How to become a real estate agent in Oregon

This page is independent of any school or brokerage. Requirements change (the Agency's pages are the versions read on the date shown, and PSI's bulletin is its January 1, 2026 update; the Agency's own CE page now points to a fair housing course required for renewals from January 1, 2026), so each section names the official page it was read from and the date. If a figure below disagrees with the Agency's page today, the board is right and this page is stale: the date tells you how stale.

1Oregon real estate licence requirements

• Age and education: 18 years old, with a high school diploma, GED or international equivalent.
• Application first: an eLicense account and a broker application with the $300 non-refundable fee before the course, which produces the Applicant ID the school needs.
• Course: 150 hours of required broker pre-licence education from an Agency-approved school, completed on or after January 1, 2013; the school then makes you eligible for the exam.
• Exam: a pass on both sections of the PSI broker exam; scores are good for one year.
• Background: a criminal records background check with fingerprints through the Oregon State Police and FBI for every unlicensed applicant; a criminal history does not automatically bar you, but non-disclosure can, and the clearance is good for one year.
• Sponsor: a managing principal broker who adds your pending licence into the business before the Agency's final review.

Source: Oregon Real Estate Agency, Broker Licensing (Get a License), read September 9, 2026; Oregon Real Estate Agency, Background Check and Fingerprinting, read September 9, 2026.

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

1. Register in eLicense and apply with $300

   The application comes before the education; the Agency emails an Applicant ID number, which you give to your school.

2. Complete 150 hours at an approved school

   The school reports your eligibility to PSI electronically once the course is done.

3. Pass both sections of the PSI exam for $75

   The national section is 80 questions in 150 minutes and the state section 50 questions in 90 minutes; 75% passes each, a pass on one section is good for 12 months while you retake the other, and the fee covers one attempt.

4. Get fingerprinted at the PSI centre for $61.25

   In-person candidates are fingerprinted at the test centre after passing; remote candidates before or after. The Agency says the whole background check averages about two weeks and the clearance lasts one year.

5. Have your principal broker add the pending licence

   The licence issues after the background check clears, the managing principal broker adds you into the business, and the Agency completes its final review; you are emailed when it issues, and the first term ends on your birth month between 13 and 24 months later.

Source: Oregon Real Estate Agency, Broker Licensing (Get a License), read September 9, 2026; PSI, Oregon Real Estate Agency Candidate Information Bulletin (updated January 1, 2026), read September 9, 2026; Oregon Real Estate Agency, Background Check and Fingerprinting, read September 9, 2026.

3How much a Oregon real estate licence costs

The Agency publishes its application fee on the broker page and PSI its exam and fingerprint fees in the bulletin; tuition for the 150 hours is set by the schools.

Source: Oregon Real Estate Agency, Broker Licensing (Get a License), read September 9, 2026; PSI, Oregon Real Estate Agency Candidate Information Bulletin (updated January 1, 2026), read September 9, 2026.

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

The fixed parts are the eLicense application, 150 course hours, one PSI sitting of 240 minutes with fingerprints taken on the spot, a background check the Agency says averages about two weeks, and the principal broker's step; scores and the clearance each last one year. Those parts come from the Agency's own pages and the exam vendor's bulletin, not a school's marketing:

• Application: filed in eLicense before the course; the Applicant ID arrives by email.
• Course: 150 hours at an approved school, at its pace.
• Exam and fingerprints: 150 minutes for the national section and 90 for the state section at a PSI centre, then fingerprints.
• Background check and issue: about two weeks on average, then the principal broker's step and the Agency's final review.

Source: Oregon Real Estate Agency, Broker Licensing (Get a License), read September 9, 2026; PSI, Oregon Real Estate Agency Candidate Information Bulletin (updated January 1, 2026), read September 9, 2026; Oregon Real Estate Agency, Background Check and Fingerprinting, read September 9, 2026.

5The Oregon real estate exam

The broker exam is 130 questions in 4 hours, two sections, national (150 minutes) and Oregon state (90 minutes), multiple choice at a PSI test centre or by remote proctor. You need 75% on each section to pass. Passing scores are valid for one year from the date of passing; the Agency can only issue a licence while the scores and background clearance are both valid. Retakes: a failed section is retaken alone after rescheduling and paying PSI again; a pass on one section is good for 12 months, and if the other is not passed by then both sections are retaken.

Pass rate

Neither the Agency nor PSI publishes a pass rate for the Oregon broker exam on the pages or bulletin read for this guide, so none is shown here.

Source: PSI, Oregon Real Estate Agency Candidate Information Bulletin (updated January 1, 2026), read September 9, 2026.

6Reciprocity: already licensed in another state?

Only under five agreements. The Agency states that an out-of-state licensee must still meet all of Oregon's requirements, with no waivers of education or exams, except under its reciprocal licensing agreements with Alabama, Alberta, Georgia, Nebraska and South Dakota, whose specific terms it gives on request. Armed forces members stationed in Oregon, and their spouses or domestic partners, can be authorised to practise on an active out-of-state licence held for the previous two years, with the $300 application fee.

Source: Oregon Real Estate Agency, Out-of-State Licensees, read September 9, 2026.

7Renewal and continuing education

The licence runs 24 months, expiring at the end of your birth month; the first period runs 13 to 24 months. To renew you complete 30 clock hours of approved continuing education within the licence period and pay $300.

First renewal: the 27-hour Broker Advanced Practices course plus the 3-hour Law and Rule Required Course, entered in eLicense before the $300 active renewal.

Later renewals: 30 hours per two-year term from certified providers, including the 3-hour Law and Rule Required Course and, for renewals from January 1, 2026, the fair housing course; an inactive renewal costs $150 with no CE, a licence can be renewed late for one year before it lapses, and certificates are kept for three years against audit.

Source: Oregon Real Estate Agency, Renew Your Real Estate License, read September 9, 2026; Oregon Real Estate Agency, Education Requirements to Renew License (June 2023, editor's note October 2025) and Continuing Education Record Keeping Requirements, read September 9, 2026.

8How much real estate agents make in Oregon

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

9After the licence: choosing a brokerage in Oregon

A new broker licence is only usable under a broker, so the next decision is which brokerage. On September 5, 2026, 3,054 Oregon agents had a published brokerage profile; the largest single company was Keller Williams with 640 of them, and the largest brand was Keller Williams with 640. Realty Census, which counts those profiles, also compares the brokerages a new Oregon agent can join, including which ones publish their commission split: see which Oregon brokerages publish their pay plan.

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

10Pre-licence schools in Oregon

The Agency approves the real estate schools for the 150 hours and certifies the continuing education providers; only courses completed on or after January 1, 2013 at an approved school count. The list is at the Agency's broker licensing page.

This page carries no affiliate links. If a schools page for Oregon 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: Oregon Real Estate Agency, Broker Licensing (Get a License), read September 9, 2026.

Questions people ask about becoming an agent in Oregon

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

The fixed parts are the eLicense application, 150 course hours, one PSI sitting of 240 minutes with fingerprints taken on the spot, a background check the Agency says averages about two weeks, and the principal broker's step; scores and the clearance each last one year. The application goes in first; the course is 150 hours at the school's pace; the exam is one PSI sitting of 150 plus 90 minutes with fingerprints taken after; the background check averages about two weeks; and the licence issues once your principal broker adds you and the Agency finishes its review.

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

$436.25 to the state and its vendors ($300 application, $75 exam, $61.25 fingerprints), plus tuition for the pre-licence course, tuition for the 150-hour course, which the approved schools set.

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

Neither the Agency nor PSI publishes a pass rate for the Oregon broker exam on the pages or bulletin read for this guide, so none is shown here.

How much do real estate agents make in Oregon?

The BLS May 2025 median for real estate sales agents in Oregon is $61,610 a year, with the middle half earning between $40,960 and $81,400. 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 Oregon have real estate licence reciprocity?

Only with Alabama, Alberta, Georgia, Nebraska and South Dakota. Every other out-of-state licensee does the full 150 hours and both exam sections; military families stationed in Oregon have a separate route.

Sources and dates