Illinois real estate classes: 75-hour broker pre-licensing curriculum

Illinois requires 75 hours of IDFPR-approved pre-licensing education to qualify for the broker licensing exam, making real estate classes the first mandatory step for anyone entering the profession. The curriculum divides into a 60-hour Real Estate Topics course and a 15-hour Applied Real Estate Principles course, covering license law, agency relationships, contracts, financing, federal and state regulations, and an interactive practicum. All coursework must be completed through an education provider licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR).

Overview of the Illinois broker pre-licensing curriculum

The Illinois broker pre-licensing curriculum is set by IDFPR and organized into two courses across three parts, effective January 1, 2020. Section 5-27(a)(5) of the Illinois Real Estate License Act of 2000^[1] requires that part of the curriculum be delivered through interactive case studies and situational exercises rather than self-study alone.

Illinois does not issue a "salesperson" or "agent" license. The entry-level real estate license is the broker license, and the pre-licensing curriculum is the educational prerequisite for it. Attorneys admitted to the Illinois Supreme Court in active standing are exempt from the pre-licensing education requirement under Section 5-27(b)^[1].

Part 1: introduction to real estate (30 hours)

Part 1 covers foundational concepts of real estate practice, beginning with Illinois license law and progressing through property rights, federal regulations, and agency relationships. The IDFPR curriculum^[2] allocates the most hours to seller relationships (9 hours), followed by buyer relationships (7 hours) and the structure of agency (6 hours).

Fair housing and federal law coverage

The Federal Laws section dedicates 3 hours to Fair Housing and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), antitrust law, and required disclosures. No specific implicit bias training is mandated in the pre-license curriculum, according to the IDFPR curriculum document^[2]. Fair housing principles also appear in Part 3, where the practicum includes case studies on fair housing violations.

Part 2: transactions and Illinois law (30 hours)

Part 2 covers the transactional mechanics of real estate practice, from financing and contracts to title transfer and property management. Contracts receives the largest single topic allocation in the entire curriculum at 8 hours.

The Leasing and Property Management section covers lease agreements and property management basics. Illinois does not issue a separate property manager license. The broker license covers leasing activity, though a separate residential leasing agent license exists for those who handle only residential leasing.

Part 3: Applied Real Estate Principles (15 hours)

Part 3 is an interactive practicum that requires students to apply concepts from Parts 1 and 2 through role play and case studies. This course must be delivered in a classroom, through a live interactive webinar, or by online distance education, per the IDFPR curriculum^[2]. Correspondence and home study formats are not permitted for Part 3.

The practicum covers these scenarios:

• Listing presentations
• Buyer representation
• Agency disclosures
• Purchase agreements
• Offer negotiation
• Multiple offers
• Market analysis
• Seller net sheets
• Fair housing violations
• Escrow handling
• Distressed property issues

Approved delivery formats for pre-licensing courses

The two pre-licensing courses have different format restrictions. The topics course has no delivery limitations, while the practicum cannot be completed through correspondence or home study.

The Illinois Administrative Code tit. 68, §1450.100^[3] (amended effective July 7, 2025) defines four approved delivery formats:

A credit hour is defined as a minimum of 50 minutes of instruction through an IDFPR-approved course, excluding any time spent taking a proctored final examination.

Course completion requirements and final exams

Final exam requirements depend on the delivery format. Students who complete courses in a classroom, through a live interactive webinar, or by online distance education do not need to take a separate examination to receive credit, according to the IDFPR curriculum document^[2]. Students who complete courses through correspondence or home study must pass an in-person, proctored final examination.

Under Illinois Administrative Code tit. 68, §1450.1105^[4], each correspondence or home study pre-license course requires a proctored final exam with at least 25 questions per 15 credit hours and a minimum passing score of 75%.

Course certificate validity

Pre-license education remains valid for 2 years from the date of satisfactory completion, per Section 5-35(a) of the Real Estate License Act^[1]. The PSI Candidate Bulletin^[5] confirms that candidates have 4 exam attempts within this 2-year eligibility period. After a fourth consecutive failure, the full 75-hour pre-license course must be retaken before testing again.

Finding an IDFPR-approved pre-licensing education provider

Pre-licensing courses must be taken through a provider licensed by IDFPR. The IDFPR Real Estate Professionals page^[6] hosts the current approved provider and course lists. Each approved course carries a separate license, with a fee of $150 per course under Illinois Administrative Code tit. 68, §1450.130^[7].

IDFPR also publishes a list of schools approved for its Pre-License Instructor Training Program, including Illinois REALTORS® (doing business as Illinois School of Real Estate) and the Chicago Association of REALTORS® REALTORS® Real Estate School, per the IDFPR approved schools page^[8]. This list covers instructor training approval and is not the full roster of approved pre-license providers.

Effective December 16, 2025, all courses offered by ABR Real Estate Corporation (doing business as Real Estate School of Illinois) no longer satisfy Illinois real estate education requirements, as noted on the IDFPR Real Estate Professionals page^[6]. Verify that your chosen provider appears on the current IDFPR approved list before enrolling.

Beginning June 12, 2024, education providers stopped reporting course completions to PSI. Candidates must provide their school name and course completion dates directly to PSI when registering for the exam.

Practice tests and study resources

Completing the pre-licensing coursework gives you the subject-matter foundation for the broker exam. Additional study resources are available to reinforce what the course covers.

After passing the broker exam, submit your license application to IDFPR. A passing exam score is valid for 1 year for license application purposes, per Section 5-35(b) of the Real Estate License Act^[1].