How to become a real estate agent in Alabama

This page is independent of any school or brokerage. Requirements change (arec.alabama.gov refuses automated readers, so its pages and forms come from Internet Archive captures dated in the sources; the original-licence fee is prorated by licence year and the figures shown are for licences issued October 2024 to September 2026, and Pearson VUE's handbook is its August 2024 edition), so each section names the official page it was read from and the date. If a figure below disagrees with the Commission's page today, the board is right and this page is stale: the date tells you how stale.

1Alabama real estate licence requirements

• Age and status: at least 19 years old; a U.S. citizen, permanent resident alien or lawfully present; and proof of bona fide residency in any U.S. state.
• Education: proof of high school graduation or the equivalent.
• Character: no conviction for a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude (an eligibility determination can be requested first), and no real estate application or licence rejected or revoked in any state in the past two years.
• Course: an approved 60 clock-hour pre-licence course, passed with a course grade of at least 70, before the exam; the exam must then be passed within six months or the course is retaken.
• Background: fingerprinting through the Commission's vendor Fieldprint, registered and scheduled at fieldprintalabama.com, with proof of age, citizenship or legal presence, and residency filed with the temporary licence application.
• Post-licence course: the 30-hour post-licence course within the first twelve months of the temporary licence to be issued the original licence, and within the first six months to keep the licence active.

Source: Alabama Real Estate Commission, Become a Licensed Real Estate Professional (Internet Archive capture of June 3, 2025), read September 9, 2026; Pearson VUE, Alabama Real Estate Candidate Handbook, August 2024 (#093300), read September 9, 2026; Alabama Real Estate Commission, Licensing Application and Temporary Salesperson License Application Instructions, 2023 form (Internet Archive capture of June 9, 2026), read September 9, 2026.

2Steps to get your Alabama real estate licence, in order

1. Complete the 60-hour pre-licence course

   Pass it with a grade of at least 70; Pearson VUE's exam authorisation then runs for six months from the course completion date.

2. Pass the Pearson VUE salesperson exam for $73

   The general portion is 80 items in two and a half hours and the state portion 40 items in one hour, with 10 to 15 unscored pretest items; a scaled score of 70 passes, attempts are unlimited within the six-month authorisation, and a passing score is good for 90 days.

3. Get fingerprinted with Fieldprint and apply for the temporary licence

   The score report links to the licensing application; it goes in with proof of age, legal presence, residency and high school completion, and non-residents sign a consent to the Commission's jurisdiction.

4. Complete the 30-hour post-licence course and apply for the original licence

   Within twelve months of the temporary licence (six to stay active); the original licence fee is $170 for a licence issued between October 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025, $85 in the second year of the period, plus $30 to the recovery fund for a first active licence.

Source: Pearson VUE, Alabama Real Estate Candidate Handbook, August 2024 (#093300), read September 9, 2026; Alabama Real Estate Commission, Licensing Application and Temporary Salesperson License Application Instructions, 2023 form (Internet Archive capture of June 9, 2026), read September 9, 2026; Alabama Real Estate Commission, Application for Real Estate Salesperson's Original License (fees for licences issued October 2024 to September 2026; Internet Archive capture of May 10, 2026), read September 9, 2026.

3How much a Alabama real estate licence costs

The Commission's fees are on its application forms and Pearson VUE's in its handbook; the fingerprint fee is paid to Fieldprint and tuition to the schools.

Source: Pearson VUE, Alabama Real Estate Candidate Handbook, August 2024 (#093300), read September 9, 2026; Alabama Real Estate Commission, Application for Real Estate Salesperson's Original License (fees for licences issued October 2024 to September 2026; Internet Archive capture of May 10, 2026), read September 9, 2026; Alabama Real Estate Commission, Licensing Application and Temporary Salesperson License Application Instructions, 2023 form (Internet Archive capture of June 9, 2026), read September 9, 2026.

4How long it takes to become a real estate agent in Alabama

The fixed parts are 60 course hours, one Pearson VUE sitting of three and a half hours within six months of the course, fingerprinting and the temporary licence application within 90 days of passing, then 30 more hours within six months to keep the licence active; the Commission publishes no typical processing time on the documents read for this guide. Those parts come from the Commission's own pages and forms and the exam vendor's handbook, not a school's marketing:

• Course: 60 clock hours at an approved school, at its pace.
• Exam: two and a half hours for the general portion and one hour for the state portion at a Pearson VUE centre, within six months of the course.
• Temporary licence: fingerprints and application within the 90 days a passing score stays valid; no processing time is published.
• Post-licence course: 30 hours within six months to stay active, twelve months at most, then the original licence.

Source: Alabama Real Estate Commission, Course Requirements (pre-licence, post-licence and continuing education; Internet Archive capture of June 5, 2025), read September 9, 2026; Pearson VUE, Alabama Real Estate Candidate Handbook, August 2024 (#093300), read September 9, 2026; Alabama Real Estate Commission, Become a Licensed Real Estate Professional (Internet Archive capture of June 3, 2025), read September 9, 2026.

5The Alabama real estate exam

The salesperson exam is 120 questions in 3.5 hours, general portion (two and a half hours) and Alabama state portion (one hour) at a Pearson VUE test centre. You need a scaled score of 70; numeric scores are reported only to failing candidates to pass. The score report is issued at the test centre with a link to the licence application; a passing score is good for 90 days. Retakes: unlimited attempts within the six-month authorisation from the course completion date; if the exam is not passed in that time the 60-hour course must be taken again, and each sitting carries the $73 fee.

Pass rate

The Commission publishes exam pass rates by school on its education pages, which could not be read for this guide; neither its licensing pages nor Pearson VUE's handbook gives a statewide figure, so none is shown here.

Source: Pearson VUE, Alabama Real Estate Candidate Handbook, August 2024 (#093300), read September 9, 2026; Alabama Real Estate Commission, Course Requirements (pre-licence, post-licence and continuing education; Internet Archive capture of June 5, 2025), read September 9, 2026.

6Reciprocity: already licensed in another state?

Yes, for any state. A holder of a current licence originally earned by examination in another state completes the Commission's 6-hour Alabama real estate law course, passes the Alabama portion of the exam within six months of it ($53 for the 40-question reciprocal exam), and files a certificate of licensure issued within 120 days; military spouses get an expedited temporary reciprocal licence with 180 days to finish.

Source: Alabama Real Estate Commission, Become a Licensed Real Estate Professional (Internet Archive capture of June 3, 2025), read September 9, 2026; Pearson VUE, Alabama Real Estate Candidate Handbook, August 2024 (#093300), read September 9, 2026.

7Renewal and continuing education

The licence runs two years, with every licence expiring at midnight on September 30 of the final year of the licence period; renewals are due by August 31 of even-numbered years. To renew you complete 15 clock hours of approved continuing education within the licence period.

First renewal: the 30-hour post-licence course within six months of the temporary licence to stay active (twelve months at most); temporary licences are not renewed, and a licensee whose original licence issues on or after October 1 of a renewal year skips that renewal.

Later renewals: 15 clock hours of continuing education every two years, completed by September 30 of each even year: the mandatory 3-hour course Risk Management: Initial Contact to Accepted Offer plus 12 hours of electives; inactive licensees pay the renewal fee but owe no CE until they activate.

Source: Alabama Real Estate Commission, The Update: Special License Renewal Issue 2024 (Internet Archive capture of January 19, 2026), read September 9, 2026; Alabama Real Estate Commission, Course Requirements (pre-licence, post-licence and continuing education; Internet Archive capture of June 5, 2025), read September 9, 2026.

8How much real estate agents make in Alabama

The only independent, dated wage figure for agents is the Bureau of Labor Statistics' occupational survey. For Alabama, release May 2025:

BLS counts agents paid as employees and reports wages, not the commissions of self-employed agents, so these are a floor for the occupation rather than what a typical commissioned agent takes home.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025, Real Estate Sales Agents (41-9022), Alabama, read September 8, 2026.

9After the licence: choosing a brokerage in Alabama

A new salesperson licence is only usable under a broker, so the next decision is which brokerage. On September 5, 2026, 4,473 Alabama agents had a published brokerage profile; the largest single company was Keller Williams with 1,772 of them, and the largest brand was Keller Williams with 1,772. Realty Census, which counts those profiles, also compares the brokerages a new Alabama agent can join, including which ones publish their commission split: see which Alabama brokerages publish their pay plan.

Source: Realty Census, Alabama count and brokerage ranking, September 5, 2026 (realtycensus.com/alabama/), read September 9, 2026.

10Pre-licence schools in Alabama

The Commission approves the 60-hour pre-licence, 30-hour post-licence and continuing education courses and publishes a course search and exam pass rates by school on its education pages. The list is at the Commission's course requirements page.

This page carries no affiliate links. If a schools page for Alabama is added with affiliate links, it will say so at the top, and schools will be ordered by what the state publishes or alphabetically, never by commission.

Source: Alabama Real Estate Commission, Course Requirements (pre-licence, post-licence and continuing education; Internet Archive capture of June 5, 2025), read September 9, 2026.

Questions people ask about becoming an agent in Alabama

How long does it take to become a real estate agent in Alabama?

The fixed parts are 60 course hours, one Pearson VUE sitting of three and a half hours within six months of the course, fingerprinting and the temporary licence application within 90 days of passing, then 30 more hours within six months to keep the licence active; the Commission publishes no typical processing time on the documents read for this guide. The course is 60 hours at the school's pace; the exam is one three-and-a-half-hour sitting, repeatable for six months; the temporary licence application follows within 90 days of passing; and the 30-hour post-licence course is due within six months to stay active. The Commission publishes no typical processing time.

How much does it cost to get a real estate licence in Alabama?

$273 to the state and its vendors ($73 exam, $170 original licence, $30 recovery fund), plus tuition for the pre-licence course, the Fieldprint fingerprint fee, the temporary licence fee, and tuition for the 60-hour and 30-hour courses, which the schools set.

What is the pass rate for the Alabama real estate exam?

The Commission publishes exam pass rates by school on its education pages, which could not be read for this guide; neither its licensing pages nor Pearson VUE's handbook gives a statewide figure, so none is shown here.

How much do real estate agents make in Alabama?

The BLS May 2025 median for real estate sales agents in Alabama is $60,890 a year, with the middle half earning between $38,890 and $89,400. BLS counts agents paid as employees and reports wages, not the commissions of self-employed agents, so these are a floor for the occupation rather than what a typical commissioned agent takes home.

Does Alabama have real estate licence reciprocity?

Yes. A current out-of-state licensee takes a 6-hour Alabama law course, passes the 40-question Alabama portion of the exam, and files a recent certificate of licensure.

Sources and dates