Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
About Texas Real Estate Education

In order to attain a Real Estate Sales Agent license in the state of Texas, you must complete the educational requirements set forth by the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC), file a license application, and pass the state exam. The current educational requirement is 180 hours which is covered in six 30-hour courses.

Champions offers a convenient, all-inclusive package for $980 which includes everything you need in order to apply for a license and prepare for the state exam. For more information about the licensing process and the packages that we offer, please visit our How do I get a Texas Real Estate License? page.

Once you have completed the 6 required courses, you will need to submit your license application, application fee, and class completion certificates to the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC). You can file your license application directly from the TREC website and certificates can be emailed to documents@trec.texas.gov. Please visit our "Steps to a Texas Real Estate License" page for relevant links and additional information pertaining to this process.

Once you submitted your license application, application fee, and class certificates, it can take up to 15 days to receive an approval letter from the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC). Your approval letter will include a special code that you will use to schedule your licensing exam with Pearson Vue. You cannot schedule your state exam with Pearson Vue until you have received an approval code from TREC. Exams are administered at testing centers located throughout the state of Texas.

Exam Prep is not a required course, but it is highly recommended for improving your chances of passing the state licensing exam on your first attempt! Our Exam Prep course is setup with both National and State sections, each with a set of timed mock exams to give you an accurate simulation of the experience that you will have when taking the real exam. In addition, you can retake the class (including the mock exams) as many times as you need for up to six months after enrollment! If taking the Prep course in the classroom, you can schedule a free retake by calling your local campus to speak with a counselor (Contact Us).

All license applicants are subject to a criminal background check before receiving application approval from the Texas Real Estate Commission. If you have any criminal offenses, unpaid judgements, disciplinary action taken against a professional license, or have performed unlicensed activity in the past, you should consider filing a "Fitness Determination" form with TREC before purchasing courses or applying for a license. TREC will use this form to determine whether your moral character meets their qualifications for honesty, trustworthiness, and integrity.

To learn more about this process and submit a "Fitness Determination" form, please visit TREC's website.

Homework / Quizzes - Quizzes are open-book and not timed. If you are completing the classes online, you will be able to pause your quiz, if needed, and resume later at your convenience. In the event that you do not pass a quiz, you can retake it at no additional charge.

Exams - Real Estate QE/SAE course exams are timed (36-hours) and open-book. A $50 retake fee must be collected if an exam is failed twice. At that point, the course will be reset and the student must retake the course from the beginning and complete a different set of exams in order to pass.

Certificates do not expire; however, state requirements may have changed since you completed your courses. If you have finished a required class, you may still use that certificate for your application if that course is still required by the state. Simply purchase the remaining classes to ensure that you satisfy the current state requirements. If you would like to retake a class before taking the state exam, please speak with a Champions counselor about auditing a class. (Contact Us)

In the event that you do not pass the state or national portion of your exam after three attempts, TREC requires that you repeat a 30-Hour Qualifying Education course before attempting the exam again. If you completed your QE classes with Champions, please contact a career counselor for pricing (Contact Us).

In some (rare) instances, TREC may accept an individual college course if it is a direct equivalent of one of the required Qualifying Education courses. If you think some of your college courses may count, you can submit your license application, application fee, and college transcripts to TREC for review. You will receive a response within 15 days that includes a full breakdown of the courses you must still complete to receive approval from the state. Keep in mind, a license application is valid for one year after submission. If you take longer than one year to complete everything, you will have to resubmit your application and pay a new application fee.

None of the courses offered at Champions are pre-requisites to other courses so they do not have to be completed in any particular order.

Yes. If you have previously completed the course with Champions, you may audit a class for $25 per day (up to a max of $50 per class). To learn more, give us a call to speak with a career counselor about auditing a class (Contact Us).

TREC has set up the following page to communicate the current TREC processing times to license applicants. If you have submitted an application and are wondering about the status, this page is a good place to start - TREC Processing Times.

If you have additional questions, they may be directed to TREC - Contact TREC.

Yes. Our online Qualifying Education (and some Continuing Education) courses include a PDF version of the textbook material. A physical copy of the book is also included in the cost of tuition for all courses. If you would like a hard copy, you can pick one up from your local Champions campus free of charge or we can ship it to you for $15 per book (Additional shipping options are available).

Yes, You can choose any delivery method you want for each individual course.

Yes. Our online Qualifying Education (and some Continuing Education) courses include a PDF version of the textbook material. A physical copy of the book is also included in the cost of tuition for all courses. If you would like a hard copy, you can pick one up from your local Champions campus free of charge or we can ship it to you for $15 per book (Additional shipping options are available).

Yes, You can choose any delivery method you want for each individual course.

Champions will electronically report all Real Estate SAE (30-hour electives) and CE courses on the student's behalf. For this reason, it is imperative that you provide Champions with the correct license number when prompted. Providing the wrong license number may result in a delay of the reporting process or even the expiration of your license if the error is not caught in time. You can verify and modify your license number via the My Profile page in your student account.

Champions will report your credit within 24 business hours of completing the course. Once the credit has been reported, it typically posts to your online TREC profile immediately but can take up to 24 hours to post. If you recently completed a CE or SAE course and it has not posted, take the following steps:

• Log into your ChampionsSchool.com account.
• Visit the "My Profile" page and verify that Champions has the correct license number on file. If there is an error in the license number, please correct it and then contact a campus to speak with a counselor.
• For CE courses, check to see if you successfully signed the "Distance Education Reporting (DER) Form" (Under the "Forms" section). If there is a "Continue" button, then you must take additional steps to complete the course before the credit can be reported.
• For SAE courses, check to make sure you have successfully completed all components and that the course has been marked as "passed." If the course is truly complete, it should be located under the "Completed" tab in your student account.
• If you have completed the previous steps and it has been more than one business day since you completed the course, please contact a campus to speak to a counselor.

The following timely renewal fees apply:

• Sales Agent - $110.00
• Individual Broker - $217.00

To learn more about additional fees, including late renewal fees, please visit TREC's fee schedule page and the article "TREC Eliminates Certain Fees for License Holders"."

As a licensed agent or broker in Texas, you are required to take additional courses to renew your license every two years. There are two types of renewals you must be aware of: Sales Agent Apprentice Education (SAE) and Continuing Education (CE).

If you are a licensed Sales Agent and are renewing your license for the very first time, you must complete 98-hours of SAE by the end of your second year of licensure. This includes 8-hours of Legal Update credit and three (3) 30-hour elective courses. If you have been made a supervisor by your broker for 6 months or more you must also take the 6-hour Broker Responsibility course to renew.

If this is NOT your first renewal, you must complete 18-hours of CE credit every two years. Of these 18-hours, 8-hours must consist of Legal Update credit. If you have been made a supervisor by your broker, you must also take the 6-hour Broker Responsibility course as part of your 18 hours to renew.

Sales Agent Apprentice Education (SAE) is your first renewal as a licensed Real Estate Sales Agent. You are required to complete (3) 30-Hour SAE electives, Legal Update I, and Legal Update II. This amounts to a total of 98 credit hours. You must also complete the 6-hour Broker Responsibility course if your broker has made you a supervisor.

Continuing Education (CE) is required for all active agents for their second renewal, forward. You are required to complete 10 hours of CE electives plus Legal Update I (4-Hours), and Legal Update II (4-Hours). If you have been made a supervisor by your broker, you must also take the 6-hour Broker Responsibility course which can be used as part of the 10 hours of CE electives.

18-Hours of Broker Continuing Education (CE) is required for all active Brokers who sponsor agents. As a Broker, you are required to complete a 6-hour Broker Responsibility course, 4-hours of CE electives, and 8-hours of Legal Update.

No. Please note that SAE classes have a 48 hour wait time on the exams and the appropriate amount of time must pass between enrollment and completion of multiple courses . Champions will report all CE classes to TREC within 24 business hours of completion. Champions is not responsible for any late or penalty fees assessed by TREC.

All licensed agents are required to complete their SAE classes for their first renewal, regardless of active or inactive status. If you are in your CE renewal period, and are in inactive status, you are not required to complete your CE classes until you want to move to active status. However, you are still required to pay your renewal fees on time to maintain inactive status. Failing to pay the renewal fee will result in the expiration of your license.

A licensee must renew their license every two years.

• 1st Renewal - 98-Hours of SAE (Included 8-hours of Legal Update). The 6-hour Broker Responsibility course is also required if an agent has been made a supervisor by the broker.
• 2nd Renewal, forward - 18-Hours of CE (Including: 8-hours of Legal Update and 3-hours of Contracts). The 6-hour Broker Responsibility course is also required if an agent has been made a supervisor by the broker or if they renewing a Broker license.

Yes, Continuing Education hours can be completed at any time during the renewal period. Please note that you cannot repeat a class within a two-year period.

TREC will send a notice of renewal 90 days before your license expires. You may pay your renewal fee upon receipt of this letter. As a license holder you are responsible for remembering your license expiration date and must renew timely even if you do not receive a notice of renewal.

Once enrolled, you will have immediate access to your online textbook (if applicable) and homework quizzes but per TREC requirements, a student must spend the full clock hours of time, for which credit is awarded, enrolled in a class before being allowed to take the exam. For this reason, you may have to wait until additional time has passed (after enrollment) before you can access the exam.

We charge $15 per book for standard shipping (3-5 Days) or $25 per book for FedEX Overnight.

All of our Real Estate QE most of our CE classes have a downloadable PDF version of the book available. Courses that feature downloadable textbooks will be grouped together in sections labeled "Online Textbook Available" and other courses will be grouped together in sections labeled "Shipping / Pickup Required."

Any license that is not renewed at the end of the license period will be considered late and may be moved to expired status. The license may subsequently be renewed up to 6 months after the expiration date by completing the requirements and paying the the fees specified by the Texas Real Estate Commission. After 6 months and up to two years after the expiration date, you may apply for reinstatement of your license. After two years have passed, you will be required to re-apply for a license and pass the state exam again.

There are three main requirements that applicants must satisfy to become a Texas Real Estate Broker:

• 720 Experience Points in 4 of the last 5 years (View Qualifying Experience Report Form)
• 900 Total Education Hours (Meet current license requirements and Real Estate Brokerage within the last 2 years)
• Be an active Sales Agent for the last 4 years.

To learn more about the process, please visit our Steps to a Texas Broker License page.

The application fee for an Individual Broker license is $305.00.

All classes taken for credit will count toward the 900-hour credit requirement for a Broker license. If you have a Bachelor degree or higher, TREC will award you 300 credit hours towards that requirement. You can start planning today by requesting a "Broker Plan of Attack."

Real Estate Broker is the only designation that the general public, your customer, recognizes.

Yes, if you are a sponsoring broker or served as the designated broker for a business entity broker that sponsors sales agents, or have been made a supervisor of other license holders, you must complete a 6-Hour Broker Responsibility course as part of your regular 18-hour renewal every two years.

Yes. Champions reports all CE and 30-hour Broker electives to TREC within one business day of completion. Once the credits have posted to your license, you will need to pay your renewal fee with TREC.