Yes. Real Estate Institute offers continuing education programs that are approved by the IDFPR and have been specifically designed to satisfy license renewal requirements.

Yes. Real Estate Institute reports all successful course completions to the appropriate regulatory authority. We report electronically (when permitted) to ensure timely and accurate reporting.

School policies, including our refund policy can be viewed here.

Yes. Brokers licensed by the IDFPR are required to complete continuing education during each renewal period.

NOTE: During the current renewal period, some licensees may be exempt from the continuing education requirement. For example, Brokers renewing for the first time do not require continuing education. Instead, they must complete Post-Licence education. Click here for more information.

Brokers not in their first renewal must complete the following:

• 4 Hours: Core - May only be completed live or online, not self-study
• 8 Hours: Electives - Must include at least 1 hour of Sexual Harassment Prevention training.

Brokers in their first renewal must complete Post-License education.  In addition, they must also complete at least 1 hour of Sexual Harassment Prevention training.

Brokers renewing for the first time do not need to complete continuing education before renewing their license. Instead, they are required to complete 30 hours of Post-License education before their first license renewal.

Continuing education must be completed before license renewal. Brokers renew every two years by April 30th (in even years).

Yes. To renew your license you must satisfy your continuing education prior to renewal. Although you may be inactive in the real estate business, you are not exempt from the requirement (if you intend to renew your license).

Yes, 1 hour of Sexual Harassment Prevention training is required to be completed during each license renewal period.  This course must be completed live or online. Self-study is not permitted.

This requirement is included in both Real Estate Institute's All Online and Classic 12 hour CE packages.

We offer two convenient package options.  Our first package is our All Online package.  It includes all 12 hours of Core & Elective via online distance education. There is no proctored exam at the end of these programs as online distance education courses do not require a final examination.

Our other package is the Classic package that will include 5 hours of class or webinar, which will include 4 hours of Core and 1 hour Sexual Harassment Prevention, and 7 hours of self-study. Classroom and webinar programs do not require a final exam, however a proctored exam will be required for the 7 hours of self-study elective.

Online distance education courses are presented strictly in an online format. Instead of defining your own course of study, you will complete the course in the sequence specified by the school and your progress will be tracked along the way. The course material is divided into sections or modules of instruction, which are followed by knowledge checks that help ensure you retain and understand the course subject matter.

Self-study courses are book-based courses (either PDF or printed) allow you to define your own course of study and then demonstrate proficiency by passing a proctored final exam. Our self-study courses include printed materials that are mailed to you upon request.

Online distance education courses are presented strictly in an online format. You will complete the course in the sequence specified by the school and your progress will be tracked along the way. The course material is divided into sections or modules of instruction, which are followed by knowledge checks that help ensure you retain and understand the course subject matter.

Note: Not all education is allowed to be offered in a self-study format.  The new 4 hour Core and Sexual Harassment Prevention requirement cannot be delivered in a self-study format.

Although we offer individual continuing education courses, we strongly recommend that you choose one of the discounted packages that are designed to satisfy your entire CE requirement.

Our discounted packages include the new mandatory 4 hour Core course, the new Sexual Harassment Prevention requirement and the remaining elective topics that are all approved by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR).

No, online distance education courses are presented strictly in an online format. No printed materials are required or included. If you prefer to study from printed materials, you should consider a self-study program.

Unfortunately, due to the regulatory changes that went into effect on July 1st, 2019, Brokers can no longer complete their entire 12 hour requirement self-study.  Both the new 4 hour Core and the Sexual Harassment Prevention requirement cannot be offered in self-study format. 

However, we still pride ourselves on offering the simplest and most convenient CE options.  Click here to review our current Broker CE packages.

The books and topics may look very similar but they are not the same. The content is updated to reflect the most recent changes in the law, rules of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and current business practices. Course books are included with your course tuition, so don't worry about incurring any extra fees.

All state-approved real estate continuing education self-study courses require a final examination that must be proctored by an impartial third party. Courses approved for interactive delivery via live class, webinar, or online distance education do not require a final examination.

You should have no problem passing our exams as long as you read your booklet. A score of 75% or higher is required by law to pass. On the rare occasion that someone does not pass, one retake of the exam is allowed on a different day.

If you are enrolled in our Classic package that include coming to an in-person class, your elective exams will be administered at the end of the class.

Otherwise,  we offer daily continuing education testing at the school’s headquarters in Niles and occasionally at our Lincoln park facility.

For online proctored exams, you may log in to our website and send an exam invitation to your preferred proctor. Upon receipt of the invitation, your proctor will review the school rules, and (if they accept) they will provide some additional information to complete the process. Once completed, the proctor will automatically receive instructions and information required to administer the exam. We’ll send you a message to confirm, so that you schedule a time to take your exam(s) directly with your proctor.

Yes, upon enrollment, log in to our website with your username and password to begin the process.

The online exam proctor must be a disinterested third party.  The school enforces these specific rules.

• Students may not proctor their own examination.
• Proctors may not be related by blood or marriage to the student.
• Proctors may not be enrolled in the same course as the student.
• Illinois Real Estate licensees may not proctor the exams for their sponsoring or managing broker and vice versa.
• Proctors may not be a colleague.  A colleague is someone with whom one works in a profession or business with.  (This includes anyone who works in a licensee's office or in any capacity at their brokerage firm.)
• The school may disapprove if a proctor for other reasons and retains the right to terminate our relationship with an approved proctor at any time for any reason.

Active Broker licensees may renew their license if...

1. you have completed your total education requirement and
2. you have received the corresponding Certificates of Completion for ALL of those courses.
   • It's important to review the certificate(s) to ensure that your name, your Real Estate license number and course completion(s) appear correctly. If not, please contact our school.
     

The IDFPR renewal window usually opens approximately 90 days before the renewal deadline.

Note: If you renew your license before the school records and confirms your completions, you may later be subject to IDFPR fines and/or disciplinary action. 

You do not need to wait for the school to report your completions to IDFPR to renew.

We electronically submit a record of your course completion(s) to the IDFPR at the start of the month following your course completion(s). 

You need not wait for us to submit your completions to IDFPR to renew your license.

If you are an active Broker may renew your license if...

1. you have completed your total CE requirement and
2. you have received the corresponding Certificates of Completion for ALL of those courses.
   • It's important to review the certificate(s) to ensure that your name, your Real Estate license number and course completion(s) appear correctly. If not, please contact our school.

The IDFPR renewal window usually opens approximately 90 days before the renewal deadline.

Note: If you renew your license before the school records and confirms your completions, you may later be subject to IDFPR fines and/or disciplinary action.

Yes, the State of Illinois permits late completion of your continuing education requirement (in conjunction with a late renewal of your license). Just let us know that you're completing "late CE". We'll report your completion to the IDFPR and also provide an embossed copy of your Certificate of Completion that you should include with your late license renewal paperwork and fees (which will be sent to the IDFPR for processing).

School policies, including our refund policy can be viewed here.

All Illinois licensees must complete the Illinois continuing education requirement during each two-year license renewal period.

There are some cases in which a licensee may not be required to complete the full continuing education requirement.

• Broker licensees who are renewing for the first time must complete a 30 credit-hour post-license program, rather than continuing education. Post-license education replaces CE during your first renewal and is a follow-up requirement to your pre-license coursework.
• All attorneys who are currently registered to practice in Illinois are exempt from the continuing education requirement

All attorneys who are currently registered to practice law in Illinois are exempt from all real estate education requirements, but must submit the required renewal fee and application to the IDFPR. Attorneys are also exempt from completing the new Sexual Harassment Prevention course.

July 1st 2019

Except for Brokers renewing their license for the first time, all Brokers are required to complete 12 hours of Core & Elective education. In the past, this included:

• 3 Hours of Core A
• 3 Hours of Core B
• 6 Hours of Elective (or additional Core B)

Now the IDFPR has transitioned into a new education format that includes the following:

• 4 Hour Core (No more A and B)
• 8 Hours of Elective

Included in the elective education must be at least 1 hour of Sexual Harassment Prevention training.

In addition to the changes listed above, the IDFPR will not permit Core or Sexual Harassment Prevention training to be offered in a self-study format.  It must only be offered in a live class, webinar or online distance education format.

Yes, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the IDFPR announced that all professional licenses expiring between March 1st 2020 and July 31st 2020 are now extended through September 30th, 2020.