4 Best real estate schools in Maryland (MD) for 2024

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From Bethesda and Towson to Havre de Grace and Silver Spring, it’s now easier than ever to complete the required 60 hours of real estate prelicensing classes from the comfort of your own home in Maryland. Let our expert guide help you pinpoint the best Maryland real estate school and program to fit your goals, budget, and learning style.

With a variety of formats and study materials to choose from, we break down the many Maryland real estate schools and their course packages to help you successfully pass the Maryland real estate exam and launch a new career in 2024.

Note:  The pass rates in this article are provided by the Maryland Real Estate Commission, which publicly posts the pass rates of all real estate schools.

The CE Shop

Best real estate school in Maryland for a flexible schedule

Overall Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Overview

The CE Shop combines updated course content with an interactive teaching approach, which has been proven to be an incredibly effective method of learning. The CE Shop’s custom online learning platform, LEAP, engages students with content featuring real-world scenarios. And students appreciate the courses’ features, support, and intuitive interface so much that they’ve given the CE Shop a 96% student satisfaction rate.

Course Options

See Details

Pricing

The CE Shop’s prelicensing classes meet Maryland’s 60-hour prelicensing requirement. All post-licensing courses meet Maryland’s 15-hour continuing education requirement for first-time renewals, which must be completed two years from the date of original licensure.

Prices Starting at

Prelicensing
$279

Exam Prep
$79

Post-licensing CE
$49

Prelicensing Pricing

Premium
Value
Standard
Course Only

$639
$449
$399
$279

Required 60-hr MD prelicensing coursework. All Value features + 15-Hr MD First-Time Renewal Courses and Basics & Beyond eTextbook
Required 60-hr MD prelicensing coursework. All Standard features + Business Building Courses
Required 60-hr MD prelicensing coursework. All Course-only features + Exam Prep Edge – National & Maryland & Pass Guarantee
Required 60-hr MD prelicensing coursework. Includes Business Ebooks, Career Resources, Downloadable Resources, Digital Flashcards, Real Estate Glossary, Study Schedule

Pros + Cons

Pros:

Five-day trial with free unlimited access to all course content.
Unlimited practice tests.

Cons:

​​​​No mobile app.

Features

Course Formats: Online interactive.

Course Access: Six months from the date of purchase.

Pass Guarantee: With the CE Shop’s “Pass Guarantee,” prelicensing students can request a reimbursement of the cost of the initial licensing exam if a retake is required.

Student Support: Support is available seven days a week via live chat, email, and phone.

Money Back Guarantee: With the CE Shop’s “Money Back Guarantee,” you can request your money back within 30 days of purchase, so long as the course is not more than 50% complete.

Exam Prep: The CE Shop offers comprehensive, interactive Exam Prep as part of the CE Standard, Value, and Premium packages. Packages include an initial assessment, after which the school’s interactive dashboard guides students through each topic while gauging your competency. Exam Prep also prepares you for the licensing exam through unlimited practice tests with unique questions.

Final Exam: The state of Maryland requires that students take a course final exam, which must be proctored. Prelicensing course exams must be passed with a minimum of 70% and may be taken a maximum of two times.

Kaplan Real Estate Education

Best real estate school in Maryland for the best value

Overall Rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Overview

Kaplan has over 65 years of experience helping thousands of students begin and advance their real estate career. Students are continually impressed with the school’s high-quality prelicensing, exam prep, and continuing education courses and the industry-expert instructors who teach each. Complemented by text-based content to reinforce key concepts, Kaplan’s online video courses feature multiple video segments with expert instructors.

Course Options

See Details

Pricing

Kaplan’s prelicensing classes meet Maryland’s 60-hour prelicensing requirement. Kaplan’s post-licensing courses meet Maryland’s 15-hour continuing education requirement for first-time renewals, which must be completed two years from the date of original licensure.

Prices Starting at

Prelicensing
$249

Exam Prep
$99

Post-licensing CE
$229

Prelicensing Pricing

Career Launcher Package
Principles & Practice w/ Exam Prep
Principles & Practice

$479
$279
$249

Required 60 hrs of MD coursework. Online video course includes Principles & Practices w/ Exam Prep + Accelerator video Course and Live Online Coaching
Required 60 hrs of MD coursework. Online video course includes Principles & Practices features + MD and National Real Estate Drill & Practice QBank
Required 60 hrs of MD coursework. Online course includes Live Online National Interactive Study Group webinar for exam prep & Career Mentor Connect for professional development

Pros + Cons

Pros:

Prelicensing tuition fee includes exam prep.
National and state QBanks simulate most test environments, helping improve your exam score.

Cons:

You must have Zoom downloaded and installed on your computer/ laptop for Live Online portions of certain courses.

Features

Course Formats: Self-paced online.

Course Access: Six months from the date of purchase to complete the course.

Pass Guarantee or Refund Policy: For web-based courses and classes, Kaplan’s students are eligible for a full tuition refund within 30 days of purchase, but only if the class has not been completed.

Student Support: Customer or Technical Support staff are available to answer any of your questions via email, the chat feature, or phone during business hours. The Student Support team is also available via email or phone.

Exam Prep: When you enroll in one of Kaplan’s prelicensing online courses, you receive various levels of exam prep, depending on the package purchased. Kaplan also offers stand-alone Exam Prep Packages that include the National and Maryland Drill & Practice QBank. The National Drill & Practice QBank includes hundreds of questions on an advanced interactive testing platform. And the state Real Estate Drill & Practice QBank simulate nearly every test environment.

Final Exam: The state of Maryland requires that students take a course final exam, which must be proctored. Prelicensing final exams must be proctored.

Colibri Real Estate

Best real estate school in Maryland for weekend warriors

Overall Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Overview

Colibri Real Estate is a state-approved real estate education provider with livestream classes that are ideal for those who study best with a regimented schedule, while its online courses appeal to students who prefer to study at their own pace. If you’re trying to get your Maryland real estate education requirements fulfilled while still working a 9 to 5 job, you’ll appreciate being able to take the weekend or evening classes at home. Students who take the prelicensing courses enjoy how easy it is to navigate the website, the clear studying format, and reinforcement through the test at the end of each chapter.

Course Options

See Details

Pricing

Colibriʻs prelicensing classes meet Maryland’s 60-hour prelicensing requirement. All post-licensing courses meet Maryland’s 15-hour continuing education requirement for first-time renewals, which must be completed two years from the date of original licensure.

Prices Starting at

Prelicensing
$284

Exam Prep
$69

CE through McKissock
$39

Pricing

Ultimate Learning, Self-Paced
Livestream Learning
Exam Preparation Plus, Self-Paced
Exam Preparation, Self-Paced
The Basics, Self-Paced

$527
$488
$455
$370
$284

Required 60 hrs of MD coursework. All Features of Exam Prep Plus + Career Booster Pack, including over 20 how-to videos, new agent job aids, customizable action plan templates, buyer and seller checklists & printed textbook
Required 60 hrs of coursework. Livestream classes scheduled on Tue/Thur evenings or Sat/Sun full days. Led by local instructors. Includes instructor and peer engagement, comprehensive exam prep by CompuCram & hard-copy textbooks
Required 60 hrs of MD coursework. Includes all Exam Prep’ features and live & interactive instruction w/ Exam Crammer Webinar series + instructor Q&A
Required 60 hrs of MD coursework. Includes all Basics’ features + CompuCram Exam Prep w/ simulated exams, flashcards, readiness assessment & audio guides
Required 60 hrs of MD coursework. Includes MD-approved instructor support & 3 study guides

Pros + Cons

Pros:

Free Virtual Career package available.
Next-gen student dashboard allows students to track their progress.

Cons:

Online and livestream classes cannot be mixed and matched. Each class must be completed in the format it was started.

Features

Course Formats: Self-paced or livestream courses.

Course Access: Six months from your registration date in most cases. The Prelicensing Ultimate Learning package offers one-year access.

Pass Guarantee: Colibri’s Pass or Don’t Pay Guarantee is available with all packages, with the exception of the Prelicensing Basic package. If students don’t pass the Maryland real estate license exam within 30 days of completing the course’s exam prep, Colibri will reimburse the original cost.

Student Support: Prelicensing packages enable students to email or call local experts with your questions. In general, live chat can be used to connect with an Education Specialist or Advisor. Or send an email or call during the business hours detailed on the website.

Exam Prep: Colibri’s exam prep packages include audio review guides, flashcards, simulated practice exams, and a readiness assessment to help pass your real estate state exam.

Final Exam: The state of Maryland requires that students take a course final exam, which must be proctored. The course final exam is the last chapter of your Colibri course. You must complete all the course chapters, quizzes, before you can take the closed book final exam.

Tristar Academy

Best Maryland real estate school for class engagement

Overall Rating: 4.2 out of 5 stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Overview

In 2015, Tristar Academy was opened to provide top-notch real estate education. With more than 75 years of combined experience, the owners of Tristar Academy commit their time to sharing their real estate knowledge and experience with students, agents, and training instructors. As an independent, private, career academy approved by the Maryland Higher Education Commission, Tristar Academy offers real estate education classes in Maryland, Washington, DC, and Virginia. All of the school’s instructors are active real estate agent brokers and bring their priceless insight to each class they teach.

Course Options

See Details

Pricing

All of Tristar’s prelicensing classes meet Maryland’s 60-hour prelicensing requirement. All post-licensing courses meet Maryland’s 15-hour continuing education requirement for first-time renewals, which must be completed two years from the date of original licensure.

Prices Starting at

Prelicensing
$305

Exam Prep
$10.95

Post-licensing CE
$199.99

Prelicensing Pricing

Prelicensing
Post-Licensing CE
Post-Licensing CE

$305
$199
$99.99

Required 60 hrs of MD coursework. Choose from self-paced course or online via Zoom on designated dates / times. Includes textbook, course instructions tailored to the MD Licensing Exam, studying and test-taking tips & licensing checklist
Required 15 hrs of coursework. Online via Zoom on designated dates / times. Includes CE Requirement and Elective courses
Self-paced, Individual Requirement and Elective courses. Each fulfills 3 of the 15 required CE hrs

Pros + Cons

Pros:

Zoom class options make it easy to interact with the instructor and other students.

Cons:

Course extensions are not available.

Features

Course Formats: Self-paced or online via Zoom.

Course Access: Six months from the date of purchase to complete the course.

Refund Policy: A full refund will be issued if a student withdraws from the course within seven days of registering. If a student withdraws after the seven-day window but before the first day of class, you can receive a refund for everything minus the registration fee. If a student withdraws during the course before the tenth session a percentage of the tuition will be issued back to you.

Student Support: For support 24/7, send an email or text. You can also call TriStar during hours of operation for help.

Exam Prep: Tristar helps students prepare for the Maryland licensing exam with timed, tailored practice tests that are specific to the State Law Portion of the PSI Licensing Exam, studying tips, and test-taking tricks.

Final Exam: To successfully obtain your course certificate of completion, you must score above 75% on the final course test.

Methodology: How we chose the best real estate schools in Maryland

We conducted extensive research to uncover the very best Maryland real estate schools, ranking each school based on the following:

Affordability and pricing

Course offerings, including study tools and technology 

Flexibility and format options

Instructor expertise and accessibility

Pass rates and student satisfaction

Return policies or pass guarantees 

Student support and engagement

Finally, we considered the unique features of each real estate school and the professional development opportunities, which can have lasting value to real estate agents like yourself.

Frequently asked questions

How much does real estate school cost in Maryland?

To become a real estate agent in Maryland, be prepared to invest in an education that will equip you with the knowledge and skills you need. Here’s what to budget for:

Prelicensing exam coursework=$249 to $400
Background check=N/A
Maryland licensing fee=$90
State examination fee=$44

Estimated total=Between $383 and $534

What are the requirements for taking the Maryland real estate salesperson exam?

The requirements for taking the Maryland real estate salesperson exam are as follows:

Complete the 60 hours of required prelicensing education.
Pass the course final exam in the presence of a proctor.
Pass the Maryland Real Estate Salesperson Examination.
Find a sponsoring brokerage.
Complete the online licensing application.

How long is the Maryland Real Estate licensing exam?

The Maryland Real Estate license exam consists of 80 national questions and 30 state-specific questions. You will be given 90 minutes to complete the national portion of the exam and 30 minutes to complete the state portion. To pass, you must answer correctly at least 56 of the national questions and 21 of the state-specific questions. Don’t let these numbers seem daunting. With the right education provider in your corner, you’ll be ready come exam day!

Is the Maryland real estate exam hard?

You’ll need a score of at least 70% in order to pass the Maryland real estate exam. And approximately 32% of Maryland students fail the test the first time around and have to retake it, which means it’s not the easiest test out there. You are able to retake the Maryland real estate salesperson licensing exam an unlimited number of times, however, during the given 12-month period. If you only failed a section of the exam, you can also retake that specific section, but you will have to pay the $44 exam fee each time you retake it. To increase your chance of passing the first time around, focus on doing everything you can to be prepared, including taking an Exam Prep course in addition to your required prelicensing course.

What is the average salary for a Maryland real estate agent?

According to Glassdoor.com, the estimated average salary for a Maryland real estate agent is $117,502 annually. This value represents the median. Additional pay, which may include cash bonuses, commission, tips, and profit sharing, is estimated to be $79,937 per year.

The big picture: Best real estate courses in Maryland

If you’re starting a new career in real estate, it can be both exciting and a little overwhelming. But now that you know what the best online real estate schools in Maryland have to offer, you can confidently choose the best school for your goals and lifestyle. At Housing Wire, we provide the information you need to start and succeed in your career in real estate, from tips on finding the right school to fulfill your education requirements to passing the state real estate licensing exam and getting your continuing education as a Maryland real estate agent.

Helpful links for Maryland real estate schools

We’ve rounded up the links and sites you’ll want to visit as a prospective real estate agent for the most up-to-date information on obtaining your Maryland license, choosing a school, and other state requirements.

Education Requirements

License Fees

Maryland Real Estate Commission Website

License Renewal Website

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