How many education hours are required to become an appraiser?

Effective January 1, 2026, the national qualifying education minimums are 83 hours for Trainee Appraiser, 158 hours for Licensed Residential, 200 hours for Certified Residential, and 300 hours for Certified General, per the Appraiser Qualifications Board criteria. Trainees must complete the hours within the five years before applying, and many states add courses on top of these minimums, such as a state laws course or a supervisory/trainee course.

As of January 2026, a Trainee needs 83 hours of qualifying education (30 hours Basic Appraisal Principles, 30 hours Basic Appraisal Procedures, the 15-hour National USPAP course, and 8 hours of Valuation Bias and Fair Housing Laws and Regulations), plus a separate supervisory appraiser/trainee course. Upgrading requires 158 hours for Licensed, 200 hours for Certified Residential, and 300 hours for Certified General, which also requires a Bachelor's degree.

Alaska requires 83 classroom hours to register as a trainee, 200 creditable classroom hours for Certified Residential, and 300 hours for Certified General. Trainee qualifying education must be completed within the five years before applying. Alaska does not issue the national Licensed Residential credential, so its certification categories are general, residential, and institutional real estate appraiser.

Arizona uses the national qualifying-education criteria: 150 class hours for Licensed Residential, 200 for Certified Residential, and 300 for Certified General. The Certified Residential and Certified General levels also require college-level education (a bachelor's degree or an approved alternative for Certified Residential, a bachelor's degree or higher for Certified General).

It depends on the credential level. For the Registered Apprentice (trainee) step, Arkansas requires 83 hours of qualifying education (Basic Appraisal Principles 30, Basic Appraisal Procedures 30, Valuation Bias and Fair Housing 8, and the 15-Hour National USPAP course 15) plus a separate 4-hour Supervisor/Trainee course, for 87 hours of total coursework. Upgrades then require 162 total hours for State Licensed, 204 for Certified Residential, and 304 for Certified General.

Per the criteria effective January 1, 2026, California requires 83 hours of qualifying education for Trainee, 158 for Licensed Residential, 200 for Certified Residential, and 300 for Certified General. California adds courses outside those totals: a 4-hour federal and California laws course and a 1-hour Cultural Competency course for every initial applicant, plus a 4-hour Supervisor/Trainee course for Trainees. Trainee applicants must complete all coursework within the 5 years before applying.

Effective January 1, 2026, Colorado qualifying education is 158 hours for Licensed Appraiser, 200 hours for Certified Residential, 300 hours for Certified General, and 118 hours for Licensed Ad Valorem Appraiser, a credential used only by county assessor employees. Every level includes the 8-hour Valuation Bias and Fair Housing Laws and Regulations course, which is mandatory for course completion after January 1, 2026.

Connecticut's provisional qualifying education consists of the national trainee package plus a 3-hour CT Appraisal Law with Supervisory/Provisional Education course, so the state's total exceeds the national minimum. Upgrading to Certified Residential or Certified General requires substantially more qualifying education, with Connecticut's totals again running slightly above the national minimums because of the state course. You and your sponsor must also complete a supervisor/provisional education course of 3 or 4 hours.

Effective January 1, 2026, DC requires 83 hours of qualifying education to become an Appraiser Trainee, 158 hours for Licensed Residential, 200 hours for Certified Residential, and 300 hours for Certified General. The trainee total covers 30 hours of Appraisal Principles, 30 hours of Appraisal Procedures, 15 hours of USPAP, and 8 hours of Valuation Bias and Fair Housing, plus a separate 4-hour supervisory course. Trainee education must be completed within the 5 years before applying.

Florida requires 100 hours of qualifying education for a Registered Trainee Appraiser, 200 hours for a Certified Residential Appraiser, and 300 hours for a Certified General Appraiser. The 100 trainee hours include 30 hours of Basic Appraisal Principles, 30 hours of Basic Appraisal Procedures, the 15-hour National USPAP course, and 25 hours of appraisal subject-matter electives.

Georgia requires 90 hours of Board-approved qualifying education for the State Trainee classification: 30 hours of Basic Appraisal Principles, 30 hours of Basic Appraisal Procedures, 15 hours of USPAP, and 15 hours of Residential Report Writing and Case Studies. State Licensed requires 150 total hours, Certified Residential 200, and Certified General 300. A separate AQB Supervisory/Trainee course is also required for trainees and does not count toward the 90 hours.

As of January 1, 2026, an Idaho trainee needs 83 hours of qualifying education (75 hours before that date). Licensed Residential requires 158 hours, and Certified Residential requires 200 hours. Certified General requires a bachelor's degree plus 225 classroom hours beyond trainee registration, which totals the 300 cumulative hours the Appraisal Qualifications Board (AQB) requires. A classroom hour is 60 minutes with at least 50 minutes of instruction.

Effective January 1, 2026 you must complete 87 hours of qualifying education to become a Trainee Appraiser in Illinois. This includes:

• 30-hour Basic Appraisal Principles
• 30-hour Basic Appraisal Procedures
• 15-hour National Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) or USPAP Equivalency Course
• 8-hour Valuation Bias and Fair Housing Laws and Regulations course
• 4-hour Supervisory Appraiser/Trainee Appraiser Course

The Indiana Appraiser Trainee credential requires 75 hours of qualifying education (Basic Appraisal Principles 30, Basic Appraisal Procedures 30, and a 15-hour USPAP course or equivalent) plus a Supervisor/Trainee course of any length; for credentials earned on or after January 1, 2026, an 8-hour Valuation Bias and Fair Housing course raises qualifying education to 83 hours. Upgrading requires 200 hours for Certified Residential or 300 hours for Certified General.

The hours depend on the credential. The trainee registration requires 83 hours of qualifying education effective January 1, 2026: Basic Appraisal Principles (30), Basic Appraisal Procedures (30), the National USPAP Course (15), and Valuation Bias and Fair Housing (8). Certified Residential requires 200 hours of qualifying education plus college-level education, and Certified General requires 300 hours plus a bachelor's degree.

It depends on the classification: 158 hours for State Licensed, 200 hours for Certified Residential, and 300 hours for Certified General, under the criteria effective January 1, 2026. Each total includes an 8-hour Valuation Bias and Fair Housing course. A trainee must complete the education required for whichever classification they are pursuing, within the five years before applying.

Qualifying education totals depend on the credential: 105 hours for the Associate (trainee), 158 hours for Licensed Residential, 200 hours for Certified Residential, and 300 hours for Certified General. Kentucky sets these totals under its current regulation consistent with the AQB criteria effective January 1, 2026. All qualifying education for the Associate credential must be completed within the 5 years before you apply.

Maryland requires 75 classroom hours for the Appraiser Trainee credential, 150 hours for Licensed, 200 hours for Certified Residential, and 300 hours for Certified General. Trainee education must be completed within the 5 years before applying and consists of 30 hours of appraisal principles, 30 hours of appraisal procedures, and the 15-hour National USPAP course, plus a trainee-oriented course. All coursework must be approved through the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) Course Approval Program and the Commission.

Massachusetts requires 75 hours of qualifying education for a Trainee credential, 150 hours for State Licensed, 200 hours for Certified Residential, and 300 hours for Certified General. All applicants must complete a minimum of 15 hours of USPAP coursework within those hours.

Michigan requires qualifying education for every appraiser credential: 150 hours for State Licensed, 200 hours for Certified Residential, and 300 hours for Certified General. The trainee-level Limited credential requires a shorter course package that includes the 15-hour National USPAP course and a 4-hour Supervisor/Trainee course. Each higher level's qualifying hours also include the 15-hour National USPAP course, and the certified levels include an 8-hour Valuation Bias and Fair Housing course within those totals.

Effective January 1, 2026, Minnesota requires 83 hours of qualifying education for the Trainee level, plus the separate 6-hour Minnesota Supervisor/Trainee Appraiser Course, for a total of 89 hours. Licensed Residential requires 158 hours, Certified Residential requires 200 hours plus college-level education set by the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB), and Certified General requires 300 hours plus a bachelor's degree.

It depends on the credential level. Mississippi requires 87 hours of qualifying education to become an Appraiser Trainee, 158 hours for the Licensed Residential credential, 200 hours for Certified Residential, and 300 hours for Certified General. All qualifying education must be completed within the 5 years before your application date.

For applications on or after January 1, 2026, Missouri requires 87 hours of trainee qualifying education, covering basic appraisal principles, basic appraisal procedures, the National USPAP course, an 8-hour Valuation Bias and Fair Housing course, and a 4-hour Missouri Supervisor/Trainee course. Applications through December 31, 2025 required 79 hours. The Certified Residential and Certified General levels require additional qualifying education beyond the trainee hours.

Under the Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria effective January 1, 2026, which Montana incorporates, the qualifying education minimums are 83 hours for Trainee Appraiser, 158 hours for Licensed, 200 hours for Certified Residential, and 300 hours for Certified General. A separate Supervisor/Trainee course is also required but does not count toward these hour totals.

Under the AQB Qualification Criteria effective January 1, 2026, the Trainee level requires 83 hours of qualifying education, Licensed Residential requires 158 hours, Certified Residential requires 200 hours, and Certified General requires 300 hours. Nebraska applications submitted after December 31, 2025 follow the 158-hour Licensed Residential standard that replaced the prior 150-hour total.

Nevada requires trainees, called registered interns, to complete 30 hours of basic appraisal principles, 30 hours of basic appraisal procedures, the 15-hour National USPAP Course, 3 hours on Nevada appraisal law, and a Nevada Supervisor/Trainee Course. Higher credential levels require more qualifying education. Nationally, the minimums are 158 hours for State Licensed, 200 for Certified Residential, and 300 for Certified General, and Nevada's requirements exceed these.

The hours depend on the credential. New Hampshire requires 75 classroom hours for the Apprentice level under Rab 302.09, and effective January 1, 2026, an 8-hour Valuation Bias and Fair Housing course is added to qualifying education. Under the national AQB criteria effective January 1, 2026, higher credentials require 158 hours for Licensed Residential, 200 hours for Certified Residential, and 300 hours for Certified General.

A New Jersey trainee needs 75 hours of qualifying education within 5 years, plus a separate Trainee/Supervisor course. The higher credentials follow the AQB Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria, which New Jersey incorporates by reference: as amended effective January 1, 2026, the criteria require 158 hours for Licensed Residential, 200 for Certified Residential, and 300 for Certified General.

As of January 1, 2026, New Mexico requires 83 hours of qualifying education to become a trainee appraiser: 30 hours basic appraisal principles, 30 hours basic appraisal procedures, 8 hours valuation bias and fair housing, and the 15-hour national USPAP course. The Licensed Residential credential requires 158 hours, Certified Residential requires 200 hours, and Certified General requires 300 hours. Trainee qualifying education must have been completed within the 5 years before the application.

For applications submitted on or after January 1, 2026, the New York Department of State requires 87 hours of qualifying education to become an Appraiser Trainee. That breaks down to:

• 30-hour Basic Appraisal Principles
• 30-hour Basic Appraisal Procedures
• 15-hour National Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) or Equivalent
• 8-hour Valuation Bias and Fair Housing Laws and Regulations
• 4-hour Supervisory Appraiser/Trainee Appraiser Course

This is up from 79 hours prior to 2026, reflecting a newer AQB-mandated fair housing requirement that now applies nationwide.

A North Carolina trainee needs 83 hours of core qualifying education (Basic Appraisal Principles 30, Basic Appraisal Procedures 30, 15-Hour National USPAP 15, and Valuation Bias and Fair Housing Laws and Regulations 8), plus a separately required 4- or 7-hour Supervisor/Trainee course. Licensed Residential requires 158 hours of qualifying education, and Certified Residential requires further coursework beyond that. Certified General requires still more qualifying education.

Effective January 1, 2026, North Dakota requires 83 hours of qualifying education for the apprentice level, 158 hours for licensed, 200 hours for certified residential, and 300 hours for certified general. The apprentice curriculum consists of 30 hours of basic appraisal principles, 30 hours of basic appraisal procedures, the 15-Hour National USPAP Course, and an 8-hour Valuation Bias and Fair Housing Laws and Regulations course.

For applications received on or after January 1, 2026, the Registered Appraiser Assistant credential requires 83 specified classroom hours: 30 hours of Basic Appraisal Principles, 30 hours of Basic Appraisal Procedures, 15 hours of USPAP, and 8 hours of Valuation Bias and Fair Housing Laws & Regulations, plus a Supervisor/Trainee course whose length is not fixed by rule. Upgrading to Licensed Residential adds another 83 specified hours, and each higher credential adds more. The coursework must have been completed no more than 5 years before the application is submitted.

Under the 2026 criteria Oklahoma adopted from the Appraiser Qualifications Board, qualifying education totals 83 hours for a Trainee Appraiser, 158 hours for State Licensed, 200 hours for Certified Residential, and 300 hours for Certified General. Trainee coursework consists of the 15-hour National USPAP course, Basic Appraisal Principles, Basic Appraisal Procedures, and an 8-hour Valuation Bias and Fair Housing course. All trainee qualifying education must be completed within the 5 years before applying.

The total depends on the credential level. Oregon Appraiser Assistant registration requires 87 hours: the 15-hour National USPAP course, 30 hours of Basic Appraisal Principles, 30 hours of Basic Appraisal Procedures, a 4-hour Supervisor/Trainee course, and an 8-hour Valuation Bias and Fair Housing course. State Licensed adds four residential courses covering market analysis and highest and best use, site valuation and cost approach, sales comparison and income approaches, and report writing. Certified Residential and Certified General each add their own required coursework.

Education hours depend on the credential. The trainee license requires 87 classroom hours. Certified Residential requires 203 classroom hours, and Certified General requires 300 hours. All trainee qualifying education must be completed within the 5-year period before you apply.

As of January 1, 2026, the AQB criteria that Rhode Island incorporates require 83 hours of qualifying education for Trainee, 158 hours for Licensed Residential, 200 hours for Certified Residential, and 300 hours for Certified General. The Trainee total includes basic appraisal principles, basic appraisal procedures, the 15-Hour National USPAP Course, and an 8-hour course on valuation bias and fair housing.

Tennessee requires 87 hours of qualifying education to register as a trainee, four more than the 83-hour national minimum, because the state counts its mandatory 4-hour Trainee and Supervisory Course inside the total. Upgrading requires 158 hours for the Licensed credential, 200 hours for Certified Residential, and 300 hours for Certified General.

As of January 1, 2026, Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board (TALCB) requires 87 hours of qualifying education to become an Appraiser Trainee in Texas: a 30-hour Basic Appraisal Principles course, a 30-hour Basic Appraisal Procedures course, the 15-hour National Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) course or its equivalent, an 8-hour Valuation Bias and Fair Housing Laws and Regulations course, and the 4-hour Appraiser Trainee and Supervisory Appraiser Course (ATSA). This is up from 79 hours prior to 2026, reflecting a new AQB-mandated fair housing requirement that now applies nationwide.

Under the Appraiser Qualifications Board criteria effective January 1, 2026, qualifying education runs 83 hours for Trainee Appraiser, 158 hours for State Licensed, 200 hours for Certified Residential, and 300 hours for Certified General. States may set stricter requirements, but they must not go below these minimums.

Vermont follows the national minimum: 83 hours of qualifying education for the trainee level, completed within the five years before applying. The hours are Basic Appraisal Principles (30), Basic Appraisal Procedures (30), Valuation Bias and Fair Housing (8), and the 15-hour National USPAP Course (15). The Supervisory Appraiser/Trainee Appraiser Course is an extra requirement that does not count toward the 83. The full credentials take more: 200 hours for Certified Residential and 300 for Certified General.

You must complete 87 hours of education to become an Appraiser Trainee in Virginia. This includes:

• 30-hour Basic Appraisal Principles course
• 30-hour Basic Appraisal Procedures course
• 15-hour Residential Market Analysis and Highest and Best Use course
• 8-hour Valuation Bias and Fair Housing Laws and Regulations course
• 4-hour Supervisory Appraiser/Trainee Appraiser course

These courses satisfy the Virginia Real Estate Appraiser Board’s education requirements for Appraiser Trainees.

Washington requires 87 classroom hours to register as a trainee: basic appraisal principles (30), basic appraisal procedures (30), valuation bias and fair housing (8), the National USPAP course (15), and the supervisory/trainee course (4). The state-licensed credential requires 158 hours of qualifying education. Under national criteria, qualifying education rises to 200 hours for certified residential and 300 hours for certified general.

It depends on the credential. West Virginia requires 75 hours of qualifying education for the apprentice permit, 158 hours for licensed residential (150 classroom hours plus 8 hours of Valuation Bias and Fair Housing education), 200 hours for certified residential, and 300 hours for certified general. All qualifying education must be completed within the 5 years before you apply.

Wisconsin requires 150 hours of core curriculum courses for the Licensed Appraiser credential, 200 hours for the Certified Residential credential, and 300 hours for the Certified General credential. The Licensed curriculum includes 15 hours of Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) coursework, and you must finish all qualifying education before applying for licensure by examination.

Wyoming's Board does not post a single total; it lists qualifying education course by course. Certified Residential applicants complete 15-hour courses in residential market analysis, site valuation and cost, report writing, statistics and finance, and advanced applications; a 30-hour sales comparison and income course; 12 hours of electives; and the 15-hour national Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) course. Certified General applicants complete a longer general track. Effective January 1, 2026, an 8-hour Valuation Bias and Fair Housing course is also required.