Where to take the 90-hour North Dakota course
Your course has to be NDREC-certified, and the national schools do not all carry North Dakota. We list a school here only when we can confirm it sells the North Dakota pre-license course.
The CE Shop
- Covers all 90 hours the Commission requires, so one purchase clears the whole education requirement
- Sold in three tiers — course-only, standard and value — so you can skip exam prep if you would rather not pay for it
- Free trial of the North Dakota course, so you can see the platform before committing your money
- Self-paced online, which matters here because 90 hours is a lot to fit around a job
Colibri Real Estate
- Also sells the 90-hour North Dakota pre-license course, so it is a complete alternative if the first option does not suit you
- North Dakota exam prep is sold separately, useful if you have already finished the 90 hours somewhere else
- Self-paced online, so the coursework fits around whatever job you are leaving
- Carries North Dakota CE for later renewals — though not your first, which you are exempt from
How to get your North Dakota licence
Five steps — and the first one catches people out, because the application comes before the coursework.
File the application first
North Dakota has you submit the online application, the $150 application fee and the $13 credit history fee up front, along with three years of employment and education history. Most states put this last; here it starts the clock.
Complete the 90-hour course
Ninety hours in an NDREC-certified pre-licensure course. You must apply for licensure within two years of finishing it, so do not take the course and then sit on it.
Pass the exam with PSI
Residents take both the national and North Dakota portions. Non-residents applying without reciprocity take only the North Dakota portion — a real saving in study time if you are licensed elsewhere.
Get fingerprinted
Fingerprint cards are mailed to the Commission for a statewide and national criminal history check, with a $40 analysis fee on top of whatever your fingerprinting provider charges.
Line up a broker and E&O cover
An active licence needs a sponsoring broker to approve your application and proof of errors and omissions insurance. Only then do you file the Request to Issue License, so find the brokerage before you finish the course.
From the North Dakota Real Estate Commission, its education pages, N.D.C.C. § 43-23-08(4) and § 43-23-13.1, N.D. Admin. Code ch. 70-02-04, and the NDREC candidate information bulletin published by PSI, verified August 2026. The annual renewal fee is set by the Commission rather than fixed in statute, which caps it at $200 — check the current figure before you budget.
North Dakota FAQs
How many hours of pre-licensing does North Dakota require?
Ninety hours in a course certified by the North Dakota Real Estate Commission. The figure comes straight from state law — N.D.C.C. § 43-23-08(4) requires evidence that an applicant "has successfully completed at least ninety hours in courses of study approved by the commission." Certification matters as much as the hour count: a 90-hour course that is not NDREC-certified will not satisfy it.
What score do I need to pass the North Dakota exam?
70 of 100 on the national portion and 30 of 40 on the state portion. They are scored separately, so a strong national result will not carry a weak state one. The national portion allows 150 minutes and the state portion 90.
Do I have to take the national portion if I'm licensed in another state?
Not necessarily. Non-resident applicants coming in without reciprocity are required to pass only the North Dakota portion of the exam, and the pre-licensure course requirement is directed at resident applicants. If you already hold a licence elsewhere, confirm your situation with the Commission before you buy a full 90-hour course you may not need.
Do I need continuing education for my first renewal?
No. Salespersons who completed the 90-hour prerequisite to get their initial licence are exempt from continuing education for their first renewal. After that it is 12 hours per continuing education period. This is worth knowing because course sites routinely describe North Dakota CE as required for "first and subsequent" renewals — for a newly licensed salesperson that is not what the Commission's own rules say.
How long is my course completion good for?
Two years. The Commission requires you to apply for licensure within two years of completing a certified pre-licensure education course, so there is a real cost to finishing the coursework and then leaving it. Separately, every North Dakota licence expires on 31 December regardless of when in the year it was issued.