6 best online real estate courses in New York (NY) for 2024
Vetted by HousingWire | Our editors independently review the products we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission.
To become a real estate agent in New York, you’ll need to complete 77 hours of real estate classes before you can sit the New York real estate exam and apply for your license. With so many approved, online options to choose from, we’ve pinpointed the best online real estate courses in New York using criteria that matter most to you: flexibility to fit your schedule, a price that fits your budget, and a course that’ll prepare you to ace the exam and start your new career with confidence and industry savvy. Based on our research, here are best online real estate schools in New York.
Best online real estate courses in New York: At-a-glance
Best online real estate course in NY for study tools & resources
The CE Shop
From $315
Jump to Details ↓
Use Promo Code HW30 to SAVE 30%
Best online real estate course in NY for personalized exam prep
Aceable Agent
From $239
Jump to Details ↓
Visit Aceable
Best online real estate course in NY for a user-friendly experience
Colibri Real Estate School
From $213
Jump to Details ↓
Visit Colibri
Best online real estate course in NY for professional development
Kaplan
From $379
Jump to Details ↓
Visit Kaplan
Best online real estate course in NY for career resources
New York Real Estate Institute (NYREI)
From $495
Jump to Details ↓
Visit NYREI
Best online real estate course in NY for budget savvy students
The CE Shop offers four state-approved, online NY real estate courses to fulfill your 77-hour salesperson qualifying education requirement. Thanks to the streamlined navigation of its learning platform, those that have the time and are ready to jumpstart their real estate careers may be able to complete the New York online real estate courses in as little as two weeks by investing 40-hours a week.
As an online New York real estate school, The CE Shop offers several other course packages for NY real estate salespeople in addition to prelicensing courses, including New York Salesperson Real Estate Exam Prep, State-approved, 22.5-hour New York Continuing Education Packages, New York Continuing Education Individual Courses, and 75-hour New York Broker Real Estate Licensing Packages.
Learning formats: Auto save and start capabilities allow you to complete as few or as many lessons at a time as you like.
Delivery methods: All of the CE Shop’s New York real estate pre‑licensing courses are optimized for a smartphone, tablet, or computer.
Downloadable resources: The CE Shop’s courses are available as downloadable content instead of a textbook.
Resources & study tools: Study tools include digital flashcards and an extensive (and very helpful) real estate glossary.
Additional resources: The CE Shop’s student dashboard tailors feedback throughout the course for a personalized learning experience. And the online course’s progress bar allows you to see where you are at any point.
Access period to the course: The CE Shop’s prelicensing courses expire six months after the date of purchase.
Pass guarantee & refund policy: The CE Shop has a “Money-Back Guarantee.” Within 30 days of purchase, you can get your money back if you are unsatisfied for any reason, as long as your course is less than 50% complete.
User interface: Online courses can be accessed whenever and wherever, so you can stop the course and pick up where you left off at a later point.
Quality of instruction: The CE Shop’s custom online learning platform, LEAP, engages students with interactive content featuring real-world scenarios for increased retention in less time.
Class scheduling: Students complete the real estate courses at their own pace, on any device.
Pass rates: The CE Shop has published their national exam pass rate as 64%, which is 12% better than the national average pass rate. Additionally, The CE Shop has a Student Satisfaction rating of 96%.
Instructor Q&A: While The CE Shop’s online courses are not hosted by live instructors, expert support is available when you need it, seven days a week, via phone, chat, and email.
Help with starting your career: All online courses include video interviews with brokers, as well as useful career tips and resources. With the 77-hour New York Sales prelicensing Premium Package, you will also receive three Business Building courses to help get your business off the ground.
Best online real estate course in NY for personalized exam prep
Overall Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Visit Aceable Agent
Overview
We named Aceable Agent the best New York online real estate school for personalized exam prep because all of its prelicense education courses include a minimum of a thousand unique real estate exam practice questions. With three state-approved, New York online real estate courses to fulfill your 77-hour salesperson qualifying education requirement and a convenient mobile app, Aceable Agent is a popular online real estate course for New York students on the go.
As you progress through the course, Aceable’s Mastery Tracking algorithm learns where you need improvement and provides exam prep that is personalized to you. Students are also given multiple chances to pass the course final exam for a certificate of completion.
Aceable’s courses feature videos, interactive games, and bite-sized lessons that are:
Created by real estate experts and a Harvard-educated course designer
Approved by the New York Department of State
Endorsed by top-producing agents
In addition to prelicensing courses, Aceable offers other course packages for New York real estate agents, including a state-approved, 22.5-hour, all-in-one continuing education package and several professional development courses.
Aceable Agent offers three online New York prelicensing course packages starting at $355, from a Basic package including the 77-hour state approved prelicense course and practice exam questions, to the Premium package, which includes the 77-hour prelicense course and exam prep Ebook, live tutoring, and webinars for $469 or less with a promo code.
For all courses, Aceable offers payment financing options through two different partners, Affirm and Klarna.
Downloadable resources: Aceable Agent’s downloadable PDFs allow students to complete the New York real estate license course from anywhere, including New York City, with or without internet connection.
Study tools: All online courses include a real estate glossary, digital flashcards, and a study schedule for an interactive learning experience that helps you retain more information. Videos, images, and in-depth study guides help you apply what you learn to the New York licensing exam. And chapter summaries at the end of every lesson reinforce the key concepts covered.
Additional resources: Aceable’s Mastery Tracking algorithm learns your areas of strength and areas that need improvement, using this smart technology to personalize your exam prep as you progress through the course.
Delivery methods: Aceable’s NY real estate classes are built to work across all devices and operating systems. The flexible courses can be accessed anywhere, any time, and from any Apple or Android device with the mobile app.
Learning formats: Aceable’s self-paced, on-demand courses are organized into levels and further divided into short chapters. Each chapter takes about 30 minutes to complete.
Pass guarantee & refund policy: Aceable has a “Pass the Exam or Get Your Money Back” risk-free guarantee. If you don’t pass the New York real estate licensing exam after three attempts, the online school will refund your money.
User interface: With an autosave and start capability, you can easily stop, then pick up where you left off, even if you switch devices.
Quality of instruction: Aceable’s real estate courses feature an interactive learning experience. Videos keep you engaged, pop-up quiz questions inside the course lesson get you involved, and games and real-world scenarios get you thinking.
Class scheduling: Students who prioritize flexibility can complete the real estate courses at their own pace, on any device.
Pass rates: Aceable has published their national pass rate as 94%.
Instructor Q&A: Master instructors are just a click away to answer students’ questions on the course content, Monday through Friday. During operating hours, you can also call the Phone Support line.
Additional support: Aceable also has a Student Concierge Team available five days a week to answer questions about licensing or using your online account.
Help with starting your career: As a student, you can sign up for the free Aceable New York Broker Agent Matching Program and get matched with like-minded brokers in your area.
Enroll Now
Colibri Real Estate School
Best online real estate course in NY for a user-friendly experience
Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Visit Colibri
Overview
Fulfill your 77-hour salesperson qualifying education requirement with one of Colibri’s online real estate courses and take advantage of the personalized, user-friendly experience that the student dashboard offers. From self-paced to livestream, Colibri has a variety of New York online real estate courses to choose from, so you can complete your real estate classes on your terms.
In addition to the easy-to-use web interface of Colibri’s student dashboard, we named Colibri the best online real estate school in New York for its user-friendly Experience because no matter which learning format you choose, your course will include essential real-world examples and interactive learning opportunities.
In addition to prelicensing courses, Colibri’s online real estate course offerings include Exam Prep packages, New York Real Estate Broker Licensing courses, and a state-approved, 22.5-hour continuing education courses offered through Colibri’s sister company, McKissock Learning.
Colibri offers the flexibility of four self-paced, online New York prelicensing course packages starting at $213, from a Basic package including the 77-hour state approved prelicense course and real estate study guides to the Ultimate Learning package, which includes a Career Booster pack for $613 or less with a promo code.
When it comes to the livestream prelicensing packages, choose from the Monday through Friday schedule (full days) or the Tuesday and Thursday schedule (evenings). These can be attended from the comfort of home and Colibri does suggest that you attend all scheduled livestream classes for the best course experience.
Learning formats: Choose the livestream course to attend virtual classes taught by local instructors from anywhere. The self-paced course option gives you the added flexibility of taking the course at the times most convenient to you. Note: To receive credit, each class must be completed in the format it was started.
Delivery methods: Whether you choose a self-paced course package or a livestream package, you can access the course with any device or operating system.
Resources & study tools: Colibri’s self-paced courses include flashcards, simulated exams, and audio review guides to help you retain important information, while the livestream courses offer hard-copy, printed textbooks for class or studying on your own time. Both learning formats include access to the online student dashboard’s real estate dictionary, learning tips, and other prelicensing resources.
Additional resources: Set weekly goals and track your progress with the student dashboard. With the exception of the Basic Self-Paced Package, all courses also include Exam Prep powered by CompuCram.
Pass guarantee & refund policy: Colibri has a “Pass or Don’t Pay Guarantee” for all courses that include CompuCram Exam Prep. If you do not pass the New York State license exam within 30 days of completing the Exam Prep course, Colibri will reimburse the original cost of either the prelicensing package or the exclusive Exam Prep that was purchased.
User interface: Colibri’s self-paced packages include 24/7 access to your student dashboard, which means you can start and resume the course anytime without losing track of your progress.
Quality of instruction: Instructor-led livestream courses feature visual learning videos from Sketchy and live engagement with your peers. Most of the self-paced courses feature e-books, a course manual, and audible course summaries to help you retain key real estate concepts and prepare for the state exam.
Instructor Q&A: Instructor-led, livestream classes let you connect in real time with peers and local real estate experts. The self-paced classes also have local instructors standing by. If you need support, you can email or call expert instructors with your questions.
Help with starting your career: Colibri’s Livestream courses include a one-year professional growth membership and the Self-paced courses offer access to Buffini & Company’s career advice through coaching videos.
Class scheduling: Students who sign up for a self-paced package will study and complete the online real estate course at their own pace. While livestream courses can be attended from anywhere, there is a set schedule.
Access period to the course: You have six months from your registration date to access and complete your New York real estate course.
Pass rates: Colibri has not published their national exam pass rate on their website. Colibri does report that 520,000 students have found success with the real estate courses.
Enroll Now
Kaplan
Best online real estate course in NY for professional development
Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Visit Kaplan
Overview
If you’re interested in New York online real estate courses to fulfill your 77-hour salesperson qualifying education requirement, Kaplan has four New York Real Estate Salesperson Licensing Packages to choose from. Known for expert instruction, Kaplan’s online NY real estate courses are 100% online and offer several packages to enhance career development.
In addition to prelicensing courses, Kaplan offers other course packages for New York real estate salespeople, including a state-approved, 22.5-hour New York Complete Continuing Education package and a New York Real Estate Exam Prep course.
Kaplan’s four online New York prelicensing course packages range from $379 for the standard Qualifying Course package (including the 77-hour state-approved prelicense course with cultural awareness content) to $909 for the Carnegie Career Launcher package, which includes the Secrets of Success course and Modern Real Estate Practice in New York textbook.
Delivery methods: Kaplan recommends using a laptop or desktop computer for its courses.
Learning formats: All of Kaplan’s prelicensing online courses are self-paced.
Downloadable resources: The Carnegie Career Launcher Package includes a 40-page PDF guidebook with exercises to help you put the course’s principles into practice.
Study tools: Throughout each unit, key terms are highlighted, providing at-a-glance references for important information. Practice activities and case studies are also used throughout the course to further expand on information that can be difficult to comprehend.
Additional resources: Answers to quizzes and unit exams are presented to help you better understand the topics and reinforce your knowledge.
Access period to the course: All students will have six months to complete their course from the date of purchase.
Pass guarantee & refund policy: Kaplan has no guarantees for its online real estate prelicensing packages.
User interface: Kaplan’s self-paced interactive online format allows you to stop the course and pick up where you left off, where and when you choose.
Quality of instruction: With the exception of the Qualifying class, Kaplan’s packages include Exam Prep, an engaging video course that covers license law, agency, disclosure, finance, fair housing, investment and commercial properties, and more. Questions are written and reviewed by real estate experts to mirror the state licensing exam.
Class scheduling: Complete the real estate course on any device, at your own pace.
Pass rates: Kaplan does not publish national pass rates.
Career Mentor Connect: Learn from a real estate expert how to be successful in your career, ask questions, and exchange ideas with your fellow classmates in these instructor-led, live webinars, which are held bi-monthly.
Real Estate Accelerator Online Video Course and Live Online Coaching: Meet weekly with experienced industry professionals in live online group coaching sessions and access more than eight hours of self-paced, online video training.
The Secrets of Success Course: This online video course teaches Dale Carnegie’s 30 principles, including how to create lasting impressions, build trusting relationships, and become a better leader.
We named Kaplan the best real estate school in NY for professional development because of its Career Launcher packages, which include:
Customer or technical support: Reach Kaplan by phone Wednesdays, Thursdays, or Fridays, between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm ET, or by email or the website’s chat feature.
Curriculum questions: A team of national and state-specific Kaplan real estate education subject matter experts can be reached by email regarding curriculum questions.
Additional support: With the exception of the Qualifying Course package, all Kaplan prelicensing courses include access to the National Interactive Study Group, a live webinar providing essential study tips and direct instruction.
Help with starting your career: With the exception of the Qualifying Course package, Kaplan’s prelicensing courses offer professional development content, including the Real Estate Accelerator Online Video course and Career Mentor Live Online Connect with Q&A.
Best online real estate course in NY for career resources
Overall Rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Visit NYREI
Overview
To fulfill your 77-hour salesperson qualifying education requirement, choose between NYREI’s self-paced and livestream NY online real estate courses. With Basic and Platinum packages available, all four New York online real estate courses are state-approved.
We named NYREI the best online real estate school in NY for finding a sponsoring broker. Here are a few reasons why:
NYREI reports helping with over 95 salesperson job placements every week.
The online school offers daily recruiting sessions by top brokerage firms and lifetime assistance in helping you attain a sponsoring broker.
No matter what package you choose, NYREI includes lifetime job placement assistance.
In addition to prelicensing courses, this New York real estate school offers other course packages for New York real estate salespeople, including State-approved continuing education packages with the 22.5-hour required CE hours, broker licensing courses, exam guides, and certificate courses like the Notary Public and Title-Closing Certificate courses to accelerate your career.
NYREI’s Basic salesperson qualifying education packages are $495.
Whether you take the Online Self-Paced class or the Livestream class with Zoom, you’ll get the 77-hour licensing course and school exam.
Students who choose a livestream package have the option of mixing and matching in-person and Zoom lessons, but only the $495 Platinum package has group tutoring and career counseling.
NYREI also offers financial assistance through Paypal Bill Me Later and the VA-GI Bill.
Delivery methods: Learn at your own pace on a mobile device or computer.
Learning formats: NYREI’s online self-paced courses are designed for students that want to learn when it’s convenient for them, while students that want to learn from a real instructor can take a livestream class with Zoom.
Study tools: Both the Online Self-paced and Livestream Platinum packages include the Salesperson Textbook and Cram for the Exam Textbook. Students who enroll in a Basic course can also purchase books, tutoring services, and exam prep a la carte.
Online practice exams: Platinum packages offer four 75-question practice exams to help you prepare for the types of questions you’ll see on both the school and New York state exams.
Guidance counseling: All of NYREI’s Platinum packages feature access to a career advisor and guidance counselor.
Additional support: Platinum packages offer unlimited group tutoring sessions for the school and state exams.
Help with starting your career: NYREI offers daily recruiting sessions by top brokerage firms, assistance in helping you attain a sponsoring broker, and lifetime job placement assistance.
User interface: NYREI’s Online Self-Paced package lets students complete the real estate course at their own pace, so you can stop and pick up right where you left off.
Class scheduling: The Livestream course is offered every day at specific times, including nights and weekends. For the course calendar, visit the Salesperson Schedule.
Pass rates: NYREI has published their pass rate as 95%. The education provider has also just licensed its 100,000th student.
Access period to the course: You have four months from the time you attend your first course to complete the sales course and school exam.
Pass guarantee & refund policy: This education provider has a “NYREI Guarantee.” If you do not pass the Department of State exam the first time, NYREI will allow you to retake the course at no additional charge.
Enroll Now
RealEstateU
Best online real estate course in NY for budget savvy students
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Visit RealEstateU
Overview
RealEstateU strives to be the most affordable online real estate course for New York real estate licensees. Choose from three state-approved, online NY real estate courses to fulfill your 77-hour salesperson qualifying education requirement. We named RealEstateU the Best online real estate school in NY for budget-savvy students. Here are a few reasons why:
If you’re on a budget, you can purchase the Course Only package for less than $200 and fulfill the 77-hour New York real estate education requirement on your time.
Meant to reduce study time by up to 90%, the Course + Study Guide package is a time and money saver at $324 or less.
All RealEstateU prelicense online courses are fully approved by the NYS Department of State and Arello, so you can meet your qualifying education requirement for a fraction of the price of other courses.
In addition to RealEstateU’s prelicensing courses, this NY real estate school offers other course packages for New York real estate salespeople, including a state-approved, 22.5-hour New York Continuing Education Course and a New York State Exam Prep Course intended to complement the 77-hour prelicensing course.
RealEstateU’s state-approved prelicensing classes start with the Course Only package. At $199, it’s perfect for those who are self-motivated and just need to complete their NY 77-hour real estate education requirement.
At $327 or less, the Course + Study Guide gives you access to the 77-hour real estate salesperson education course and the state exam study guide, while the Course + Study Guide + Agent Success package includes a Agent Success Course with tips for choosing the right broker and more, for $503 or less.
Delivery methods: Use any device to access the entire training, such as a laptop, tablet, computer, or smartphone.
Learning formats: RealEstateU’s self-paced courses are 100% online, enabling you to study when and where it’s convenient for you.
Downloadable resources: Downloadable documents, infographics, and other visuals help with studying and reviewing key concepts. Each online course also includes a 200-page downloadable PDF in lieu of a textbook.
Study tools: With the exception of the Course Only package, RealEstateU’s prelicensing classes feature a State Exam Study Guide with sample questions and four practice exams focusing on the exact information you need to know for the exam.
Instructor Support: There is no live instructor support.
Additional support: RealEstateU’s team is available to answer your questions via email, 24/7.
Help with starting your career: The Course + Study Guide + Agent Success package offers advice from top real estate experts on practical first steps for new agents. And the Agent Success Course will teach you what to look for when choosing the right broker, tips for building and converting leads, negotiating tactics, and more.
User interface: With on-demand lessons, you can jump from one lesson to another, and back, picking up where you left off every time.
Quality of instruction: RealEstate U’s courses feature video tutorials that range from three to 20 minutes long, helping you remember the material. The video lessons have easy-to-follow instructions, dynamic screens, engaging graphics, and memory cues to help you learn faster.
Class scheduling: As a RealEstateU student, you are free to study on the go, at your own pace.
Pass rates: RealEstateU has not published their New York exam pass rate on their website.
Access period to the course: 12 months to study.
Pass guarantee & refund policy: RealEstateU has a “100% Satisfaction Guarantee.” Try the entire course and if you aren’t 100% happy with it after 30 days, RealEstateU will give you a full refund.
Enroll Now
Methodology: How we chose the best online real estate schools in NY
To determine the very best New York real estate schools, we analyzed and scored each school on return policies or guarantees, pass rates, next-gen technology, support, value, suite of study tools, and format options.
Aceable Agent isn’t the most budget-savvy option, but we gave it 4.7 stars for its next-gen technology, pass rates, and guarantee policy.
Colibri does not publish their pass rates, but we gave it 4.5 stars for learning format options, next-gen technology, and guarantee policy.
The CE Shop received 4.9 stars for value, guarantee policy, free trial, pass rates, next-gen technology, and a robust suite of study tools.
Students will find Kaplan’s career support and study groups beneficial even though all classes are via Zoom. A lack of return policies and pass rates is behind the 3 star rating.
NYREI gets 4.4 stars for job placement support, career guidance, financial aid, pass rates, and guarantee policy, but it is the highest priced school on our list.
RealEstateU doesn’t offer instructor support or publish a pass rate, but it does get 4 stars for 12 months to complete the course, career support, and a guarantee policy.
Here’s a general idea of how much time it will take you to become a licensed agent in New York:
77 hours for taking the real estate course approved by the New York Dept. of State, Division of Licensing Services. If you take the course online and you’re ambitious, you can invest about 38.5 hours a week and complete the entire course in under 2 weeks. Time: 2 weeks to 2 months
90 minutes for the exam. You’ll also want to arrive at least 30 minutes early to get settled. Time: 2 hours
Background check including fingerprinting appointment and paperwork. Time: 2 hours
Time for the DOS to review your exam and notify you of the results. Time: 1 to 3 days
Time from the day you receive your passing score for the state exam and submit your license application to the day the DOS reviews your application and mails your license. Time: 1 to 2 weeks
Total time it generally takes to get a real estate license in New York: From a little over 3 weeks to 3 months.
Once you have passed the real estate licensing exam, you can apply for a real estate salesperson license online by logging on to your eAccessNY account and choosing “Apply for Initial Salesperson License (qualifying by Exam only).” After your principal broker authorizes your application, the DOS will review it to ensure that it is complete and meets the qualifications for a real estate salesperson license.
There are 75 questions on the salesperson’s license exam and a passing score is 70% and according to several reputable digital resources and news sites, there is a 60% pass rate for those taking the New York real estate salesperson exam for the first time.
ZipRecruiter scanned a database of millions of active jobs published locally across the country to determine that New York is ranked number 2 out of 50 states nationwide for real estate agent salaries.
According to ZipRecruiter, the average salary of a New York real estate agent is $93,951 per year as of this writing. This is the equivalent of $45 per hour, $1,806 per week, or $7,829 per month. Compared to the national average of $86,356, an agent in New York makes $7,595 more per year.[2]
The full picture: best online real estate courses in New York (NY)
Now that you’ve seen how some of the top online real estate schools in New York stack up, you’ll have the best idea of which school is best for your needs and goals. Whether you’re jumping into real estate with both feet or you’re just working on getting licensed in your downtime, HousingWire is here for you. From tips on getting your real estate license in New York to news about home values across the country, we have the information you need to know to start and advance your career in real estate in one of the hottest markets in the country: New York!