California real estate license requirements

What to verify before choosing a course

Requirements pages are useful only if they help you avoid buying the wrong education package. Before enrolling, confirm that the course is approved for California, that it matches the 135-hour requirement, and that the provider explains how course completion is reported or documented. If the provider sells multiple package tiers, make sure the tier you choose satisfies the required pre-license education, not only optional exam prep.

After the course, most applicants still need to handle the licensing application, exam scheduling, and any background-check or fingerprinting requirements. Those steps can change over time, so use this page as a decision checklist and use California Department of Real Estate as the final source before paying for a course or submitting an application.

Keep copies of course completion records, receipts, exam registration details, and official instructions. Those records make it easier to resolve provider mistakes, application delays, or mismatched names between the course, exam vendor, and regulator account.