5 Best Online Real Estate Schools in Alabama for 2023 (Updated!)

Without a doubt, my favorite online real estate school in Alabama is The CE Shop’s course. If you’re uncertain about the suitable course format for you, this is the one I highly recommend. It offers a variety of packages to select from, allowing you to carefully choose the features that align with your learning style.

If you’re just looking at price, The CE Shop also checks that box as it’s the cheapest course available. The free five-day trial also makes this the best online course in Alabama. You can test drive the classes before committing to anything, no questions asked.

Plus, this is one of the courses available for our Tuition Reimbursement program, which is a big help. All you have to do is attend at least 1 interview with one of our recruiters (+ provide feedback) after passing the state exam & before joining another brokerage, and we’ll reimburse you for the entire cost of the course that you purchase from us.

While there is the option to pick the more affordable package, I strongly suggest considering the “Premium” package due to the bonuses. The Pass Guarantee is particularly noteworthy as it provides an added layer of security. This feature serves as an insurance policy, making sure that you won’t lose your money if you don’t pass right away. Given this feature, the extra cost is certainly worthwhile.

See Pricing

Convenience: 4.8 out 5. The CE Shop’s user interface is a key factor in making the course incredibly user-friendly. The specially designed online learning platform is accessible on various devices such as tablets, desktops, and phones, making it convenient for you to study while on the go. This feature is particularly great if you have a busy schedule, as you can easily squeeze in lessons during your downtime.

One aspect that impressed me the most is the dashboard that you’ll see as soon as you log in. It provides a clear overview of your progress in the course, indicating how far you’ve come and what lessons are still remaining. Additionally, the flexibility to skip ahead or review previous material at any time is a valuable feature. The course content itself strikes a good balance, incorporating a mix of videos, infographics, and interactive quizzes.

Pass Rate: 4.7 out 5. The CE Shop boasts an impressive pass rate among Alabama students, with a remarkable 70.7% passing the real estate exam on their first attempt. This achievement is noteworthy, especially when compared to the state’s average pass rate of 54%. The CE Shop maintains this consistently high pass rate by offering practice tests and a self-paced scheduling system.

The option to progress through the course at your preferred speed, whether it be faster or slower, is a significant advantage. This flexibility allows individuals to tailor their learning experience to their own needs and capabilities.

Course Duration: 4.6 out of 5. The Alabama real estate course is relatively short at just 60-hours. However, some people want to know up front how quickly they’ll be able to power through the course. Or, they want to feel assured they’ll have plenty of time to complete it if they run into issues, or get busy.

Luckily, The CE Shop has a generous extension policy. It expires 6 months after the purchase date, but there is a free month extension that you can access free of charge. After that, the price goes up considerably. For any reactivation or extension of the course after the seventh month, The CE Shop will charge the student 20% of the current retail price of the course for each 30-day extension.

Support: 4.7 out of 5. The CE Shop’s support team goes above and beyond to provide a good experience for students. Their availability is commendable as they can be reached seven days a week through phone, chat, and email. This level of accessibility is better than what most other online schools are able to offer. In my personal experience, I found the support staff on the phone to be very helpful and efficient in providing clear guidance on the next steps I needed to take.

In situations where an immediate answer wasn’t available, the support team would kindly jot down my information and ensure a solid response within a day or two. Initially, I had concerns about the lack of direct access to instructors, but The CE Shop assisted me in establishing communication when I needed clarification on the course content. This prompt and reassuring support was a great relief, as it guaranteed that I would always receive a quick response back if I had an issue.

Refund Policy: 4.8 out of 5. One of the standout benefits of The CE Shop is its 5-day free trial. This new perk allows prospective students to sign up and explore the course without having to provide credit card information upfront. This offering is unmatched by other real estate schools in Alabama and serves as a valuable option for individuals who are still unsure about committing to an online course.

In terms of the refund policy, The CE Shop’s offering is fairly standard. They provide a full refund within the first month, provided that the student has not completed more than half of the course. This is pretty standard, and other schools like Colibri Real Estate offer similar.

Overall Value & Recommended Package: Overall, if I could only recommend one course in Alabama, it would be The CE Shop. It’s simple to navigate, and will help to prepare you for the real estate exam. I’d suggest taking a look at the Premium package because the extra perks like the pass guarantee make it a better overall value. It also comes with career resource books written by experts, and business building courses which are a huge help even after you pass the test and begin your new career.

Colibri Real Estate’s course has the best refund policy in Alabama, bar none. They offer a Pass or Don’t Pay Guarantee, a course swap option, and a chance to demo the student dashboard before paying. If you are wavering back and forth about whether or not real estate school is the right path for you, then this is the I’d pick. It gives you the best chance of getting your money back if you change your mind.

When it comes to price, it’s definitely on the higher end of the spectrum, but there are four packages ranging in price ($272-$450) to choose from, which means you can add as many features as you want to. There are also almost always discounts and sales going on, which is a huge help.

See Pricing

Convenience: 4.6 out 5. You’ll get similar course content with Colibri no matter which package you choose. All four come with study guides, and coaching videos that come from Buffini & Company. These videos show real-world examples of situations and questions you’ll face in the industry. This has a $150 value on its own, so it’s a great addition to the other course material you’ll get.

If you want the best test prep, access to live Q&A sessions, or the simulated exams, you’ll have to upgrade to one of the more premium options. Of course the cheapest course will still get the job done, but it really depends on your learning style.

Hands down my favorite thing about Colibri is the “readiness assessment” which will break down how ready you are to take the exam. It will give you a score (1 through 10) to help you determine if you should keep studying, or if you’re ready to sign up.

Pass Rate: 4.2 out 5. Colibri’s pass rate amongst Alabama students is just slightly below the state average. About 54.4% of Colibri students go on to pass the state exam, and they’ve helped more than 520,000 aspiring agents get their real estate license in Alabama. That being said, it’s not the highest pass rate on our list of schools, so you can certainly find a school (for a cheaper price) that will prepare you for the test in a more interactive way.

Course Duration: 4.5 out of 5. Although the Alabama pre-licensing course only takes 60 hours to complete, some people like more time in case they get busy. You can pay to extend your course access by selecting a 7, 30, or 60-day option (prices go up the longer you want to extend). You can also choose the “retake” option which will give you a $25 discount to start the course over. Colibri’s policy is fairly generous compared to other schools, although you do only have the initial access for 6 months before you’ll have to look into extending your course.

Support: 4.6 out of 5. Colibri has proven to be one of the most trusted online real estate education providers, and they have the customer support to back it up. They have several tabs with different options to get in touch with a real person. They have an enrollment phone line, and a support line for you to call depending on what assistance you need. They also have a “live education specialist” who I was able to get in contact with via live chat. They responded within seconds and had a list of resources to offer me.

Colibri’s social team also updates all of their social media channels whenever there is a scheduled maintenance. It was easy for me to connect with other students in my area who were taking the same course because the Facebook and Instagram accounts are so active.

Refund Policy: 4.6 out of 5. Colibri is one of the best courses to take if you think you may need a refund. There are lots of safe-blocks in place so you don’t lose all of your money. If you sign up for self-paced online courses (most popular), you can get a 100% refund if you don’t like the course after taking it for a week. If you haven’t started it yet, you can request a full refund for up to a month. If you choose the livestream package, you have 24 hours to change your mind or swap to an online-only format if you do want a refund.

Overall Value & Recommended Package: I would recommend Colibri’s Alabama pre-licensing course. For aspiring agents, I’d suggest taking a look at the Ultimate Learning package. The extra perks like the career success tools, the coaching videos, and the CompuCram Exam Prep make it a great value that will help you find success long after you finish your real estate course.

We’ve built the most affordable way for you to get your Real Estate License. All you have to do is attend at least 1 interview with one of our recruiters (+ provide feedback) after passing the state exam & before joining another brokerage, and we’ll reimburse you for the entire cost of The CE Shop course that you purchase from us.

That’s right – we’ll reimburse you whether you choose to join our team or not (but we hope you do!).  About 50% of our tuition reimbursement graduates choose to work for our team after interviewing with us.  The other 50% of our tuition reimbursement students that choose to join another brokerage still get their course costs fully reimbursed.

Why are we the only real estate company that reimburses your course costs even if you don’t join our brokerage?  There are a few key reasons that we’ve decided to set our program this way:

1.   Our 50% join rate is way higher than the industry average for recruiting, and we really want agents to be excited when they join us, which only works if they love what we have to offer.  Most brokerages only want experienced agents, but we specialize in helping new agents build their real estate careers from the ground up.  We have hundreds of agent training courses that range from helping you build out your social media presence to learning the ins and outs of commercial real estate; we have mentors dedicated to new agents to help them through their first sales; we even have a dedicated coach to help with mindset and motivation; and more.  So we don’t need to force new agents to join our team to save a few bucks.
2.   If you choose to join another team, we also hope you change your mind someday and come back to join us.  Many agents reach out to us months or years after trying another brokerage first, and this gives us a chance to keep the door open for the 50% of new agents who don’t join us immediately.  If we can’t be the right brokerage for you right now, then we still hope to be the right brokerage for you some day in the future.
3.   Too many real estate organizations fail to live up to their promises.  We’re not perfect, but we really try to follow-through on every promise we make, including our tuition reimbursement promise.

At the end of the day, we’re betting on you becoming a great agent, and if we can make obtaining your real estate license more affordable, then hopefully you’ll return the favor and join us after graduation or come back to us any time you’re ready for a new brokerage.  It’s that simple, and we’re happy to invest in you.

Get Started

How does the reimbursement work?

Email us (support@agentadvice.com) once you receive confirmation from the state that you’ve passed the state exam, and one of our recruiters will reach out to you to get to know you and share any and every thing you’ll want to know to decide if our brokerage is the right fit for you.

We’ll schedule the interview at a time that works for you.  All you have to do is attend the interview and provide a little feedback to our support team, and our support team will reimburse your credit card for the amount that you’ve paid us within 2 business days.  All in, it’s about an hour commitment between the interview and feedback.  No other strings attached.

Tip:  If you’ve already started a different course at your own expense, or prefer to pick your own school at your own expense, we’d still love to interview you.  Just reach back out when you’re licensed, and we can connect you with our hiring team, however, we’re unable to reimburse your course costs at this time unless you purchase the course directly from us. 

AgentAdvice.com is not the provider of any courses, and all state certifications, ongoing support questions, etc. will be provided by and fulfilled directly through the school. 

Get Started

Think you have what it takes to be a successful real estate agent?

“When I interview people who have just passed their real estate course, I’m looking for agents that meet a couple of characteristics. If you have these characteristics, it will determine who is successful and who is not in real estate.

It’s not an easy industry. If it was easy, we’d all be rich. First, I’m looking for agents that have a vision for what they want to be, people who want more than what they have. Now, I’m not talking about money, motivated people necessarily. If money motivates you that’s fine, but in most cases, money’s not the motivator.

I am looking for agents that are in touch with their motivations to grow. Is it having a house for your family? Is it providing an education for your children? Is it providing security for your future retirement? It doesn’t matter, I’m looking for agents that have a vision, and are passionate about taking care of present and future concerns, whatever they are. So that’s number one: ambition.

Number two is looking for people that have a little bit of courage. This business requires courage. In my experience, having now been in conversations with well over a thousand agents over the last 18 months, and recruited more than a hundred, there’s one characteristic successful agents have. They don’t shrink from a challenge. They don’t, they still take action even if they don’t know all of the answers to all of the questions. They know that if they get faced with a question that they don’t really answer to, they know they can find the answer.

I’m looking for people that are ambitious, are courageous, and then finally are ready to grow. I want to help give people the opportunity to be the best version of themselves.

Usually, it’s not easy, and many times there are tears, and sweat, and frustration involved, but you go through that because you are so ambitious and in love with the future you’re trying to create. That passion for your future, it gives you courage to press through the hard times. So if you’re ambitious, courageous, and you’re ready to grow, and you think being in a conversation with a guy like me might be helpful to your future then let’s get you the tuition reimbursement you deserve!”

Agent Advice Success Stories: 

Terrica C.
New Keller Williams Agent & Tuition Reimbursement Recipient

“I always wanted to become a real estate agent, and finally decided to take the next step. Getting started with my course was easy. Agent Advice just sent me a link, and I did the whole thing online. I finished the class, now I just need to get scheduled for the state test. I would definitely recommend Agent Advice to anyone looking to get their license, especially if they’re wanting to do it for free.”

Rachel K.
New Real Estate Agent & Tuition Reimbursement Recipient

“I was moving from Tennessee to Florida, so I was considering a career change. I always thought real estate might be something I’d be good at, so I connected with someone at Agent Advice and decided to take the course. It was easy to follow and understand, and the course I chose kept me interested. It didn’t take long for me to finish the class and I passed my state exam on the first try! I then reached out again to Agent Advice and set up an interview with a tuition reimbursement sponsor, and got my money back that same day. All in all, it was really simple and easy.”

Marcus W.
New Real Estate Agent & Tuition Reimbursement Recipient

“The entire process was seamless, and the communication from the very beginning was great. When I first came across Agent Advice I had lots of questions, but I was able to get in touch with someone right away who helped explain the process from start to finish. Once I completed the course and set up an interview with a brokerage, they stopped the payments immediately. I also enjoyed the subscription payment option that Agent Advice has. It gave me the flexibility and motivated me to finish the course quickly. I’m still deciding on which brokerage is the right fit for me, but I enjoyed getting to interview with someone so that I could ask questions about what the day-to-day would look like at that company.”

At Your Own Pace Online is one of the most straightforward courses in Alabama. If you’re not sure which course format is more your speed, this is the course for you. Because of their “best price guarantee” you’re also guaranteed to get a cheaper price (just make sure to ask!).

AYPO is not available in many states, but it has quickly become one of easiest real estate courses in Alabama. The small online school is run by real estate agents themselves, so many of the professors and teachers are knowledgeable about the industry and the issues you’ll run into. That means they understand what it takes to be successful in Alabama (this is a huge advantage because many other online real estate schools don’t offer any teacher access).

Unlike other courses, there are also lots of a la carte options to choose from, so you can be picky about your learning experience.

See Pricing

Convenience: 4.5 out 5. I really enjoyed the flow of the content – it was easy to navigate and seemed less repetitive, especially compared to other providers that just feel like they’re checking the boxes.

The course starts with the basics and build from there, which makes it really easy to get the hang of, especially since the layout is broken out into smaller sections and modules.

My favorite part of AYPO though is the study options. All packages come with the test simulator which closely resembles the real thing (it’s also 130 questions so you can work on your pace). There are also seven topical practice quizzes throughout, along with an option to print out the course so that you can easily study on the go. It’s not for everyone, but sometimes using a pen and paper can really help you get the hang of the material.

Pass Rate: 4.7 out 5. AYPO has a pretty high pass rate amongst Alabama students (67%). The courses are written and published by industry-leading real estate pros who are very familiar with the Alabama real estate market. This is one of the biggest pros of AYPO – because you’ll feel prepared to start your career as soon as you pass your exam. Also, as mentioned above, it’s truly one of the best courses out there for test prep.

Course Duration: 4.6 out of 5. If you struggle in school, or have a unique way of learning, then AYPO is probably your best best. You can tailor your learning experience to your specific needs. You have the opportunity to spend more time on challenging topics and move quickly through concepts you already understand well. This personalized approach can enhance your understanding and retention of the material.

Support: 4.7 out of 5. AYPO’s customer support team is pretty amazing! Because they are a smaller online school that doesn’t offer courses in many states, they are usually super quick to respond. You can reach out via phone, email, or even live chat. I personally chose the live chat option and received course access within minutes. I was also able to fax in my information so that they could print out my completion record for my exam.

Refund Policy: 4.9 out of 5. I was not looking for a refund, but this is a frequently asked question, so I’ve reviewed the policy here. If you are unhappy with your course for any reason, AYPO will happily refund 100% of the purchase price upon request prior to course completion. All you have to do is get in touch with someone and explain your concerns. This is one of the best policies I’ve come across, because there are no questions asked.

Overall Value & Recommended Package: Overall, I really liked AYPO’s Alabama pre-licensing course, especially if you’re on a budget and are looking to get your license with ease.

For incoming agents who can afford it, I’d suggest taking a look at the Deluxe package. The extra perks like the state exam simulator, 300+ practice questions, and printable sheets make it a good value. If you have a tight budget though, the cheapest package is “good enough”. If you change your mind and want to pay for the exam prep separately at the end, that is always an option.

Kaplan’s course is one of the hardest to sit through in Alabama, but it can get the job done if you really need it to. Because it’s so boring and there are few redeeming qualities, so I’d say you’re better off choosing another provider.

It’s also more expensive than other courses out there with few added benefits to make up for the high price point. It is not known for being very interactive, so there are definitely better options that will probably hold your attention more.

See Pricing

Convenience: 2 out 5. The Kaplan courses are built on dated technology. It’s hard to navigate, glitchy, and slow. Even figuring out what courses to purchase gives you a headache.

Pass Rates: 3.8 out of 5: Kaplan’s pass rate amongst Alabama students is pretty lackluster. While it’s not the lowest pass rate by any means, you can certainly find a course that will give you more confidence. About 50% of Kaplan students go on to pass the state exam, which is still lower than the 55% average.

Kaplan does offer a PassProtection policy that allows students who enrolled in the Live or Live Online classes to retake their course if they fail the Alabama state exam. That’s great if you happen to fail, but why not choose a course that’s going to give you the knowledge to pass on the first try?

Course Duration: 3.2 out of 5: Although the Alabama real estate course only takes 60 hours to complete, some people want to know they have an extension 0ption upfront in case they need more time. Kaplan’s access policy is pretty limited. You only have 6 months to finish from the date of purchase before it expires.

Another thing to note is that students take a longer time to complete Kaplan courses than any other online real estate school providers. I chalk this up to the monotonous content, and the repetitive lesson plans.

Support: 1 out of 5. In my test purchases, I’ve experienced Kaplan support taking up to 3 business days before responding.  All other schools I’ve tested typically respond within 1-2 hours & never longer than 24 hours during Monday-Friday.

Refund Policy: 0 out of 5. On 3 separate occasions, AgentAdvice students were declined a qualifying refund for Kaplan course purchases, and in each case, we (AgentAdvice) had to step in to personally provide the refund to these students after Kaplan declined to refund the courses or offer a replacement course. We no longer buy courses from Kaplan for this reason, and recommend that any student considering a Kaplan Real Estate course purchase do so expecting not to get a refund if they change their mind.

Overall Value & Recommended Package: Overall, I can’t recommend Kaplan’s Alabama pre-licensing course. For aspiring agents, I’d suggest taking a look at one of The CE Shop packages instead. The interactive capabilities will seem like such a breath of fresh air compared to the monotonous text-based content Kaplan offers. The 96% student satisfaction rate blows Kaplan’s sub par courses out of the water, and their updated test prep is such a great value.