Licensing guide · Tennessee
Ninety hours of education, one two-part examination, a background review, and a sponsoring broker. That is the whole path. Below is the order it actually happens in, what each step costs, and where students most often lose time.
90 hours
Required pre-license education
2–4 months
Typical time from first class to active license
$555
Tuition for both required courses
The sequence matters. The 60-hour course has to come before the examination, and the license is not issued until the 30-hour course is finished.
You must be at least 18 years old and hold a high school diploma or its equivalent. There is no college requirement and no Tennessee residency requirement.
This is the principles course, and it must be finished before you sit for the examination. It covers agency, contracts, finance, valuation, disclosure, fair housing, and real estate math.
The exam has a national portion and a Tennessee state portion, and you must pass both. Practice against a question bank written to the same content outline rather than reading the textbook a third time.
Required for the license to be issued. It covers what actually happens once your license is active: how a transaction moves, what records you keep, and what is expected of you from day one.
Filed with the Commission's approved vendor. Start this early — it is the step most likely to add weeks to your timeline.
Your license cannot be active on its own. Interview brokerages while you are still in class, and ask about training, splits, desk fees, and Errors and Omissions coverage.
Submit your course completion certificates, examination results, proof of E&O coverage, and your sponsoring broker's information to the Tennessee Real Estate Commission with the required fees.
| Item | Paid to | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 60-Hour Real Estate Fundamentals | The school | $375 |
| 30-Hour New Affiliate Broker | The school | $180 |
| Licensing examination | The state's testing vendor | State fee |
| Fingerprinting & background check | Commission's vendor | State fee |
| License application | Tennessee Real Estate Commission | State fee |
| Errors & Omissions insurance | Your carrier or brokerage | Varies |
Only the tuition figures are set by the school. State and vendor fees change from time to time — confirm current amounts with the Tennessee Real Estate Commission before you budget.
Tennessee requires 90 hours of pre-license education before your affiliate broker license is issued: a 60-hour Real Estate Fundamentals course taken before the licensing examination, and a 30-hour New Affiliate Broker course. Both must be completed through a school approved by the Tennessee Real Estate Commission.
Most students finish in two to four months. The 90 hours of coursework is the fixed part; the variable parts are how quickly you schedule and pass the examination, how long fingerprinting and the background review take, and how long you spend finding a sponsoring principal broker.
Through our school, the 60-hour course is $375 and the 30-hour New Affiliate Broker course is $180. On top of tuition you will pay the examination fee, fingerprinting and background check fees, and the Commission's application and license fees — those go to the state and its vendors, not to the school.
No. Tennessee requires that you be at least 18, hold a high school diploma or equivalent, and complete the required pre-license education. A college degree is not part of the requirement.
Yes. We teach live from our Bean Station classroom and also offer self-paced online delivery for students anywhere in Tennessee who cannot make a scheduled seat.
Yes. A Tennessee affiliate broker license must be held by a sponsoring principal broker, and you must carry Errors and Omissions coverage continuously to remain active.
Your license renews every two years, and each cycle requires 16 hours of continuing education including the TREC mandatory core course. After three years of active licensure and 120 total hours of education you become eligible to upgrade to a broker license.
Enroll in the 60-hour course, or test yourself first with 20 free practice questions.