Best Online Real Estate Schools for October 2025

The CE Shop is known for continuing education, but it provides comprehensive salesperson pre-licensing courses in 36 states, as well—more than all but two other companies in our research. Like most real estate schools, the course content depends partly on the state where you’re seeking a license because states have different licensing requirements.

Depending on the state, The CE Shop may provide one or more course packages. The lowest-tier packages may only include some basic educational materials, like ebooks and flash cards, while higher-level packages include exam prep tools and a pass guarantee. You can pay more for professional development help, aimed at people who just got their license. For some states you can buy a bundle package that includes both pre- and post-licensing courses, which are required to maintain your license. 

The CE Shop has an overall pass rate of 61.46%, as reported by the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC). That puts it in second place among real estate schools included in our research, after AceableAgent at 66.94%. The CE Shop reports pass rates for individual states on its website as well, a nice level of transparency that’s rare among real estate schools.

AceableAgent isn’t available as widely as some of our other top picks, but if you live in an eligible state, you can take courses that give you an excellent shot at passing the pre-licensing exam. AceableAgent has a 66.94% overall pass rate, as reported by TREC, quite a bit higher than the average of 56.88%.

The course offerings vary by state, but you’ll usually have a choice of two or three packages. Plan features may include some relatively modern tools, like a virtual AI instructor to help answer questions. You’ll get a mobile app, plus access to instructor support through email or text. Premium packages include one hour of private tutoring, along with live webinars and Q&A sessions where you can get more personalized help.

Post-licensing and continuing education courses are only available for a few states, so you may need to look elsewhere for those courses. If you need exam prep courses, you’ll be sent to work with another brand, PrepAgent.

If you like working with long-established companies with a lot of experience in their fields, it’d be tough to beat Kaplan. Originally established in 1938, Kaplan provides real estate sales education along with a wide variety of other professional courses.

Exploring an online real estate school only to find it doesn’t cover the state you need can be frustrating. But that probably won’t be the case with Kaplan, as it has the widest service area for salesperson pre-licensing courses among companies we researched, at 44 states. It’s near the top for exam prep (46 states) and continuing education (45). Post-licensing and broker preparation courses are not as widely available.

Depending on the state and course type, you may see a variety of package options at various price points and credit hours. Courses feature a variety of study resources, and range from basic instruction to more comprehensive career help, including mentoring. Print textbooks are included in some cases. 

You’ll have to pay for this level of experience, however. Kaplan was more expensive than most other real estate schools in a selection of states we looked at: California, Florida, Virginia, and Texas.

Real estate courses can be expensive, and to some extent you get what you pay for—high-cost premium packages are likely to include a variety of educational resources and, in some cases, personal instruction. If you feel at least somewhat confident in your ability to learn the material and pass the test, you may want to consider less expensive courses.

360Training had the lowest overall salesperson pre-licensing course prices based on our survey of fees in California, Florida, Virginia, and Texas. The company doesn’t share much about the resources available in each course; instead, it’s more focused on the topics you’ll learn. For example, the Montana 70-hour premium pre-licensing course includes pre-license instruction that’s approved by the Montana Board of Realty Regulation, exam prep, a segment on real estate math, and a segment on client-focused communication. 

360Training doesn’t offer some useful features you can get with more expensive services, like one-on-one tutoring and a pass guarantee. But if you’re on a budget, it’s worth considering.

If you’re looking for low course fees but 360Training is too bare-bones, check out Colibri Real Estate. Unlike 360Training, Colibri’s salesperson pre-licensing and exam prep course are widely available across the country (in 41 and all 50 states, respectively), and the company offers a top-notch pass guarantee: If you don’t pass the licensing exam on your first try, you can be reimbursed for the original course fee. (The pass guarantee is prohibited in some states.)

You’ll see the same four pre-licensing course package options for most states:

• The Basics: Made for independent learners; no pass guarantee
• Exam Preparation: Comes with mock exams, flash cards, readiness assessment, and a pass guarantee
• Exam Preparation Plus: Adds live Q&A with local instructors
• Ultimate Learning: Adds 20+ videos, job aids, buyer/seller checklists, and action plan templates

Colibri’s pass rate, via TREC, is 57.28%. That’s a bit better than average among schools included in TREC’s report, although it’s a bit lower than average among schools included in Investopedia’s research.