Texas requires 180 hours of TREC-approved qualifying education, delivered as six 30-hour courses: Principles of Real Estate I, Principles of Real Estate II, Law of Agency, Law of Contracts, Promulgated Contract Forms, and Real Estate Finance. It is one of the highest hour requirements in the country. After the coursework you must pass the state licensing exam, administered by Pearson VUE.

The statewide first-time pass rate runs around 56 percent. Texas is one of the few states that publishes pass rates by education provider, so you can compare schools on actual results before enrolling. Failing either portion three times suspends your authorization to test until you complete an additional 30 hours for each failed section.

SAE stands for Sales Agent Apprentice Education. It is the additional qualifying education required before a sales agent’s first renewal. New agents must complete 270 total qualifying hours plus Legal Update I and II before renewing the first time.

Yes. TREC approves both in-person and online delivery. Modern Agent Institute offers in-person classes at our Houston campus and live online sessions students attend from anywhere in Texas, including Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Austin.

If your license expires you have a six-month window to renew late. Within that window you complete your continuing education and pay the renewal fee, and the license returns on inactive status until a sponsoring broker files for you. If more than six months pass, the license cannot be renewed — you must complete the full 180 hours of qualifying education again and retake the state exam.

To return an inactive license to active status you must complete your required continuing education and submit a request through TREC’s REALM portal. If you are a sales agent, a sponsoring broker must also file a sponsorship request before you can practice.

Texas license holders complete 18 hours of continuing education during each two-year license period: 4 hours of Legal Update I, 4 hours of Legal Update II, 3 hours of contract-related coursework, and 7 hours of electives.

Texas allows a CE deferral. If TREC’s records do not show your CE completed when you submit your renewal, you may pay a $200 CE deferral fee, which keeps you active and gives you an additional 60 days from your expiration date to finish the hours. The alternative is to renew on inactive status.

Yes. Under Senate Bill 1968, effective January 1, 2026, all brokers and broker applicants must complete the six-hour Broker Responsibility Course regardless of whether they sponsor sales agents. Broker license applicants must complete it before licensure, and delegated supervisors are still required to take it as well.

Modern Agent Institute is at 5821 Southwest Freeway, Suite 360, Houston, Texas 77057, in the Galleria area. We are a TREC-approved qualifying and continuing education provider, #10597. Parking is included with direct walk-in access to the suite, and evening students enter through the garage-level door.