Yes. Real Estate Institute is approved by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Education Provider #515.000001. We offer courses that are required as prerequisites for the Leasing Agent, Broker, and Managing Broker licensing examinations.

Our quality programs, dedicated and knowledgeable instructors, and outstanding service set our school apart. When you successfully complete our course, you will have all the knowledge you need to pass the state examination. Quizzes for each homework lesson allow students to see how they are doing as they progress through the course. Along with the reinforcing tools included with our programs, qualified instructors are available to provide additional assistance.

Real Estate Institute offers students all these additional resources for one simple reason: we want you to pass the state examination!

We recommend that you review our license comparison. We have designed well organized, high quality programs for each Illinois real estate license type. Please see additional FAQs for each license type.

We have partnered with Affirm, who offers financing options that enable our students to enroll today and pay later. This extends our traditional payment options, such as credit/debit cards and cash.

Click here to learn more.

No. We are an independent school, licensed and approved by the State, as is our coursework. We are not here to recruit you into the real estate business. We are here to help students obtain or meet their real estate education requirements.

No. To hold an Illinois real estate license, the state requires that you meet the age and education requirements, have a Social security number, and be of good moral character.

You will find a wealth of information throughout our website and frequently asked questions. Additional information may be available directly at Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation's website.

Illinois offers reciprocity if you are already licensed in some other states. Please view these details at the IDFPR website and contact the IDFPR to discuss your specific licensing requirements. IDFPR-approved coursework and examinations may still be required for you to earn a license in Illinois.

Individuals who represent prospects and owners in the sale, exchange, management, and leasing of residential, commercial, and industrial properties as well as farm and vacant land are required to hold a license.

State law requires that the applicant must:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Hold a high school diploma or equivalent
• Complete a 75-credit-hour state-approved pre-license program
• Pass the state license exam

In late 2019, the Illinois Real Estate License Act was amended with important changes.  Among other things, the education requirement for Broker license candidates was reduced from 90 to 75 credit-hours. 

The IDFPR (state regulator) decided that it would be impossible to impose this change on currently enrolled students, so they directed licensed Education Providers (like us) to make this change effective on February 1, 2020.  From this date forward, all students who enroll in a Broker Pre-License program must complete a 75 credit-hour program that consists of two mandatory courses:

• Broker Pre-License Topics - 60 Credit Hours (Formerly 75 Credit Hours)

• Broker Pre-License Applied Real Estate Principles - 15 Credit Hours
  

Yes. We offer individual courses and discount packages that satisfy the state requirements and are designed to prepare new licensees for the state exam.  Click here for our program catalog.

The entry-level license to perform activities related to the sale or leasing of any type of property including residential, commercial, industrial, etc is a Real Estate Broker license.  Prior to 2011, the title of this license was called Real Estate Salesperson.  There is no longer a license titled Real Estate Salesperson in Illinois.

All individuals seeking to become a real estate licensee in Illinois for the first time (other than those dealing only with the leasing of residential real estate) must apply for a Real Estate Broker license.

After holding a Broker license for at least two years, licensees may elect to complete additional pre-license education and apply for a Managing Broker license. Managing Brokers are permitted to perform all of the same activities as a Broker, but may also choose to sponsor their own license or those of other licensees (Leasing Agents, Brokers, and Managing Brokers).

Individuals who hold a Leasing Agent license are restricted to performing leasing activities for residential properties. Indiviuals who hold a Broker license may perform activities related to the leasing or sale of any type of property including residential, commercial, industrial, etc.

The state does not permit a purely self-study program. A significant portion of the pre-license coursework may be completed via self-study, but all applicants are required to complete a 15 Hour Broker Pre-License Applied program that is only available via live classroom or webinar delivery.

Our Flex Path program allows you to complete the first 60 hours via self-study.  The remaining 15 hours would be interactive.  You can find additional information about our Flex Path program here.

Real Estate Institute offers three convenient programs, to meet your individual learning needs. You can satisfy your entire Illinois pre-license education requirement by either completing our Flex Path, Directed-Track or Fast-Track programs.  Directed-Track and Fast-Track are the two live, structured options.

Our Directed-Track live program provides students with additional structure and support to guide you through the course at a moderate pace. We have classroom and webinar options available. Click for more information on the Directed-Track program.

Our Fast-Track classroom program also provides additional structure and support, but moves at a much faster pace, allowing you to navigate all of curriculum in less than three weeks! Click for more information on the Fast-Track program.

You may view our Flex Path schedule here.

Upon enrollment, students will have immediate access to course materials online. Additionally, we will ship printed copies of materials within one business day via First-Class Priority Mail. You may also pick up course materials at our office.

If you enroll in one of our classroom programs within a week of the start of class, we will hold your materials to pick up on the first day.

Please call if you wish to arrange for expedited shipping (such as FedEx) for an additional fee.

In general our programs are designed to aide students who are having any difficulties in our programs. A retake quiz or exam is part of most courses. Please call us or see the course instructions provided with your course materials for specific course requirements.

Yes. This is an area where our school really stands out. Students in our real estate pre-license programs are strongly encouraged to call for one-on-one instructor assistance throughout the program. This one-on-one support is available to all students, including those who attend our classroom programs. We're committed to each student's success!

No. Our programs include all of the 'tools' that you need to successfully complete the education requirements and prepare to pass the state examination. For those students who completed programs elsewhere and seek an intensive review to prepare for their state examination, we offer Exam Ready review courses.

For students who reside in the Chicagoland area, we offer testing at our school locations. Testing is scheduled by appointment only. Real Estate Institute also works with a network of proctors outside the Chicagoland area (mostly libraries and universities) that can administer your final exam on our behalf. We can accommodate students throughout the country.

If you are attending a Directed-Track or Fast-Track classroom course, your exam will be prescheduled for a date following the completion of class.

Please call our school for more information. 

The complete 90 hour Broker Pre-License course final exam consists of 175 multiple choice questions. The test is divided as follows:

• 100 National questions based on the Broker Pre-License Topics course.

• 50 Illinois questions based on the Broker Pre-License Topics course.

• 25 questions based on the Broker Pre-License Applied Real Estate Principles course.

The passing score is 75%. Students must score 75% on each portion of the national, state, and/or applied final exam.

If you receive a lower score than 75%, but higher than 60%, you will be permitted two additional attempts to pass an alternate final exam. Before an alternate attempt, you must complete additional study assigned by an instructor.

If you do not pass the final examination by your third attempt, you will fail the course.

If you receive a score of 60% or lower on any of your exam attempts, you will fail the course.

After you pass our pre-license course final exam, you will be issued a transcript that authorizes you to attempt the state examination. The state examination is offered daily at locations throughout the state. We will provide detailed information regarding the state exam upon you successful course completion.

All courses expire six months after the date of enrollment. In some cases, expired pre-license course enrollments may be extended for a fee within a year of original enrollment. Courses cannot be extended beyond the 1-year anniversary of the original enrollment.

Yes. Applicants who are currently admitted to practice law by the Supreme Court of Illinois and are currently in active standing are exempt from the education requirements. However, these individuals are still required to pass the state examination. 

Real Estate Institute offers a one-day review program for Illinois attorneys.  More information on that program can be found here.

Usually, not difficult at all. You will find that most brokerage firms are always looking for new agents.

Beginning a career in real estate is more like opening your own business than starting a job. It will take time for you to begin generating the income you desire, and everyone's timetable will be different. In the long run, though, financial gain is usually only limited by an agent's willingness to work and desire to succeed.

Each state has its own license requirements. Contact the state in which you are interested in being licensed. On occasion, a state may accept some of your real estate education from Illinois.

A sponsoring Broker is not required until after you have passed the state exam, but before you apply for the license. Leasing Agent and Broker licensees must have a Managing Broker sponsor to obtain their license. A Managing Broker licensee may sponsor him or herself or may be sponsored by another Managing Broker.

Real estate licensees have a two-year renewal cycle. Broker licenses expire April 30th of the even years; Managing Broker licenses expire April 30th of the odd years. Both of these licenses require continuing education for renewal.

Currently Illinois has reciprocity with a few other states (click here to see the list). Applicants must meet the Illinois reciprocity qualifications in order to receive an Illinois license. Please see the Illinois Reciprocity Application and for additional support, contact the IDFPR at (800) 560-6420.

Yes. When applying for your license, a "Certification By Licensing Agency/Board Form" must be filled out by the state in which you currently hold a license. This form can be found within the Applied Measurement Professionals Candidate Handbook.