California Real Estate Broker Requirements:

Real Estate Broker License

General Requirements

·  Age: You must be 18 years of age or older to be issued a license.

·  Residence: Proof of Legal Presence in the United States is required. If you are not a California resident, see Out-of-State Applicants.

·  Experience: A minimum of two years full-time licensed salesperson experience within the last five years or the equivalent is required. For further information, see Documenting Experience Requirements for the Broker Examination.

Course Requirements

Applicants for a real estate broker license examination must have successfully completed the following eight statutorily required college-level courses:

·  Real Estate Practice; and

·  Legal Aspects of Real Estate; and

·  Real Estate Finance; and

·  Real Estate Appraisal; and

·  Real Estate Economics or Accounting; and

·  Three* courses from the following list

o  Real Estate Principles

o  Business Law

o  Property Management

o  Escrow

o  Real Estate Office Administration

o  Mortgage Loan Brokering and Lending

o  Advanced Legal Aspects of Real Estate

o  Advanced Real Estate Finance

o  Advanced Real Estate Appraisal

o  Computer Applications in Real Estate

o  Common Interest Developments
*If both Real Estate Economics and Accounting are taken, only two courses from the above group are required.

Education in Lieu of Experience
Four-year Degree

1.  An applicant with a four-year degree from an accredited college may be exempt from the two-year salesperson experience requirement. This may be verified by submitting either a copy of the diploma or transcript showing the degree earned. Regardless of the degree, the applicant must show evidence (transcripts) of having completed the eight required college-level courses at the time of filing the application. The eight required courses, which is considered the equivalent of a minor in Real Estate, may be part of the degree requirements or they may be completed separately from the degree course work.
Courses completed or degrees earned through foreign institutions of higher learning must be evaluated by a foreign credentials evaluation service approved by DRE. See Examination Applicant Foreign Education Information (RE 223) available on the DRE Web site for further information.


The eight college-level courses required for a broker's license must be completed and cannot be waived based on the equivalent experience.

DRE Evaluation of Experience

If you wish an evaluation of your previous college courses, degree or experience you must submit a completed application and fee.