rates (From TREC) | 7.00% |
| Accreditation/Approval | 4.00% |
| Apple App | 3.00% |
| Android App | 3.00% |
| Apple App Rating | Included in Overall Customer Satisfaction Score |
| Apple App Review Count | Included in Overall Customer Satisfaction Score |
| Android App Rating | Included in Overall Customer Satisfaction Score |
| Android App Review Count | Included in Overall Customer Satisfaction Score |
| Trustpilot Rating | Included in Overall Customer Satisfaction Score |
| Trustpilot Review Count | Included in Overall Customer Satisfaction Score |
| BBB Rating | Included in Overall Customer Satisfaction Score |
| BBB Review Count | Included in Overall Customer Satisfaction Score |
| Overall Customer Satisfaction Score | 10.00% |
| Total | 27.00% |
Pass Rates (From TREC)
We researched the exam pass rates for each online real estate school as reported by the Texas Real Estate Commission, which publishes a report that includes a selection of popular real estate schools. We scored pass rates on a continuous scale, from 0 to 1. Schools with higher pass rates earned higher scores. This criterion accounted for 7.00% of the overall score.
Accreditation/Approval
Some real estate schools have courses that are accredited by national or international organizations, like the Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (ARELLO) and the International Distance Education Certification Center (IDECC). In other cases, you may see state-specific courses that are approved by the real estate licensing board of that state.
We scored accreditation/approval on a binary scale, either 0 or 1. Schools that disclose their accreditations were given a score of 1, and schools that do not disclose this information were given a score of 0. This criterion accounted for 4.00% of the total score.
Apple App
Only two schools included in our research offered Apple apps for mobile education: Kaplan and AceableAgent. This criterion was scored on a binary scale, either 0 or 1. Schools that offer Apple apps were given a score of 1, and schools that don’t were given a score of 0. This criterion accounted for 3.00% of the total score.
Android App
Only one school included in our research offered a mobile app for Android devices: AceableAgent. This factor was scored on a binary scale, either 0 or 1. Schools that offer an Android app were given a score of 1, and schools that don’t were given a score of 0. This criterion accounted for 3.00% of the total score.
Overall Customer Satisfaction Score
Investopedia’s overall customer satisfaction score is calculated by combining ratings from a number of sources. It accounts for ratings with different numbers of raters to score and compare real estate schools objectively. The following criteria were aggregated into this overall satisfaction score:
- App Store Rating
- App Store Review Count
- Google Play Rating
- Google Play Review Count
- Trustpilot Rating
- Trustpilot Review Count
- BBB Customer Rating
- BBB Customer Review Count
The criteria above were aggregated to give each school an overall score from 0 to 5. Overall customer satisfaction scores were scored on a continuous scale, from 0 to 1. Schools with higher satisfaction ratings were given higher scores. Altogether, the overall customer satisfaction score accounted for 10% of the total score.
Features
Online real estate schools tend to provide the same kinds of educational resources: practice questions, video instruction, live tutoring, etc. But there is quite a bit of variability between companies, and some offerings are much more robust than others. The following feature criteria were scored and weighted.
| Criterion | Weight |
|---|---|
| Number of Practice Questions | 4.00% |
| Number of Mock Exams | 4.00% |
| Study Groups | 4.00% |
| Teacher Support Options | 7.00% |
| Pass Guarantee | 7.00% |
| Total | 26.00% |
Number of Practice Questions
Exam prep is important, and what better way to prepare than to try out the kinds of questions you’re likely to find on the test? Different online real estate schools provide question banks of different sizes. We scored this criterion on a continuous scale, from 0 to 1. Schools with larger question banks were given higher scores. This factor accounted for 4.00% of the total score.
Number of Mock Exams
Similar to practice questions, real estate schools offer mock exams to mimic what you’ll experience when you take actual professional real estate exams. More than just practice questions, these are meant to give you an idea of what it’ll be like to take the actual test. We scored the number of mock exams on a binary scale, either 0 or 1. Companies that disclose the number of mock exams they offer were given a score of 1; companies that do not were given a score of 0. This criterion accounted for 4.00% of the total score.
Study Groups
Studying with other students can be a good way to learn, but not all real estate schools offer this (only two, in our research: Kaplan and PrepAgent). We scored this factor on a binary scale, either 0 or 1. Schools that facilitate study groups were given a score of 1, and schools that don’t were given a score of 0. This criterion accounted for 4.00% of the total score.
Teacher Support Options
In general, you can break down online real estate courses into two types: self-study, and instructor-led. Self-study courses give you some instructional material and require you to learn on your own. Instructor-led courses allow you to interact with an expert, asking questions and getting feedback to speed your learning. Instructor-led courses tend to be more expensive.
We scored this as a scaled criterion from 0 to 1, with each teacher support option (phone, chat, email, etc.) receiving 0.25 points. This criterion amounted to 7.00% of the total score.
Pass Guarantee
Some online real estate schools provide pass guarantees. These come in different flavors, but in general, if you buy a course, complete all or most of it, and then fail the exam, you can either get your money back or continue taking courses until you pass the exam. We scored this on a binary scale, either 0 or 1; companies that provide a pass guarantee scored 1, and companies that don’t scored 0. This criterion accounted for 7.00% of the total score.
Availability
Real estate courses are state-specific; if you want to become a licensed real estate professional in California, for example, you’ll need to take classes specifically designed for California’s laws and regulations. There are also a variety of courses you can take, like salesperson pre-licensing, exam prep, continuing education, and broker preparation. The following criteria were scored and weighted.
| Criterion | Weight |
|---|---|
| Year Established | 4.00% |
| Course Expiration | 4.00% |
| Salesperson Pre-Licensing State Availability | 4.00% |
| Exam Prep Course State Availability | 2.00% |
| Continuing Education State Availability | 2.00% |
| Post-Licensing State Availability | 2.00% |
| Broker Preparation State Availability | 2.00% |
| Total | 20.00% |
Year Established
We looked at the year in which each real estate school was established because, generally speaking, schools with more experience may provide better education. This criterion was scored on a continuous scale, from 0 to 1. Older schools were given higher scores than younger schools. This criterion accounted for 4.00% of the total score.
Course Expiration
Different real estate schools set different expiration dates for their courses, although in some cases these expirations are required by certain state laws. But the longer you have access to a course, the better. We scored course expiration on a continuous scale, from 0 to 1. Schools that offer longer access scored higher. This criterion was given a weight of 4.00% in the total score.
Salesperson Pre-Licensing State Availability
Salesperson pre-licensing is one of the first steps in becoming a real estate professional, but courses are state-specific. It’s rare to find a real estate school that offers courses for every state. We scored this factor on a continuous scale, from 0 to 1. Schools with more state availability were given higher scores. This criterion accounted for 4.00% of the total score.
Exam Prep Course State Availability
In addition to basic educational material, real estate schools tend to offer specific, additional courses to prepare for examinations. We scored exam prep course state availability on a continuous scale, from 0 to 1. Schools with more state availability were given higher scores. This criterion accounted for 2.00% of the full score.
Continuing Education State Availability
You usually don’t need a college degree to become a real estate agent, but you will be required to complete certain continuing education requirements to maintain your license. We scored state availability of continuing education courses on a continuous scale, from 0 to 1. Schools with more state availability were given higher scores. This criterion accounted for 2.00% of the total score.
Post-Licensing State Availability
Some states require post-licensing education after completing salesperson pre-licensing. We scored state availability of post-licensing courses on a continuous scale, from 0 to 1. Schools with more state availability scored higher. This criterion accounted for 2.00% of the total score.
Broker Preparation State Availability
Becoming a real estate broker requires a different education than becoming a salesperson. We scored broker preparation state availability on a continuous scale, from 0 to 1. Schools with better state availability scored higher. This criterion accounted for 2.00% of the total score.
Criteria Collected But Not Weighted
The following criteria were collected but not weighted. Some were collected for background or editorial purposes, to inform our company reviews. In other cases, criteria were not weighted because all of their data points across companies were identical.
Features
- Number of Hours of Video Material
- Online Classroom/Live Online Tutoring
- Performance/Progress Tracker
Customer Satisfaction
- Pass Rates (From Company Website)
Meet the Team
Isaac Braun
Research Manager
Isaac Braun is the full-time Research Manager for Investopedia. He has analyzed data for over a decade, with over five years in the digital media landscape, and he holds a degree in communication and culture from The Media School at Indiana University – Bloomington. Isaac believes it is paramount to provide the most accurate data-driven product recommendations to help readers make educated decisions.
Brendan Harkness
Senior Editor, Financial Products and Services
Brendan is currently a full-time senior editor of financial products and services at Investopedia. He has a decade of experience researching, writing, and editing content for financial and business publications about banking, credit and debt, auto loans, credit cards, and more. Previously, he was a managing editor at Credit Card Insider.
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