Schools and Instructors

Frequently Asked Questions

Schools and Instructors

For answers to many questions on School and Instructor related topics, please see the Real Estate Education Manual or the Appraiser Education Manual.

  1. Do I need to send in a roster letter or report of attendance for every class?
  2. Does an instructor of a Continuing Education class have to have an instructor’s license or be approved by the Real Estate Commission?
  3. If our school offers computer-based courses, do we need to keep the student disk on file?
  4. What written information can we give students about state exam procedures?
  5. What texts are approved by the Real Estate Commission for prelicense salesperson, Broker and Community Association Manager courses?
  6. What type of information does our school have to maintain concerning the content of courses offered and for how long?
  7. What topics are authorized for continuing education and postlicense courses?
  8. How do we obtain approval to offer new courses?
  9. If I want to start a real estate school, what do I do?


Q. Do I need to send in a roster letter or report of attendance for every class?
A. Schools are not required to send roster letters to the Commission. Commission regulations do require schools to maintain an accurate, complete record of attendance for each course (See Rules 520-2-.02 for Real Estate Schools and Rules 539-2-.02 for Appraisal Schools).

Q. Does an instructor of a Continuing Education class have to have an instructor’s license or be approved by the Real Estate Commission?
A. The Commission approves only real estate prelicense instructors under the provision of chapter 520-2-.03. Only prelicense instructors may teach prelicense courses. The Commission does not approve or authorize other instructors who teach postlicense or continuting education courses. Schools are responsible for hiring instructors with appropriate knowledge and experience for continuing education and postlicense courses. Schools must maintain resumes and other biographical information documenting such knowledge and experience for all postlicense and continuing education instructors who have not qualified as an approved instructor.

Q. If our school offers computer-based courses, do we need to keep the student disk on file?
A. The Commission and Board require certain data be maintained for each student taking computer-based courses. This data may be maintained in paper or disk format. The Commission has authorized specific student homework and course certification forms, and other information that must be maintained for each computer based course. For more information on computer-based courses see Rule 520-2-.04 for Real Estate Schools and Rule 539.2-.02 for Appraisal Schools.


Q. What written information can we give students about state exam procedures?
A. A Handbook for Examination and Licensing Procedures is published for the Commission by Applied Measurement Professional (AMP). This handbook explains the examination and licensing procedures that candidates must follow in order to take real estate and appraisal examination and apply for licensure/classification. The Handbook is available online by clicking here.

Q. What texts are approved by the Real Estate Commission for prelicense salesperson, Broker and Community Association Manager courses?
A. The Commission does not require that certain texts be used for prelicense courses. However, a list of “Real Estate References” appears in the Candidate Handbook. School directors and instructors are responsible for determining the appropriate text materials in all courses.

Q. What type of information does our school have to maintain concerning the content of courses offered and for how long?
A. Schools are required to maintain certain records for 5 years. The list of required information can be found within Common Requirements for Real Estate Courses and Common Requirements for Appraisal Courses.

Q. What topics are authorized for continuing education and postlicense courses?
A. Detailed curriculum requirements for approved courses can be found on this website by clicking on the appropriate link below:

  • Real Estate Prelicense and Postlicense Requirements
  • Real Estate Continuing Education Requirements
  • Appraisal Prelicense Requirements
  • Appraisal Continuing Education Requirements


Q. How do we obtain approval to offer new courses?
A. The Commission and Board require schools seeking to offer new courses to submit an Application for Course Approval. To view the requirements and download the application, click here.

Q. If I want to start a real estate school, what do I do?
A. If you want to open a Real Estate School, click here to view the requirements and application procedures. If you want to open an Appraisal School, click here to view the requirements and application procedures.