Mississippi real estate school and pre-licensing course requirements

Mississippi requires a minimum of 60 hours of approved pre-licensing education from an MREC-approved real estate school before you can sit for the salesperson licensing exam. State law specifies 14 subject areas the course must cover, caps daily coursework at 8 hours, and accepts online, classroom, and livestream delivery formats. Thirteen MREC-approved providers offer the required coursework.

Mississippi pre-licensing course requirements

The state requires a minimum of 60 hours of approved pre-licensing education before a salesperson application can be submitted to MREC. Under Mississippi License Law §73-35-7^[1], applicants must be 18 or older and bona fide residents of Mississippi to qualify.

The pre-licensing course must meet ARELLO standards^[1] for content, form, examination, facilities, and instructors, per §73-35-14.3(2). If ARELLO operates a certification program, the course must be certified before MREC grants approval. Colleges and universities accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) or a comparable accrediting authority are automatically approved as education providers under §73-35-14(3).

State law limits how quickly the coursework can be completed. Under §73-35-14.3(4), no more than 8 pre-license hours may be earned in a single day, making 8 calendar days the minimum possible completion time.

For students taking real estate classes at a college or university, Mississippi converts academic credits to clock hours: one semester-hour equals 15 classroom hours, and one quarter-hour equals 10 classroom hours, per §73-35-14.3(5).

Broker applicants must meet additional education requirements beyond the salesperson coursework.

Required course topics and exam content alignment

Mississippi License Law §73-35-14.3(1) mandates 14 subject areas that every pre-licensing course must cover. These topics prepare students for the two-part licensing exam administered by PSI, which consists of a national portion with 80 questions and a state portion with 40 questions.

The 14 required course subjects are:

1. License law and rules
2. Listing property
3. Property valuation and appraisal
4. Real estate arithmetic
5. Characteristics of real property
6. Agency and nonagency relationships
7. Real estate sale contracts
8. Leasing and property management
9. Transfer of title and deeds
10. Settlement procedures
11. Financing
12. Professional responsibilities and ethics
13. Fair housing
14. Federal laws affecting real estate

The PSI Candidate Information Bulletin^[2] breaks down the national exam portion into weighted content areas. Contracts carries the highest weight at 19%, followed by agency at 13% and practice of real estate at 12%.

The state exam portion tests Mississippi-specific knowledge across nine topic areas: powers and duties of MREC, licensing requirements and maintenance, property condition disclosures, agency disclosure and duties, out-of-state brokers and developers, trust accounts, broker responsibilities and supervision, records and documents, and advertising, marketing, and internet.

Fair housing is a mandated course topic under §73-35-14.3(1)(m). The Fair Housing Act^[3] prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability in the sale, rental, and financing of housing.

Course delivery formats: online, classroom, and livestream

Mississippi authorizes pre-licensing education through online self-paced courses, traditional classroom instruction, and livestream classes. Under §73-35-14.4, MREC can authorize distance learning formats such as correspondence, video/DVD, and internet-based courses, as long as they satisfy ARELLO standards.

Online self-paced courses let students complete coursework on their own schedule. Classroom courses follow set schedules, typically offered as daytime or evening sessions over several weeks. Livestream options deliver live instruction online, often mirroring the in-person class schedule. Some providers offer combined access that lets students mix classroom, livestream, and self-paced online formats in a single enrollment.

MREC-approved real estate schools in Mississippi

The PSI Candidate Information Bulletin^[2] lists 13 MREC-approved pre-license education providers:

1. American Institute of Real Estate
2. Bob Brooks School of Real Estate
3. Cengage Learning / CareerWeb School
4. Cooke Real Estate School
5. Donaldson Real Estate School
6. Executive Training Centers / ProEducate
7. Gary Smith School of Real Estate
8. J. Daniel Schroeder
9. Maselle Career College
10. Mississippi REALTORS® Institute
11. McKissock LP
12. Real Estate Training Institute
13. Real Estate University

To maintain approval, providers must meet regulatory standards. Schools pay a biennial accreditation fee of $2,500 under §73-35-14.1(1)(a). Each school must maintain an annual average pass rate of at least 65% on each licensing exam; if a school falls below this threshold, it receives a 3-month cure period to improve, per §73-35-14.1(1)(b). Approved providers cannot guarantee exam passage or employment, per MREC Rule 6.5.C.3^[4].

Instructors must hold a Mississippi broker or salesperson license for the past 5 years, or be a CPA, hold a JD or LLB degree, or have significant expertise approved by the commission, per §73-35-14.2. The Mississippi REALTORS® Institute^[5] offers pre-license courses online and in person at its facility in Flowood, Mississippi, with online tuition at $225 and a 6-month completion window. Real Estate University also provides approved online pre-licensing education.

Course tuition varies by provider and format.

School exit exam and certificate of completion

Pre-licensing courses include a final examination as part of the ARELLO standards for course approval under §73-35-14.3(2). Students must pass this school exit exam to receive a certificate of completion, which confirms that the applicant has finished the required coursework and passed the course final.

After receiving the certificate, applicants submit it to MREC along with the $100 salesperson application fee. Once MREC approves the application, the applicant has two months to take and pass both portions of the PSI licensing exam, per MREC Rule 1.1.E^[4].

What comes after your pre-licensing course

After completing the pre-licensing course and receiving the certificate of completion, submit it to MREC with the required application fee. MREC reviews the application and, upon approval, grants eligibility to sit for the PSI exam. After passing both exam portions and affiliating with a sponsoring broker, you receive a temporary license and must complete a 30-hour post-license course within 12 months of issuance.