How to become a real estate agent in Georgia

This page is independent of any school or brokerage. Requirements change (the GREC changed its broker continuing-education rules effective July 1, 2025, and its fee rule sets four-year renewal fees that differ for paper and online payment), so each section names the official page it was read from and the date. If a figure below disagrees with the GREC's page today, the board is right and this page is stale: the date tells you how stale.

1Georgia real estate licence requirements

• Age: at least 18 years of age.
• Education: a high school graduate or the holder of a certificate of equivalency.
• Residency: not required; nonresidents may hold a Georgia licence, and out-of-state licensees have a reciprocity route.
• Prelicense course: one of three: the 75-hour Salesperson Prelicense Course at a GREC-approved school; at least 10 quarter hours or 6 semester hours of accredited college coursework eligible for a real estate major, or law-school courses in real property, agency or contracts; or at least 75 hours of prelicense coursework approved by another state or Canadian province.
• Background: a copy of your criminal history or Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) report, brought to the PSI test centre.
• Deadline: apply for the licence within twelve months of taking the exam, or retake it.

Source: GREC, Obtaining a License: Real Estate, read September 8, 2026; GREC, Nonresident Brokerage Activity (PDF), read September 8, 2026.

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

1. Finish the 75-hour prelicense course, or qualify by college coursework

   The 75-hour Salesperson Prelicense Course must be taken at a school approved by the GREC. Applicants using the college or other-state route submit an alternate-route application online for PSI to review before they can schedule.

2. Schedule the PSI exam and pay its fee

   Exams are scheduled at test-takers.psiexams.com or by telephone; the $175 fee is not refundable or transferable and is forfeited if you do not test within one year of PSI receiving it.

3. Bring your criminal history report and pass the exam

   The GCIC report or equivalent criminal history must be brought to the test centre. Scores appear on screen at the end of the exam and a score report is emailed, with a diagnostic breakdown if you fail.

4. Pick up the licence at the test centre and pay $170

   PSI issues Georgia licences at its test centres, on the same day or from 24 hours after passing, active or inactive as you choose; an active licence needs a completed Sponsoring Broker Statement. The $170 licence fee covers all Commission fees for the first four years.

5. Complete the 25-hour postlicense course in your first year

   Salespersons must take a 25-hour Salespersons Postlicense course in their first year of licensure; under rule 520-1-.05 a licence lapses if the course is not completed in time.

Source: PSI, Georgia Real Estate Commission Candidate Information Bulletin, read September 8, 2026; GREC, Obtaining a License: Real Estate, read September 8, 2026.

3How much a Georgia real estate licence costs

Georgia publishes the two state charges plainly: the exam fee and a four-year licence fee. The criminal history report is bought from a sheriff's office or police department, and tuition is set by the schools.

Source: GREC, Obtaining a License: Real Estate, read September 8, 2026; GREC, Nonresident Brokerage Activity (PDF), read September 8, 2026.

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

The fixed parts are 75 course hours and one exam sitting, and Georgia removes the usual wait at the end: the licence is issued at the test centre from 24 hours after you pass, so the total is mostly your course pace and PSI's next available seat. Those parts come from the GREC and PSI, not a school's marketing:

• Course: 75 hours at an approved school, or the college coursework alternative, at whatever pace the school allows.
• Exam: scheduled online or by telephone at a PSI centre; you may cancel without losing the fee up to two days before the appointment.
• Licence: issued at the PSI test centre on the day you pass or from 24 hours afterwards, during licensing hours on weekdays.
• Deadline: the licence must be applied for within twelve months of the exam date, or the exam is retaken.
• After licensing: a 25-hour postlicense course within the first year of licensure.

Source: GREC, Obtaining a License: Real Estate, read September 8, 2026; PSI, Georgia Real Estate Commission Candidate Information Bulletin, read September 8, 2026.

5The Georgia real estate exam

The salesperson exam is 152 questions, two portions, national and Georgia, multiple choice on a computer at a PSI test centre; up to ten unscored experimental questions may be mixed in and count against the time. You need a passing grade on each portion, reported on screen at the end of the exam to pass. The score is displayed on screen at the end and emailed, with a diagnostic report by topic if you fail; honourably discharged wartime veterans can apply for preference points after a failed attempt. Retakes: a new $175 fee for each sitting; the bulletin sets no waiting period or cap, and the fee is forfeited if you do not test within a year of paying it.

Pass rate

Neither the GREC nor PSI publishes a pass rate for the Georgia salesperson exam on any page or bulletin read for this guide, so none is shown here.

Source: PSI, Georgia Real Estate Commission Candidate Information Bulletin, read September 8, 2026.

6Reciprocity: already licensed in another state?

Broad. A licensee of any other state or jurisdiction except Florida residents, whose licence is current, in good standing and was obtained by passing an exam, can apply on the Real Estate Reciprocal Application with a certified licence history, a lawful-presence form, a criminal background report and a $170 fee, and is granted the comparable Georgia licence without further examination or education. Florida residents must pass the Georgia law and practice supplement exam, because Florida does not grant Georgia licensees full reciprocity.

Source: GREC, Reciprocity for Real Estate Licensees (PDF, September 2023), read September 8, 2026; GREC, Nonresident Brokerage Activity (PDF), read September 8, 2026.

7Renewal and continuing education

The licence runs four years. To renew you complete 36 clock hours of approved continuing education within the licence period and pay $100 on time, or $125 if paid other than through the Commission's online system, and $100 plus $25 a month to reinstate a licence that lapsed more than four months earlier late.

First renewal: the 25-hour Salesperson Postlicense course within one year of licensure, no earlier than one year before it and no later than one year after (eighteen months with an approved extension); miss it and the licence lapses automatically. A nonresident who completed a substantially similar postlicense course at home before Georgia licensure is excused.

Later renewals: 36 instructional hours of continuing education in each four-year renewal period, including at least 3 hours on license law; the four-year renewal fee is $100 online or $125 otherwise.

Source: Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 520-1-.05, Maintaining a License (Cornell LII), read September 8, 2026; GREC rule 520-1-.04, Obtaining a License (fees), read September 8, 2026.

8How much real estate agents make in Georgia

The only independent, dated wage figure for agents is the Bureau of Labor Statistics' occupational survey. For Georgia, 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), Georgia, read September 8, 2026.

9After the licence: choosing a brokerage in Georgia

A new salesperson licence is only usable under a broker, so the next decision is which brokerage. On September 5, 2026, 18,691 Georgia agents had a published brokerage profile; the largest single company was Keller Williams with 6,123 of them, and the largest brand was Keller Williams with 6,123. Realty Census, which counts those profiles, also compares the brokerages a new Georgia agent can join, including which ones publish their commission split: see which Georgia brokerages publish their pay plan.

Source: Realty Census, Georgia count and brokerage ranking, September 5, 2026 (realtycensus.com/georgia/), read September 8, 2026.

10Pre-licence schools in Georgia

The GREC approves the schools that may teach the 75-hour prelicense course and lists them on its website; a school that advertises its students' exam pass rate must, under the Commission's education rules, state the exact percentage and the exam it refers to. The list is at the GREC's approved school list.

This page carries no affiliate links. If a schools page for Georgia 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: GREC, Schools: Real Estate (approved schools), read September 8, 2026.

Questions people ask about becoming an agent in Georgia

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

The fixed parts are 75 course hours and one exam sitting, and Georgia removes the usual wait at the end: the licence is issued at the test centre from 24 hours after you pass, so the total is mostly your course pace and PSI's next available seat. The course is 75 hours at the school's pace, the exam is one sitting, and the licence is issued at the PSI test centre the same day or from 24 hours after passing. The 25-hour postlicense course then falls due within the first year.

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

$345 to the state and its vendors ($175 exam, $170 licence), plus tuition for the pre-licence course, the fee for a GCIC criminal history report and tuition for the 75-hour course, which the schools set.

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

Neither the GREC nor PSI publishes a pass rate for the Georgia salesperson exam on any page or bulletin read for this guide, so none is shown here.

How much do real estate agents make in Georgia?

The BLS May 2025 median for real estate sales agents in Georgia is $46,730 a year, with the middle half earning between $36,980 and $73,880. 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 Georgia have real estate licence reciprocity?

Yes, with most states. A current, exam-earned licence from any other state or jurisdiction except Florida converts to the comparable Georgia licence on a reciprocal application with a certified licence history, a background report and a $170 fee, with no Georgia course or exam. Florida residents must pass Georgia's supplement exam on Georgia law and practice.

Sources and dates