How long are completed real estate pre-licensing courses valid?

There is no single national rule; each state commission sets its own validity window, and completed pre-licensing courses do expire. Florida accepts sales associate course completion for two years, North Carolina requires the course within three years of application, and Michigan allows 36 months. At the longer end, Pennsylvania accepts coursework completed within 10 years of passing the exam, and New York keeps unapplied qualifying courses valid for eight years after completion.

California pre-licensing course completion certificates do not expire, so courses completed at any time remain eligible as evidence of education when applying for the salesperson examination. However, applicants have two years from the date the Department of Real Estate receives the application to complete all qualifications and pass the examination. After that two-year period, the application expires and a new application, fee, and supporting documents are required.

Colorado does not set an explicit expiration date for completed pre-licensing coursework, but the practical deadline is tied to the exam and application timeline. Exam results are valid for one year from the date of each portion's passing score, and applicants must submit a broker license application within one year of passing the entire examination. If the application is not received within that one-year window, both portions of the exam must be retaken. The REC-33 certificate of completion from the course provider serves as proof of education, and a degree with a major in real estate from an accredited college or university can substitute for the 168-hour education requirement.

Pre-license education does not expire in Kentucky. The Kentucky Real Estate Commission states there is no time limit between completing the 96-hour pre-license course and taking the licensing exam. The FBI criminal background check, however, is valid for only 90 days from the date of submission.

New Mexico requires that pre-licensing courses be completed within the three years prior to applying to take the broker's examination. Certificates of completion for the pre-licensing series remain valid for 3 years from the date of course completion. If a candidate does not take the exam within that window, the coursework must be repeated.

Completed pre-licensing courses in New York are valid for 8 years from the course completion date if they have not yet been applied toward a license. If the courses are not used within that 8-year window, they expire and must be retaken. Once a course has been applied toward a license, it does not expire and can be used toward a future license upgrade, such as progressing from salesperson to broker.

Ohio pre-licensing courses are valid for 10 years. If you have not held a real estate license within the four years before your application, you must have completed the required 100 hours of coursework within the 10 years preceding your application. That education must come from a postsecondary institution that awards at least a two-year associate degree.

Salesperson pre-licensing courses must be completed within 5 years prior to the date of successful completion of the licensing examination. Broker pre-licensing courses must be completed within 10 years of the passing date of both portions of the examination. One broker credit equals 15 hours of instruction. A bachelor's degree with a major in real estate or a Juris Doctor degree satisfies the education requirement and is not subject to the same completion-window constraints.

TREC does not specify a general expiration period for course completion certificates. The application is valid for one year from the date of filing, and all license requirements, including passing the exam, must be met within that one-year window. TREC rules prohibit awarding credit for the same qualifying course taken more than once within a 2-year period, but this is a duplicate-credit restriction rather than a certificate expiration. For broker applicants specifically, the 30-hour Real Estate Brokerage course must be completed not more than two years before the application date.

Completed pre-licensing courses in Washington are valid for 2 years from the date of course completion. Applicants must apply for and complete the broker exams within that 2-year window, or the education must be repeated.