STARTING A REAL ESTATE SCHOOL IN CALIFORNIA
How to start a real estate school in California.
Thinking about offering California real estate prelicensing education from your brokerage, association, or organization? Before you build a school from scratch, understand what the process involves—and whether a Training Location can accomplish your goal with far less infrastructure.
Curriculum.
Instructors.
LMS.
Student systems.
THE QUICK ANSWER
What does it take to start a California real estate school?
For a private vocational school that wants its courses to satisfy California real estate prelicense education requirements, the California Department of Real Estate reviews and approves statutory/pre-license course submissions. Building the school also means creating the instructional, technology and student-administration systems needed to operate the program.
Start with the regulatory distinction.
DRE approval is centered on the qualifying courses you offer. DRE's current pre-license application packet identifies the materials used to submit a statutory/pre-license course for approval. Depending on the institution, a separate question may also exist about whether the school is subject to, or exempt from, oversight by California's Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE).
This page provides a practical overview, not legal advice. Operators should verify their individual obligations with DRE, BPPE and qualified professional advisors.
WHAT YOU HAVE TO BUILD
A school is more than a course and a classroom.
A serious launch plan should account for both California education requirements and the operational systems students will depend on.
DRE Course Submissions
Prepare and submit qualifying statutory/pre-license courses for DRE review using the current application packet and required supporting materials.
Curriculum & Course Materials
Build complete instructional content that aligns with the statutory subject, required hours, examinations and applicable California content requirements.
Instruction & Delivery
Establish how instruction will be delivered and, where applicable, document instructor qualifications and program delivery procedures.
LMS & Student Systems
Create the technology for enrollment, course access, progress, communications, testing, records and completion documentation.
Administration & Records
Develop reliable processes for student support, records, completion certificates, policies and ongoing education administration.
Institutional Compliance
Determine whether BPPE approval, registration or an exemption may apply in addition to DRE course requirements.
CURRENT CALIFORNIA DRE BASICS
Know the process before you invest.
DRE currently states that pre-license/statutory course submissions require approximately 60 days for review. Its current fee schedule lists a $500 application fee for each statutory/pre-license course. Approved statutory/pre-license courses are a minimum of 45 hours each.
Get the complete startup checklist.
The California Real Estate School Startup Guide will organize the forms, fees, infrastructure questions, operating-model decisions and startup checklist in one place.
BEFORE YOU BUILD THE SCHOOL
But do you actually need to start your own real estate school?
If your real goal is to attract prospective agents, offer prelicensing access from your office, support future licensees, strengthen recruiting, or create a local education presence, you may not need to build an education company from the ground up.
That is exactly what the Agent Real Estate Schools Training Location model is designed to solve.
CHOOSE YOUR OPERATING MODEL
Two paths. Two very different businesses.
The right decision depends on whether you want access to an education platform—or whether you want to become the education provider yourself.
Host prelicensing without building the school.
You provide the professional local environment. Agent Real Estate Schools provides the education infrastructure.
ARES education and curriculum infrastructure
Applicable instructors and live instruction
Existing DRE-approved course infrastructure
LMS and course-delivery systems
Student education systems and support
Program structure and exam-prep resources
Build and operate your own education company.
If you want your organization to own the education brand, curriculum, school operations and course-provider infrastructure, our sister company Launchpad Learning Press can assist with the development process.
Curriculum and educational-content development
Course-material and textbook development
LMS and learning-infrastructure planning
School operating structure
DRE application-preparation support
Launch planning and implementation support
DRE and BPPE make their own approval or exemption determinations. Assistance does not guarantee regulatory approval.
COMPARE THE TWO PATHS
Do you want the recruiting benefit—or the education business?
| Decision Area | ARES Training Location | Build Your Own School |
|---|---|---|
| Primary goal | Local access, recruiting and connection | Own and operate an education business |
| Education provider | Agent Real Estate Schools | Your organization |
| Curriculum | ARES education infrastructure | You develop, acquire or license it |
| DRE course submissions | You do not independently file ARES course applications for the courses ARES provides | Your course-provider responsibility |
| LMS / course platform | ARES infrastructure | You build or license your own |
| Instructors / instruction | ARES provides applicable instruction | You staff and manage applicable instruction |
| Student education administration | ARES education systems | Your operation |
| Local environment | Your organization | Your organization |
| Startup complexity | Streamlined partner model | Full school-development project |
| Best fit | Brokerages, associations, teams and strategic locations | Organizations that want to own the school itself |
WHY BECOME A TRAINING LOCATION?
Get the benefit of education without rebuilding the infrastructure.
For organizations focused on recruiting and community access, the Training Location model turns prelicensing education into part of the recruiting ecosystem while ARES remains the education provider.
Build a Recruiting Pipeline
Create relationships with future real estate professionals while they are still preparing for licensure.
Support Future Agents Early
Give prospective licensees a professional local environment and a connection to the real estate community.
Avoid Rebuilding the School Stack
Do not independently stand up instructors, course-provider processing, an LMS, curriculum and student-education systems for the ARES program.
Showcase Your Organization
Let future professionals experience your people, leadership and culture naturally.
CALIFORNIA REAL ESTATE SCHOOL FAQ
Questions people ask before starting a real estate school.
These answers are designed to help owners, brokers, associations and education entrepreneurs understand the decision before investing in infrastructure.
If you want private-school courses to satisfy California real estate prelicense education requirements, start by reviewing DRE's Course Provider Resources and the current Pre-License Course Application Packet. You will also need the curriculum, delivery systems, student administration, testing and records needed to operate the program. Separately, determine whether BPPE oversight or an exemption applies to your institution.
DRE's course-provider process focuses on approval of statutory/pre-license courses offered by private vocational schools. The current pre-license packet is used to submit courses for DRE review. Institutional obligations outside DRE's course process may involve other agencies, including BPPE.
DRE's current fee schedule lists the Statutory / Pre-License Course fee at $500 per course. Fees can change, so verify the current RE 206E fee schedule before filing.
DRE currently states that Pre-License/Statutory course submissions require approximately 60 days for review. That is the agency's stated review period and should not be treated as a guaranteed launch date.
DRE's approved statutory-course database states that each approved statutory/pre-license course is a minimum of 45 hours in length.
DRE requires successful completion of Real Estate Principles, Real Estate Practice, and one approved elective to qualify for the salesperson examination. The Real Estate Practice course used for exam qualification must include current fair-housing and implicit-bias components required by DRE.
Possibly. BPPE oversees many private postsecondary educational institutions operating in California, while the law also provides exemptions for certain institutions. The correct answer depends on your institution and operating model. Verify your status directly with BPPE or qualified counsel rather than assuming an exemption applies.
That is the purpose of the Agent Real Estate Schools Training Location model. A qualified brokerage, association or approved organization can provide the local professional environment while Agent Real Estate Schools remains the education provider for the applicable ARES program.
ARES provides the education infrastructure for its program, including curriculum/course infrastructure, applicable instruction, LMS/course delivery, student education systems, program structure and applicable exam-preparation support. The partner provides the local professional environment and student access appropriate to the program.
If your goal is to own the education business itself, Launchpad Learning Press can assist with curriculum and educational-content development, LMS and school-infrastructure planning, course materials, DRE application-preparation support and launch planning. Regulatory agencies make all approval or exemption determinations.
A school is the education provider and is responsible for its own education operation and applicable approvals. An ARES Training Location is a partner location that supports local access while Agent Real Estate Schools remains the education provider for the applicable ARES program.
Yes, associations and other qualified real estate organizations can be evaluated for participation, subject to program fit, facility needs, market demand and ARES onboarding requirements.
OFFICIAL CALIFORNIA SOURCES
Verify regulatory requirements at the source.
<California Department of Real Estate — Course Provider Resources
DRE Pre-License & CE Course Provider Resources
California DRE — Education & Research Sponsor Forms
Pre-License Course Application Packet and Forms
California DRE — Education Fees
Current DRE Fee Schedule
California DRE — Salesperson Requirements
Required Salesperson Education
California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education
BPPE School Resources
Last reviewed: August 14, 2026. Regulations, forms and fees can change. This page is educational information and is not legal advice.
FREE CALIFORNIA STARTUP GUIDE
Before you spend money building a real estate school, understand both paths.
Download the California Real Estate School Startup Guide for a deeper look at DRE forms, fees, course-development considerations, education infrastructure, startup decisions and the difference between building a school and becoming an ARES Training Location.
The guide should route each lead based on what they are actually considering: hosting prelicensing, owning a school, or still deciding.
You may not need to build a real estate school to accomplish your goal.
Understand the California requirements, compare both operating models, and choose the path that fits what your organization is actually trying to build.