How to become a real estate agent in Indiana

This page is independent of any school or brokerage. Requirements change (in.gov refuses automated readers, so the IPLA's licensing page and form come from Internet Archive captures dated in the sources; Pearson VUE's handbook is its March 2025 edition, and the IPLA page confirms Pearson VUE as the current vendor), so each section names the official page it was read from and the date. If a figure below disagrees with the IPLA's page today, the board is right and this page is stale: the date tells you how stale.

1Indiana real estate licence requirements

• Course: an approved 90-hour broker pre-licensing course, with the certificate uploaded to the application.
• Exam: a pass on both the national and state portions of the Pearson VUE exam within one year of completing the course.
• Deadline: an application received within one year of passing both portions; an application not completed within a year of filing is abandoned.
• Diploma and history: the application asks whether you hold a diploma and about criminal history and discipline; a no to the diploma question or a yes to a history question needs a full written statement with court documents.
• Managing broker: for an active or referral licence, the licence details of the broker company or sole-proprietor managing broker, who must approve the request before the licence issues; the form carries the managing broker's signature.
• Age: the IPLA pages readable for this guide do not state a minimum age or diploma rule in words, so none is quoted here; the statute at IC 25-34.1-3-3.1 sets them.

Source: Pearson VUE, Indiana Real Estate Candidate Handbook, March 2025 (#091500), read September 9, 2026; Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, Real Estate Licensing Information (application instructions, fee schedule, renewal and CE; Internet Archive capture of May 15, 2026), read September 9, 2026; Indiana Real Estate Commission, Application for Licensure as a Real Estate Broker, State Form 44176 (R16 / 4-23) (Internet Archive capture of January 17, 2026), read September 9, 2026.

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

1. Complete the 90-hour pre-licensing course

   Both exam portions must then be passed within one year of the course completion date.

2. Pass the Pearson VUE broker exam for $55

   The exam is 145 questions with a 240-minute seat time and a scaled passing score of 75; reservations are made online or by phone at least 48 hours ahead, and results are given immediately.

3. Apply online through MyLicense One with $60 within one year

   Upload the course certificate and the original Pearson VUE score report, answer the diploma and history questions, and name your managing broker or company for an active licence; online processing fees apply and the fee is non-refundable.

4. Complete 30 hours of post-licensing education within two years

   Required of every broker licensed after June 30, 2014, under 876 IAC; it is separate from the annual 12 hours of continuing education.

Source: Pearson VUE, Indiana Real Estate Candidate Handbook, March 2025 (#091500), read September 9, 2026; Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, Real Estate Licensing Information (application instructions, fee schedule, renewal and CE; Internet Archive capture of May 15, 2026), read September 9, 2026.

3How much a Indiana real estate licence costs

The IPLA publishes its fee schedule on the licensing page and Pearson VUE its exam fee in the handbook; tuition for the 90 hours is set by the course providers.

Source: Pearson VUE, Indiana Real Estate Candidate Handbook, March 2025 (#091500), read September 9, 2026; Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, Real Estate Licensing Information (application instructions, fee schedule, renewal and CE; Internet Archive capture of May 15, 2026), read September 9, 2026.

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

The fixed parts are 90 course hours, one Pearson VUE sitting of up to 240 minutes, an online application within a year of passing, and the managing broker's approval; the IPLA publishes no typical review time on the pages read for this guide. Those parts come from the IPLA's own pages and the exam vendor's handbook, not a school's marketing:

• Course: 90 hours at an approved provider, at its pace.
• Exam: 240 minutes seat time at a Pearson VUE centre, within one year of the course.
• Application: online within one year of passing; the managing broker approves it, and no review time is published.
• Post-licensing: 30 hours within the first two years of the licence.

Source: Pearson VUE, Indiana Real Estate Candidate Handbook, March 2025 (#091500), read September 9, 2026; Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, Real Estate Licensing Information (application instructions, fee schedule, renewal and CE; Internet Archive capture of May 15, 2026), read September 9, 2026.

5The Indiana real estate exam

The broker exam is 145 questions in 4 hours, national and state portions in one 240-minute seat time at a Pearson VUE test centre; applicants by endorsement sit a 60-question state-only exam in 90 minutes. You need a scaled score of 75 to pass. Results are given immediately after the exam, with instructions for completing licensure with the IPLA. Retakes: the handbook sets no waiting period or attempt limit, but both portions must be passed within one year of the course completion date; each reservation carries the $55 fee.

Pass rate

Neither the IPLA nor Pearson VUE publishes a pass rate for the Indiana broker exam on the pages or handbook read for this guide, so none is shown here.

Source: Pearson VUE, Indiana Real Estate Candidate Handbook, March 2025 (#091500), read September 9, 2026.

6Reciprocity: already licensed in another state?

By endorsement. A broker licensed in another state applies for recognition of equivalence; the file is posted for a Commission member's review and voted on by the full Commission, which the IPLA warns takes a while. If approved, the applicant sits only the state portion of the exam (60 questions in 90 minutes) without the 90-hour course; if not, they may switch to the examination route.

Source: Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, Real Estate Licensing Information (application instructions, fee schedule, renewal and CE; Internet Archive capture of May 15, 2026), read September 9, 2026; Pearson VUE, Indiana Real Estate Candidate Handbook, March 2025 (#091500), read September 9, 2026.

7Renewal and continuing education

The licence runs three years, per the IPLA fee schedule; the expiry date is not stated on the pages read for this guide. To renew you complete 36 clock hours of approved continuing education within the licence period and pay $60.

First renewal: 30 hours of post-licensing education within two years of the licence, for anyone licensed on or after July 1, 2014, in place of the first two years of continuing education.

Later renewals: 12 hours of continuing education every year from July 1 to June 30, 36 hours per three-year renewal, with 4 of the 12 as managing-broker CE for those holding that eligibility; renewal is $60, a licence expired under three years renews for $60, and one expired three years or more is reinstated for $120 with 36 hours of CE and the state portion of the exam.

Source: Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, Real Estate Licensing Information (application instructions, fee schedule, renewal and CE; Internet Archive capture of May 15, 2026), read September 9, 2026.

8How much real estate agents make in Indiana

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

9After the licence: choosing a brokerage in Indiana

A new broker licence is only usable under a broker, so the next decision is which brokerage. On September 5, 2026, 4,661 Indiana agents had a published brokerage profile; the largest single company was RE/MAX with 984 of them, and the largest brand was Century 21 with 985. Realty Census, which counts those profiles, also compares the brokerages a new Indiana agent can join, including which ones publish their commission split: see which Indiana brokerages publish their pay plan.

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

10Pre-licence schools in Indiana

The Commission approves the pre-licensing course sponsors, which post a $10,000 surety bond, and the continuing education sponsors ($50 to apply); approved CE courses and providers are listed in the IPLA's PDFs on its real estate pages. The list is at the IPLA's real estate home page.

This page carries no affiliate links. If a schools page for Indiana 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: Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, Real Estate Licensing Information (application instructions, fee schedule, renewal and CE; Internet Archive capture of May 15, 2026), read September 9, 2026.

Questions people ask about becoming an agent in Indiana

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

The fixed parts are 90 course hours, one Pearson VUE sitting of up to 240 minutes, an online application within a year of passing, and the managing broker's approval; the IPLA publishes no typical review time on the pages read for this guide. The course is 90 hours at the provider's pace; the exam is one four-hour sitting booked at least 48 hours ahead; the application must be filed within a year of passing and is approved by your managing broker; and 30 hours of post-licensing education fall due within two years. The IPLA publishes no typical review time.

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

$115 to the state and its vendors ($55 exam, $60 application), plus tuition for the pre-licence course, tuition for the 90-hour course and the 30-hour post-licensing course, which the providers set.

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

Neither the IPLA nor Pearson VUE publishes a pass rate for the Indiana broker exam on the pages or handbook read for this guide, so none is shown here.

How much do real estate agents make in Indiana?

The BLS May 2025 median for real estate sales agents in Indiana is $46,880 a year, with the middle half earning between $37,790 and $61,990. 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 Indiana have real estate licence reciprocity?

By endorsement. An out-of-state broker asks the Commission to recognise their licence as equivalent; if it agrees, they sit only the state portion of the exam and skip the 90-hour course.

Sources and dates