Can I complete real estate appraiser licensing through online courses?

Yes, most states approve online qualifying education for appraiser licensing. Texas, for example, lets you filter its approved course list for online delivery, and New York approves distance-learning formats, with final exams taken at an approved in-person location. A few states restrict online study: North Carolina requires its entry-level courses in a classroom, with only the supervisor/trainee course available in either format.

Yes. Alabama accepts qualifying education from providers on the Alabama Real Estate Appraisers Board's approved schools and courses list, and online courses from approved providers satisfy the classroom-hour requirements for each classification. For the Licensed and Certified Residential levels, the Board also accepts PAREA (Practical Applications of Real Estate Appraisal), an online program adopted effective May 15, 2025, as an alternative to the supervisor/trainee experience path.

Yes. Alaska does not restrict appraiser qualifying education to in-person delivery, so the required coursework can be completed online. A trainee must document 83 classroom hours, and each qualifying course must run at least 15 hours (8 hours for the valuation bias and fair housing course) and include a final examination.

Yes. Arizona allows all appraisal qualifying education hours, including USPAP courses, to be completed online. Courses must be approved by the state Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions (DIFI) or pre-approved by the Appraisal Qualifications Board (AQB) before they are offered in Arizona. The 15-Hour National USPAP Course and the 7-Hour National USPAP Update Course are approved automatically when taught by at least one AQB-certified USPAP instructor.

Yes. The Arkansas board approves appraiser qualifying and continuing education in classroom, synchronous, live webinar, and online/asynchronous formats. Online qualifying education must be tested with a proctor, and you must upload your own completion certificates to the board's electronic licensing platform. Courses must come from the board's Arkansas Approved Continuing and Qualifying Education List.

Yes. Appraiser qualifying education for Colorado credentials, including the 158 hours required for the Licensed Appraiser level effective January 1, 2026, is available through online schools offering state-approved appraisal courses. One rule to plan around: all qualifying education must be completed before you begin a Practical Applications of Real Estate Appraisal (PAREA) program, which can substitute for the traditional supervisor and trainee path to experience hours.

Yes. Connecticut does not restrict qualifying education to classroom formats, and the Department of Consumer Protection publishes an approved pre-licensing course list that identifies each course's type of instruction, so you can select online offerings. You must still take the state's required courses, including the Connecticut appraisal law course with supervisory and provisional education, from a school on the approved list.

The brief's Delaware material covers online delivery only for continuing education, not for initial licensing coursework, so the question cannot be answered usefully from the supplied sources.

Yes. The District of Columbia Board of Real Estate Appraisers approves qualifying education delivered online, and its 2024-2026 approved-course list includes internet-based formats covering the full qualifying-education curriculum, from the trainee package through the certified general track. The Board also accepts certificates from providers not on its list when the certificate states the course is approved by another appraiser regulatory body or the Appraisal Qualifications Board's Course Approval Program.

Yes. Florida permits qualifying education for appraiser credentials to be completed online, and continuing education may also be completed by distance education. Each qualifying course ends with an examination that must be proctored, either in person or remotely.

Yes, for the education side of licensing. Qualifying education must come from a school on the Georgia Real Estate Appraisers Board's approved-education list, and that list includes providers that deliver the required coursework online, including the 15-hour USPAP course within the 90 trainee hours. For the experience side, Georgia rules allow a completed Practical Applications of Real Estate Appraisal (PAREA) program, a virtual training alternative, to replace up to 100% of supervised experience hours for the State Licensed classification and up to 67% for Certified Residential.

Yes. Idaho accepts distance and online education for both qualifying courses and continuing education. Distance qualifying courses must include a written, proctored, closed-book final examination, and biometric proctoring is acceptable. All required continuing education hours, including the 7-hour Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) update course, may be taken online.

Yes. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) states that any of its required qualifying education offerings may be taken in person or online. Continuing education must be obtained through an IDFPR-approved appraiser education provider, and courses taken outside Illinois through unapproved providers require advance approval for out-of-state education credit.

Yes. The Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (PLA) accepts internet-based pre-licensing courses for appraiser credentials, including online qualifying education for the Trainee, Certified Residential, and Certified General levels. All pre-licensing education must be approved by the Appraisal Qualifications Board (AQB), a rule in effect since January 1, 2008.

Yes, much of the process can be done online. Iowa lets appraisers earn all continuing education hours through approved distance-education programs, and it accepts Practical Applications of Real Estate Appraisal (PAREA), a virtual training alternative to supervised in-the-field experience. The fingerprint-based background check and the certification exam, given at PSI test centers, still require in-person steps.

Yes. Kentucky imposes no online education limits at the trainee level, and appraisers can complete both qualifying education and continuing education online. The courses must come from providers approved by the Kentucky Real Property Appraisers Board, and continuing-education courses must be at least 2 hours long.

Yes. Louisiana accepts distance and online education for both qualifying and continuing education, provided the course is approved or certified by the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) or IDECC and includes learner-instructor interaction and proof of passage. These conditions appear in the board's rules at LAC 46:LXVII.10417.

Yes. Maine accepts appraiser qualifying education delivered online and by livestream, and the state completed its rulemaking on synchronous education effective September 18, 2022, which allows live remote qualifying courses. You can complete the trainee-level coursework, including the 15-hour National USPAP Course, through approved online providers, though the exam, background check, and supervision requirements still apply.

Yes. Maryland accepts classroom-based and online qualifying education approved through the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) Course Approval Program, and there is no separate state-only provider list for qualifying education. The Commission also recognizes both classroom and online continuing education courses approved through that program.

Yes, you can complete Massachusetts appraiser qualifying education online. The state Board's primary education list consists of classroom courses, but a 2021 Board policy permits Board-approved distance education, so online courses count when they appear on the state's approved list. Every level, from Trainee (75 hours) through Certified General (300 hours), includes a minimum 15-hour USPAP course.

Yes. Michigan-approved qualifying education for each appraiser credential is available online, and the license application is filed through the state's online portal at michigan.gov/mylicense. The licensing exams for the State Licensed, Certified Residential, and Certified General credentials are administered in person by PSI at its Michigan test centers in Holt-Lansing, Southfield, Grand Rapids, Gaylord, and Marquette; the Limited (trainee) credential requires no exam.

Yes. Minnesota permits prelicense qualifying education by any method of instruction, including online delivery, and your education provider must upload completed courses electronically. A closed-book, proctored, end-of-course exam is always required for prelicense education, regardless of how the course is delivered.

Yes, Mississippi does not restrict appraiser qualifying education to classroom delivery. The state's approved-education list includes providers that offer qualifying and continuing education online, and the Mississippi Appraisal Board (MAB) applies the same rule to every format: a qualifying course must run at least 15 hours and include a proctored, closed-book exam.

Yes. Missouri does not restrict online delivery for appraiser qualifying or continuing education, so you can complete the required coursework through approved online providers. The steps that happen outside the coursework are unchanged: you must pass the state examination in person, complete the supervised experience hours with a certified appraiser, and file your application and fees with the Missouri Real Estate Appraisers Commission through its MOPRO online portal.

Yes. Montana allows qualifying education for appraiser credentials, including the National USPAP course, to be completed through distance education. The Board of Real Estate Appraisers publishes a list of approved qualifying and continuing education courses, and you contact the education provider listed next to a course to ask about its availability.

Yes. The required qualifying education, including the 15-Hour National USPAP Course, can be delivered virtually, and the 2026-2027 7-Hour National USPAP Update Course is offered in online live and on-demand formats. To earn state real property credit, a course must be taught by an AQB-Certified USPAP Instructor who holds a current Certified General or Certified Residential credential. PAREA, a virtual alternative to the supervisor/trainee model, can also supply experience hours toward the Licensed Residential and Certified Residential credentials.

Yes. Nevada does not restrict online delivery for appraiser qualifying education or continuing education, so you may complete the coursework for any Nevada credential, including intern registration, through online courses. You must still meet the state's required hours, pass the national examination, and satisfy the experience and background check requirements to earn a license or certificate.

Yes. Qualifying education completed on or after December 3, 2007 must be approved through the Appraisal Qualifications Board's Course Approval Program, and approved qualifying education and continuing education courses are commonly delivered online. New Jersey appraisers may complete their continuing education hours online within each renewal cycle.

Yes. New Mexico accepts distance education, including internet coursework, for qualifying education if the course provides interaction and has content approval from the Appraisal Qualifications Board (AQB) or an accredited college, along with approved course delivery. Each course must be at least 15 hours with a closed-book end-of-course examination, and applications are submitted through the board's NM-PLUS online portal.

Yes. New York approves appraiser education in both classroom and distance-learning formats, and Executive Law 160-t allows computer-based and distance learning courses. Completing a qualifying course requires 100% attendance and a minimum final exam score of 70%. Course approvals are issued on an annual basis.

Yes. North Carolina allows appraiser qualifying education to be taken in a classroom or online, as long as the course comes from a Board-approved sponsor listed on the Board's website. Asynchronous online courses must also have current delivery-mechanism approval from an AQB-approved organization such as IDECC to count for credit.

Yes. North Dakota requires qualifying education from board-approved providers, and approved courses may be delivered online in live or on-demand formats. The 15-Hour National USPAP Course, part of the required curriculum at every credential level, can be taken virtually from providers using Appraisal Foundation materials or an AQB-approved equivalent.

Yes. Ohio accepts distance education for appraiser qualifying education as long as the course satisfies the approval requirements of the state rules. For the registered appraiser assistant level, courses must run at least 15 hours (except the fair housing and supervisor/trainee courses) and end with a closed-book, proctored final exam. Continuing education may also be completed by distance education, provided the course delivery is approved by the Appraiser Qualifications Board, the state superintendent or board, or a qualifying accredited college.

Yes. The Oklahoma Real Estate Appraiser Board (REAB) approves online and on-demand distance education under its 900-level course numbering, so qualifying education and continuing education can be completed online. You can also file the application itself online through the Board's Open Regulate portal, track its progress, and print your own license.

Yes. Oregon's appraiser education rules in Division 20 of Chapter 161 of the Oregon Administrative Rules include provisions for asynchronous, online, and correspondence courses (OAR 161-020-0140), so distance delivery is a recognized format for appraiser education. Courses must still meet the board's approval criteria, and distance education delivery mechanisms must be approved by an organization approved by the Appraiser Qualifications Board.

Yes. Pennsylvania accepts distance education for appraiser qualifying education in synchronous, asynchronous, or hybrid formats. To earn credit, a distance course must end with a written, closed-book final examination proctored in person or remotely by an approved official; biometric proctoring is acceptable.

Yes. Rhode Island accepts distance education for qualifying appraiser coursework, and every distance-education course offering must include a written, proctored examination to earn credit. The state also accepts Practical Applications of Real Estate Appraisal (PAREA) programs approved by the Appraisal Qualifications Board (AQB) for some or all qualifying experience, depending on the credential sought.

Yes. South Carolina accepts distance education for both qualifying and continuing appraiser courses when the course is AQB-certified for both course design and delivery. Correspondence courses are not approved, and synchronous courses are capped at 8 hours per day.

Yes. South Dakota accepts asynchronous distance education for both qualifying and continuing education. Qualifying-education distance courses must include a written closed-book final exam, proctored in person or remotely (biometric proctoring is acceptable). Before enrolling, verify the course appears on the department's Approved Qualifying Education and Continuing Education Providers list, which is available on the Appraiser Certification Program website.

Yes, in large part. Tennessee regulates distance-education appraisal course delivery by non-academic providers, and continuing education may be completed online. Each qualifying education course ends with a final exam you must pass. The state licensing exam is the in-person step: PSI administers it at test centers in Chattanooga, Jackson, Johnson City, Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville.

Yes. Appraiser qualifying education is widely offered online by education providers, and Practical Applications of Real Estate Appraisal (PAREA) provides a virtual alternative to the supervisor/trainee model for gaining experience hours in states that accept it. The state exam itself is administered in person by Pearson VUE, and Utah requires all appraiser candidates to be fingerprinted.

Yes. Vermont does not restrict appraiser education by delivery method, so both qualifying education and continuing education can be completed through approved online providers. Vermont's 2023 law H.305 also provides that synchronous, live virtual continuing-education courses count as in-person training and are accepted for license renewal.

Yes, in part. Virginia appraiser continuing education can be completed online, and Virginia law (Code of Virginia 54.1-2013.2) requires the Real Estate Appraiser Board to accept a completed Practical Applications of Real Estate Appraisal (PAREA) program, a virtual alternative to traditional in-field experience. AQB-approved PAREA can satisfy up to 100% of the experience hours for Licensed Residential and Certified Residential credentials.

Yes. Washington's Department of Licensing approves appraiser courses for online and distance delivery, and both qualifying education and continuing education may be taken online when the course carries that approval for your licensure level. USPAP courses must also hold Appraiser Qualifications Board instructor approval, and distance courses typically carry International Distance Education Certification Center (IDECC) certification. You can confirm a course's approval in the Department of Licensing's online Course Search.

For West Virginia's appraiser apprentice permit, the board's education worksheet gives no credit for home study or correspondence courses, so the 75 hours of qualifying education must come from board-approved courses. Continuing education is different: the renewal rule accepts distance-education hours toward the 14 hours required each renewal term. A board- or AQB-approved PAREA program can also serve as a virtual alternative to the supervisor-apprentice experience requirement.

Yes. Wisconsin automatically accepts courses approved by the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) as well as courses approved by any other US state or territory, and appraiser continuing education can be completed online. Wisconsin also accepts PAREA (Practical Applications of Real Estate Appraisal), a virtual training program that satisfies all 1,000 experience hours required for the Licensed Appraiser credential. The national and state examinations are administered by Pearson VUE.