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Your real estate career in Colorado is an exciting adventure waiting to unfold. We’re here to guide you in finding the best Colorado real estate school for your needs. Our thorough review of Colorado’s real estate schools will help you determine which course package fits your schedule, timeline, budget and learning style. To get licensed, you’ll need to complete 168 hours of prelicensing coursework at an accredited and approved Colorado real estate school. Choose a school to help you ace the state exam and gain the skills and knowledge to launch your new career with confidence.
Best real estate schools in Colorado: At-a-glance |
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Best for all stages of your careerThe CE ShopFrom $495 |
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Best for online learnersColibri Real Estate SchoolFrom $399 |
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Best for quality exam prep materialsKaplan Real Estate EducationFrom $599 |
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Best for mobile usersVan Education CenterFrom $425 |
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Best for a pass guaranteeColorado Real Estate SchoolFrom $399 |
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Best for live instructionArmbrust Real Estate InstituteFrom $799 |
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Best real estate schools in Colorado: At-a-glance |
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Best for all stages of your careerThe CE ShopFrom $495 |
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Best for online learnersColibri Real Estate SchoolFrom $399 |
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Best for quality exam prep materialsKaplan Real Estate EducationFrom $599 |
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Best for mobile usersVan Education CenterFrom $425 |
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Best for a pass guaranteeColorado Real Estate SchoolFrom $399 |
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Best for live instructionArmbrust Real Estate InstituteFrom $799 |
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*2023 pass rates as per the Colorado DRE.
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The CE Shop
Best Best real estate school in Colorado for all stages of your career
Overall Rating: 4.8 out of 5
Overview
The CE Shop is the only school on our list that offers courses from prelicensing to managing broker licensing and everything in between. Their greatest strength is the design of all their course offerings at a great price. Feature for feature, you’re getting more tools, guides, e-books, and resources included in the lowest packaged price than any other school. Its package structures don’t gatekeep the best features for the highest-priced tier, instead they offer intuitive add-ons like bundling your continuing education package for when you’ve started working. What The CE Shop offers in value, it doesn’t take away in quality, either. A state-of-the-art online platform, expertly-written content, engaging lessons, and interactive study tools are all part of the deal with The CE Shop.
Prelicensing Courses
Compare course packages at The CE Shop – Use promo code HW30 to save 30%
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Pricing
Education Type Starting Price Bundle Includes Prelicensing $495 - Required 168 hours of classes, flashcards, real estate glossary of terms, study schedule, career resources & ebooks
Continuing Ed $35 - All your required CE course hours to renew your license
- Online learning platform + videos
Exam Prep $79 - Lesson breakdowns, simulated exams, readiness assessment, 24/7 access to support
Broker Licensing $115 - 45-hour course that covers all state requirements
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Pros + Cons
Pros:
Cons:
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Features
Course Formats: Self-paced online courses.
Course Access: Six months from the date of enrollment.
Refund Policy: Get a full refund within the first 30 days if you haven’t completed more than 50% of the coursework.
Pass or Don’t Pay: You’ll get the cost of the state license exam reimbursed if you don’t pass the first time.
Exam Prep: Exam prep course for focused review of key material, personalized study recommendations based on readiness assessments, unlimited mock exams, and video webinars led by instructors.
Student Support: Support is available from customer service agents 7 days a week during daytime hours by email, phone, or live chat.
Final Exam: The CE Shop offers online final exam proctoring nationally (but an exam proctor is not required to complete your prelicensing final exam by the state of Colorado.)
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Colibri Real Estate
Best real estate school in Colorado for online learners
Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Overview
Colibri Real Estate’s most impressive offering is their sleek and easy-to-use online learning platform. It is organized in an intuitive, clear way that makes finding what you’re looking for as simple as can be. Plus, they offer a ton of learning tools online such as a progress tracker and goal setting for your studies. Their videos are up-to-date, engaging, and will have you feeling motivated to dive into learning. Colibri Real Estate will definitely be appreciated by those who prefer a modern, visually-appealing online platform. And you’ll often find yourself in luck, because Colibri Real Estate regularly offers sale pricing on their packages.
Prelicensing Courses
Compare course packages at Colibri
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Pricing
Course Offerings Starting at Course Features Prelicensing $1,599 - 168-hour prelicensing course, instructor support, study guides & coaching videos
- Upgrades include flashcards, mock exams, review guides, readiness assessment, live instructor Q&A & exam prep sessions
Continuing Education $39 - All your required CE course hours to renew your license
- Additional elective courses, access to an on-demand webinar library, job aids, scripts, and checklists
Exam Prep $115 - Simulated exams, flashcards, audio guides
- Upgrades include live exam prep webinars, plus Q&A sessions
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Pros + Cons
Pros:
Cons:
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Features
Course Formats: Self-paced online courses.
Course Access: Six months from the date of enrollment.
Refund Policy: Get a full refund if you cancel a self-paced course within 30 days.
Pass or Don’t Pay: Eligible on packages which include exam prep, Colibri will refund you the cost of your course if you score 80% or higher on the simulated exams and don’t pass the state license exam the first time.
Exam Prep: Includes digital flashcards, mock exams, a readiness assessment, audio review guides, live Q&A sessions & six 1-hour live webinars with instructors for targeted exam prep.
Student Support: Instructors are available by phone on business days or by email.
Final Exam: Colibri offers online final exam proctoring nationally (but an exam proctor is not required to complete your prelicensing final exam by the state of Colorado.)
Kaplan Real Estate Education
Best real estate school in Colorado for online learners
Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Overview
Kaplan is a giant in real estate education, they have been creating top-notch prelicensing, continuing education and exam prep materials for decades. Their approach to students is to acknowledge that everyone learns differently, and they’re the only national real estate school with three learning options. They know that self-paced online classes are most popular among adult learners, so they offer the best of both worlds: self-paced courses and live exam prep with expert instructors. They offer personal touches in a digital learning environment, providing live study sessions, webinars and Q&A sessions when you need it most. With Kaplan, you’ll feel prepared to take your license exam with their comprehensive exam prep approach.
Prelicensing Courses
Compare course packages at Kaplan
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Pricing
Course Offerings Starting at Course Features Prelicensing $1,599 - 168-hour prelicensing course, access to basic exam prep materials
- Choose between OnDemand, Online Live Classes & Home Study formats
- Upgrades include question banks, interactive online study groups, live career coaching sessions
Continuing Education $39 - All your required CE course hours to renew your license
- OnDemand & Home Study formats
- Additional elective courses available
Exam Prep $99 - Audio study guide or real estate math course
- Mock exams, live study sessions, exam prep videos, flashcards
Professional Development $299 - Business building courses
- Online video training and live online coaching sessions
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Pros + Cons
Pros:
Cons:
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Features
Course Formats: Self-paced online courses, instructor-led livestream classes, or home study text-based courses.
Course Access: Six months from the date of enrollment.
Refund Policy: Get a full refund if you cancel any format course within the first 30 days.
Pass or Don’t Pay: Not Available.
Exam Prep: Exam prep course for focused review of key material, practice question bank, customizable quizzes, performance tracker, mock exams, interactive online study group.
Student Support: National and state-specific subject matter experts are available via email and will reply to your question within a business day.
Final Exam: Kaplan offers online final exam proctoring nationally (but an exam proctor is not required to complete your prelicensing final exam by the state of Colorado.)
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VanEd
Best real estate school in Colorado for online learners
Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Overview
Where VanEd shines is in its transparency with potential students. They want you to know exactly what you’re getting out of their courses, and they aren’t afraid to share it upfront. VanEd is the only real estate school that offers a 5-day free trial with full course access, so you don’t just try out the home page of an online platform. VanEd has been creating real estate courses for 17 years with expert instructors and real estate professionals. They approach their courses with variety, so you can stay engaged in your learning with videos, infographics, text, interactive flashcards and tests, and real-world exercises. They even offer virtual field trips to connect your learning to your real-world career. VanEd also keeps up with the tech needs of mobile users, ensuring their graphics and videos load without issues no matter what device you’re learning from.
Prelicensing Courses
Compare course packages at VanEd
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Pricing
Course Offerings Starting at Course Features Prelicensing $425 - 168-hour prelicensing course, access to instructor and customer support, and exam prep materials
- Upgrades includes a pass guarantee, e-books, study guide workbooks, exam workbook, CE course bundles, career courses
Continuing Education $26 - All your required CE course hours to renew your license; online learning & videos available
- Additional individual elective courses with 80+ options
Exam Prep $59 - Choose from national or state-specific exam prep packages including exams by subject area and proration exercises
- Options to bundle state and national exam prep
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Pros + Cons
Pros:
Cons:
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Features
Course Formats: Self-paced online courses.
Course Access: One year from the date of enrollment.
Refund Policy: Get a full refund within 3 days of purchasing your course, as long as you haven’t completed more than 50% of the coursework or attempted any of the exams or practice tests.
Pass or Don’t Pay: Get a refund of your entire package price if you fail any portion of your license exam within 11 weeks of starting your course, and you completed the unit summary exams and practice tests.
Exam Prep: Exam prep course with focused summary exams on each subject, as well as practice tests, and exam guide books.
Student Support: Instructor support is available by phone, email, or online via chat or Q&A portals 7 days a week. Customer support is available live during business hours weekdays via phone, live chat, or by email.
Final Exam: Online final exam, VanEd does offer exam proctoring (but an exam proctor is not required to complete your prelicensing final exam by the state of Colorado.)
Colorado Real Estate School
Best real estate school in Colorado for a pass guarantee
Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Overview
Colorado Real Estate School (CRES) takes pride in their local expertise and the fact that their courses are designed by Colorado brokers. Who better to teach you the ins and outs of Colorado real estate than its own state’s experts? CRES offers many of the same reliable features of an online real estate school, with a few unique perks. While they also offer a pass-or-don’t-pay-type refund for those who don’t pass the license exam, they offer additional support with their unique Pass Guarantee. If you fail your exam, CRES will customize a study plan to your exam results, renew your exam prep access, and provide extra support until you pass your exam. Their exam prep is unique because of their adaptive features, which means you’ll study in your weak areas so you can pass your exam with flying colors.
Prelicensing Courses
Compare course packages at Colorado Real Estate School
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Pricing
Course Offerings Starting at Course Features Prelicensing $399 - 168-hour prelicensing video course, instructor support, weekly live Q&A webinar, pass guarantee, real estate math tool, exam prep materials, live exam crammer webinar, access to exam prep video library
- Upgrades include career resources like business building training and a pass or don’t pay refund on the license exam fee
Continuing Education $89 - Individual specialized online courses on a variety of topics
Exam Prep $29 - State and national exam prep, weekly live instructor Q&A webinars, real estate math tools, practice questions
- Upgrades include bundled exam prep, full day exam cram workshop
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Pros + Cons
Pros:
Cons:
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Features
Course Formats: Self-paced online courses.
Course Access: Choose from 6, 8, or 10 month course access based on the package tier.
Refund Policy: Receive a refund if you haven’t completed more than 75% of the course. You will be refunded according to the percentage coursework you completed (50% refund if you completed 50% of the course) minus a $99 cancellation fee.
Pass or Don’t Pay: Get your license exam fee refunded if you fail your license exam within 4 months of completing your course, this is only available for Deluxe Package customers. For all customers, Colorado Real Estate School will ensure you pass the next time. If you take your license exam within 30 days of completing their course and fail, you’ll receive free exam prep, live instructor webinars, renewed access to videos, and a study guide personalized to your license exam results. They will repeat this process until you pass your license exam.
Exam Prep: Exam prep videos, live weekly webinars, adaptive assessments with personalized study recommendations, unlimited practice exams, interactive real estate math tool, digital flashcards.
Student Support: Instructor support is available by email 7 days a week, customer support is available by email and phone Monday to Friday.
Final Exam: Aceable Agent offers online final exam proctoring nationally (but an exam proctor is not required to complete your prelicensing final exam by the state of Colorado.)
Armbrust
Best real estate school in Colorado for live instruction
Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Overview
Armbrust Real Estate Institute’s (AREI) approach is straightforward: AREI mimics the classroom experience in all their real estate education offerings. AREI was the first state-approved real estate school in Colorado, and they have been successfully teaching real estate brokers for over 52 years. The benefits to live instruction is the flexibility in pace, as the instructor will adjust to students’ needs, and ability to get instructor support in real time on each course section. AREI’s methods are solid, and they can prove it – they consistently rank among the highest license exam pass rates (95% as of late 2023) on the Colorado DRE’s quarterly-updated list.[2]
Prelicensing Courses
Compare course packages at Armbrust Real Estate Institute
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Pricing
Course Offerings Starting at Course Features Prelicensing $799 - Online: On-demand video lessons, scheduled livestream classes, hardcopy texts, flashcards, outlines, live instructor access, exam prep
- In-person full-time or part-time classes in Denver, CO
Continuing Education $40 - Individual CE courses offered in-person in Denver
Exam Prep $125 - Includes practice questions and access to instructor support to review key materials
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Pros + Cons
Pros:
Cons:
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Features
Course Formats: Full-time and part-time in-person classes, online livestream, or self-paced video courses.
Course Access: Full time in-person classes are 3 weeks long, while part-time in-person classes take 5 weeks. You have 6 months of access to the online self-paced course.
Refund Policy: A refund is proportional to the number of classes you have taken, minus the non-refundable cost of textbooks and a $150 cancellation fee.
Pass or Don’t Pay: AREI will pay the cost of your license exam fee if you need to retake the license exam, as long as you’ve finished your coursework and the assessment quiz.
Exam Prep: Exam prep comes in the form of a classroom-style course, includes practice questions, and access to instructor support to review questions.
Student Support: Online students have access to instructor support via chat, phone, and email during the week. In-class and livestream students have access to instructor support in real-time during class.
Final Exam: Online or in-person final course exam. An exam proctor is not required to complete your prelicensing final exam by the state of Colorado.
Methodology: How we choose the best real estate schools in colorado
Your trust is important to us. It’s why we work to earn it by sharing exactly how we rate the schools on our list. First, we evaluate the following must-haves:
- Course offerings and curriculum comprehensiveness
- Instructor quality and qualifications
- Student support services
- User reviews and ratings
- Pass rates on licensing exams
- Pricing and affordability
Next, we find the features that make each school stand out to prospective real estate professionals like you. You get a preview of each real estate school’s online platform and how they’ll work on your commute or alongside your busy schedule. We find ways you can save money, time, or both by finding refund policies, money-back guarantees and pass guarantees, and by offering discounted rates for our readers. We jump through all the hoops so all that’s left for you to do is sign up.
Frequently asked questions
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How long does real estate school in Colorado take?
The state of Colorado requires you to complete 168 hours of prelicensing coursework to obtain your real estate license. Once you’ve completed the coursework, you can take the state license exam and you’ll become a real estate broker in Colorado.[3]
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How much do real estate brokers make in Colorado?
As of 2023, the average income of a real estate broker in Colorado is $99,032 per year. As a commission-based career, the sky’s the limit on your earning potential. You can expect to make less when you’re first starting out, but with persistence and a commitment to excellent client service, you can build your business. The top earners in the state earn $200,000 a year or more.[4]
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How do I get my real estate license in Colorado?
To get your real estate license in Colorado, follow these straightforward steps:
- Complete 168 hours of pre-licensing education from a state-approved real estate school.
- Schedule and pass the Colorado broker license exam through Colorado’s current exam provider, PSI Testing.
- Complete a Colorado and national fingerprint-based criminal background check via several options depending on your location in the U.S.[5]
- Secure Errors & Omissions Insurance by connecting with a sponsoring broker firm, as you will be required to have to E&O insurance to work and perform real estate duties in Colorado.[6]
- Apply for your Colorado real estate broker license online through the Department of Real Estate website.
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Where can I find a list of approved real estae schools in Colorado?
The Colorado Department of Real Estate provides an up-to-date list of approved real estate schools so you can find the school that best suits your needs in no time. Visit the Colorado DRE website to view a list of all approved real estate schools in Colorado.
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What do I need for the Colorado real estate license application?
The Colorado Department of Real Estate outlines everything you’ll need to provide when you apply for your real estate license on their website. Expect to provide the following documents and information when you’re applying for your license:
- Proof of completion of real estate education (168-hour prelicensing coursework from an approved school).
- Proof of completing a national and state fingerprint background check (through one of the DRE’s fingerprinting options).
- Proof that you’ve obtained Errors & Omissions insuranc,e including details such as your policy number, effective dates and the aggregate limits.
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How difficult is the Colorado real estate license exam?
You can pass the Colorado real estate license exam with flying colors if you’ve worked through your prelicensing coursework and studied for the exam. The license exam has two parts — a national and a state portion — and consists of 154 questions. If you need to retake the exam, you can retake only the portion you failed and keep your passing score from the section you’ve passed. You have unlimited tries to retake the license exam, and your passing scores are valid for a year.
The full picture: the best real estate schools in Colorado
Your exciting real estate career begins with finding the best real estate schools in Colorado. We’re here to read all the fine print so you can trust you’re choosing the best Colorado real estate school. At each step of your career, HousingWire is here to guide you with the most up-to-date real estate market news, advice from experts, product reviews — plus marketing and lead generation tools. We want to help you succeed at every stage of your career.
Helpful links: Colorado real estate schools
Here you’ll find helpful links to find more information on getting your real estate license in Colorado, finding approved real estate schools, and more.
- Colorado DRE Approved Real Estate Schools List
- Colorado DRE Broker License Exam Pass Rates
- Colorado DRE Broker License Application Requirements
- The National Association of Realtors
Footnotes:
- Colorado Department of Real Estate Pass Rates 2023
- https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1s77tDcuSUKX_l5B_h6PdUWKswiNijsMl
- https://dre.colorado.gov/division-programs/real-estate-broker/education/broker-qualifying-education#:~:text=To%20qualify%20for%20a%20real,and%20Occupational%20Schools%20(DPOS).
- https://www.indeed.com/career/real-estate-agent/salaries/CO
- https://dre.colorado.gov/colorado-and-national-fingerprint-based-criminal-history-background-check
- https://dre.colorado.gov/broker-insurance-requirements
