Kaplan Real Estate Education

What it is

Kaplan Real Estate Education is the real estate arm of Kaplan, Inc., a course provider for people who need a state license and then need to keep it. Its learners are real estate sales associates and brokers, home inspectors, contractors and, in Florida, community association managers. The site pitches itself as education made for a whole career, with courses designed to support you "from your first real estate agent license through all subsequent renewals". You pick a state first, and the catalog changes with it. The course menu runs state by state from Alabama to Wisconsin and Washington DC, each with its own licensing courses, exam prep, continuing education, professional development and a state requirements page, and some states add post-licensing or first renewal courses. The Florida CE page notes that Kaplan in Florida was formerly the Bob Hogue School of Real Estate. The footer places the school among the Kaplan companies, beside Kaplan Test Prep and Kaplan Schweser.

Licensing, exam prep and the Kaplan Commitment

For someone who wants to become an agent, the core offer is the prelicensing course plus exam prep. The FAQ explains that the education needed is set by each state and can vary, but generally means specific prelicensing courses, followed by continuing education to renew and maintain a salesperson license. It also says most states allow that education online, and that Kaplan's online classes use pre-recorded, instructor-led videos you can review segment by segment as your schedule allows.

Exam prep leans on question banks. The real estate page says its QBanks are built to mimic the structure and difficulty of the actual license exam, that content is updated to reflect current regulations, and that post-exam feedback from students is used to improve the products. Kaplan's AI Tutor is built into the QBanks and gives instant explanations at any hour. Daily live instruction runs through the Live Online Learning Hub, live online sessions are offered "virtually every day of the week", and a Community Forum is open 24/7, with the page promising answers in less than a day. Private tutoring packages are sold separately, and the shop shows which states each tutor specializes in.

The Kaplan Commitment is the school's answer to a failed first attempt. If you qualify, you meet one-on-one with an expert instructor to build a personalized study plan and keep access to your exam prep tools and instructors for up to 18 months, without additional charge, as long as you stay engaged and follow the plan. The terms say it cannot be transferred, that Kaplan may adjust the extended access period to fit state licensing agency rules, and that the refund policy for the original enrollment does not apply to the continuation period.

Continuing education, the Florida example

The Florida CE page shows how renewal works in practice. Florida asks for 14 hours each renewal period, every 2 years, made up of Core Law (3 hours), Ethics (3 hours) and specialty or elective topics (8 hours). The first renewal is different: post-licensing of 45 hours for sales associates and 60 hours for brokers, sold as a separate set of courses.

The 14-hour package is priced the same for sales associates and brokers, and the price depends on the format:

• the online internet course is $24.95;
• the textbook correspondence (home study) course is $24.95, and readers who received the book in the mail can pay the same $24.95 to have their answers graded;
• the Live Online class is $99;
• the in-person class is $129.

Single courses are sold too. Ethics for Florida Real Estate Professionals, Florida Real Estate Core Law and a 2-credit Fair Housing course are $14.95 each. The package description says it covers recent changes to Florida law and FREC rules, uses case studies, and includes the 2024 legislative updates, fair housing and compensation. It was also designed to meet the National Association of REALTORS ethics and fair housing training requirements, with a Proof of Course Content Document on the student dashboard; members still have to confirm that their local board accepts it.

Every student gets 6 months from the date of purchase to finish, though the FAQ warns that some states set shorter windows or fixed deadlines. When you finish, Kaplan submits your completion to the state electronically, tries to fax and email you a completion slip, and also mails one. Florida CE packages can come bundled with Premier Student Perks, a program of free trials and partner discounts on business software, branding tools and marketing resources for working agents.

Professional development, home inspection and contractor courses

Beyond the required hours, Kaplan sells a Professional Development library. The home page describes each class as "hand-selected" to help agents and inspectors build their skills, bring more to their clients and stand out from competitors in their market. The Florida page frames it the same way for sales associates and brokers. The RealXperts webinars and a 2025 Survey of Trends on how new agents prepared for their exams sit in the resource center beside career articles.

The home inspection side covers licensing, specific certifications and professional development, with state pages from Alabama and Alaska to Wyoming. Contractor education runs from preparing for the Residential Contractor exam to license renewal and EPA lead-safe certification, with contractor courses listed for Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Ways to study

Five formats appear on the home page, with a note that availability varies by state:

• Live Online: virtual classes with an instructor, from home or the office.
• Online Video: lessons split into video segments with text alongside, taken on your own time.
• Home Study: textbook courses completed offline, for self-directed students.
• Hybrid: a mix of Live Online, Online Video and Home Study.
• Live Classroom: in-person sessions with an instructor and other students.

The site says the majority of its instructors are practicing real estate agents, and that regulatory experts check that courses meet state and national requirements. A Lead National Instructor and other faculty are introduced on the real estate page.

Recognition and survey figures

Kaplan publishes its own survey figures and is clear about the scope. Between December 11, 2024 and February 6, 2025 it interviewed 410 real estate licensing exam or continuing education course takers online. Of the 154 who had studied with Kaplan, 94% would recommend it (the "9 out of 10" on the page), and 91% of 160 respondents reported a positive experience with their instructors.

The school also cites Newsweek and Statista's America's Top Online Learning Providers 2026, where it is listed as 5-Star rated. Three other awards carry a disclosure. Test Prep Insight named it Editor's Choice for online real estate schools, HousingWire named it its pick among online real estate schools for extensive exam prep, and Investopedia called it the most established online real estate education provider and rated its state availability highest among competitors. The footnotes say all three sites are Kaplan affiliates that use an independent review process.

Who it suits

Kaplan Real Estate Education fits a new agent who wants one school from prelicensing through renewals, especially someone who expects to need help passing the state exam: the QBanks, the AI Tutor, daily live sessions and the Kaplan Commitment all point at that first attempt. Working agents in Florida get cheap, clearly priced renewal packages, and the gap between the $24.95 online course and the $129 classroom class lets them pay only for the format they want. Home inspectors and Minnesota or Wisconsin contractors can stay with the same provider for licensing and renewal.

It is a state licensing school, not a general course platform. You cannot publish your own courses on it, and what you can buy depends on the state you select. Organizations that send agents to Kaplan can join its affiliate partner program, which the page says brings them additional revenue and gives their users discounts.