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

Aceable’s course is by far my favorite online course in New York. If you want a state-approved provider that allows you to get your license at your own pace, on any device, then this is the school for you. Because of their crazy high pass rates (seriously, 94%!), it’s also the course that will give you the best chance of passing your real estate test on the first try.

Another major perk is the price point. It’s one of the cheapest courses available, especially when you look at all of the added benefits you get. After clicking through the high quality, engaging material, there’s no doubt it’s the best overall real estate school in New York. Aceable almost always has a big sale going on, which only adds to the value.

While you will still be able to enjoy the cheapest course, if you have the room in your budget, I’d suggest signing up for the “Deluxe” package because of the best-in-class test prep.

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Convenience: 4.8 out 5. Hands down the best thing about Aceable is their engaging content. It’s so easy to navigate through because it doesn’t feel time consuming and tedious. I really enjoyed being able to take the quizzes, and play the interactive games on the mobile app. It was a huge help being able to study on-the-go because it was a change of pace throughout the 77-hour course. All in all, the material is a lot easier to absorb when you don’t have to sit through endless slides of boring text, which is what you get with other top New York schools like RealEstateU and Colibri.

Pass Rate: 5 out 5. Aceable boasts a 94% pass rate amongst New York students, which is really impressive. Surprisingly, the New York State real estate exam is said to be one of the easiest. About 75% of students are able to pass it in one or two tries, but it’s best to pick a school who blows that number out of the water. If you’re going to drop a couple hundred dollars on a course, make sure you choose one that gives you the best chance of passing.

Course Duration: 4.5 out of 5. Although the New York real estate course is fairly short (77 hours), some people like to know what extension options are available. If you have a busy schedule, or just need extra time to get through the course, you can pay $49 to extend your access for an additional 6 months. That gives you a full year to complete the course, which is pretty middle of the road. However, other New York schools like The CE Shop or RealEstateU start off with 12 months of access. That might be something to consider if you think you might want to take your time with the course.

Support: 4.7 out of 5. Aceable’s Help Center is fantastic. They have a list of circumstances for you to choose from in order to direct your question to the right person. I really liked that I was able to contact someone from billing without having to stay on hold, and I was able to get a much quicker response. They also have a customer support team dedicated to troubleshooting and technical issues. Whenever I had a question, they were able to quickly connect me with the right person/department. Aceable also has live chat support, which is a big plus.

Refund Policy: 4.6 out of 5. The Ace or “Don’t Pay Guarantee is a game changer! It completely takes the risk out of getting your real estate license online. If you don’t pass your exam after three tries, then they’ll give your money back. If you change your mind and don’t want to finish the course, then you can also get a full refund as long as it’s within 30 days of your purchase. This is pretty standard, and other schools like The CE Shop and Colibri Real Estate offer similar.

Overall Value & Recommended Package: Overall, I was really impressed with Aceable’s New York pre-licensing course. The bite-sized lessons and short videos were really entertaining easy to grasp. For those just starting out, I’d suggest looking into the Deluxe package. The extra bonus features like the digital flashcards and the 1,660+ practice exam questions are well worth the extra money. You don’t want the stress of having to take the exam a second time, so you might as well pay more upfront to feel confident walking into the test.

The CE Shop’s course is one of the most straightforward and up-to-date courses in New York. It’s also one of the most flexible courses for self-scheduling. Can’t sleep at 3am? You can easily hop online and pick up exactly where you left off.

When it comes to price, The CE Shop falls somewhere in the middle. It’s not the cheapest, but you also won’t have to pay premium prices. But because of their easy-to-use platform and shockingly high pass rates, I’ve rated it the easiest online course in New York.

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 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.

Just like other schools, the cheapest will get the job done – but I’d recommend the “Value” package. The extra costs are worth it because it includes the required continuing education hours. If you pass the licensing exam, you’ll have complete those hours anyway, so you might as well sign up for it all at once. Being able to keep your same login is the most hassle-free way to meet the state’s requirements so you can focus your attention on starting your new career.

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Convenience: 4.8 out 5. The CE Shop’s student satisfaction rate is 96%, and a big part of that is because of how interactive their courses are. The content is really the key to your success, and they’ve found a way to make the learning experience enjoyable. The interface itself is constantly changing to keep up with the industry, and the dashboard is super helpful as you’re making your way through the course.

I was able to login and pick up right where I left off, and I really liked that the status bar gave me a countdown of how much time I had left in each section. It made it really easy for me to manage my schedule when I knew I had a natural stopping place coming up.

The video recaps were also extremely helpful when I needed a refresher but didn’t want to click through all of the slides I had already covered. It would just give you the bullet points so that you could move on and easily retain the information.

Pass Rate: 4.9 out 5. While a lot of providers don’t say much about their student’s success, The CE Shop is very upfront about how many students go on to pass the New York real estate exam. They are definitely proud (as they should be!), because they have a 97% pass rate amongst New York students. That’s extremely high, especially when you look at the state’s average. Many other schools are in the ~75% range. The CE Shop’s pass rate is consistently high because students can take as many practice tests as they want to. 90% of students pass on the first try, 6% pass on their second attempt, and 1% of students get their license after the third try.

Course Duration: 4.5 out of 5. Life can get busy, but The CE Shop is one of the most flexible courses available. You can use the mobile interface to access your course whenever you want, wherever you are. And the New York course is relatively short (only 77 hours), but some students do run into issues or want to know what their options are if they need more time to take the course.

Luckily, you have six months to finish the course. If you aren’t able to get it done in that amount of time, you can extend for one extra month free of charge. After that, you can choose to pay 20% of the retail price to extend for one month at a time. However, this option expires 1 year after the date of your original purchase. That is one of the most generous extension polices available in New York, as they are really willing to work with students to make sure they succeed.

Support: 4.6 out of 5. The CE Shop’s customer support team is very accessible. They are available 7/365, and do respond quickly in a number of different ways. They make the contact information easy to find on their website, and they are always very polite when answering questions.

Students can call the support team directly, or send an email to an actual person. While both of those are great options, I preferred using the live chat feature. They can help you troubleshoot in real time so that you can move on with the course without any stress.

Refund Policy: 4.7 out of 5. You can contact the customer support team if you are unhappy with your course in any way, or if you want to switch packages. They can give your money back in full as long your refund request is in the first 30 days of your purchase. If you change your mind about getting a license, just make sure you haven’t completed more than 50% of the course.

The best offer that The CE Shop has though, is the 5-day free trial. You can test drive the course to make sure that it’s the right fit before putting any money down. This is not something that other courses like Aceable or Colibri Real Estate offer, so it’s a great option to give you peace of mind.

Overall Value & Recommended Package: Overall, I would recommend The CE Shop’s New York pre-licensing course if you are looking for something that is easy to navigate. I’d suggest taking a look at the Premium package because it comes with the pass guarantee, your continuing education package, and even career resources that you can take with you when you start your new career.

RealEstateU is the cheapest course in New York, and with that comes pros and cons. While you can rest assured you won’t be paying premium prices, you also won’t get the resources and study materials that you do with other online real estate schools.

That being said, the sweet spot is the flexibility the course provides. You can fly through the material as quickly as you want to. The other added bonus is the 12 months of access you get upfront. There are no time limits or restrictions on the lessons, which is why RealEstateU made my list as the quickest real estate school in New York.

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 scheduled by an AgentAdvice recruiter 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.

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Convenience: 4.4 out 5. More than 140,000 real estate professionals have used RealEstateU to get their real estate license in New York. Many students choose it because it is one of the quickest options out there, and you can access the course from your computer, smartphone, or tablet. While the interface does feel cheap in some ways, I did appreciate the step-by-step checklist they provide at the beginning to help you navigate through the course. It uses a progress tracker to let you know what steps are next, that way you don’t fall behind.

The biggest downfall of RealEstateU is their boring content. While some states come with videos and interactive games, the New York course is pretty reading intensive. If you prefer this old-school learning approach, then RealEstateU might be the course for you. However, I found it was hard to retain information in this format.

Pass Rate: 4.3 out 5. RealEstateU’s pass rate is the lowest on this list of schools, but it’s still fairly high. 81% of students pass their real estate test on the first try, which is higher than the state average. Of course you can choose a school like Aceable or The CE Shop if you want the best chance of passing, but many students opt to take their course through RealEstateU and then pay for a test prep for an additional cost from another provider.

Course Duration: 4.5 out of 5. RealEstateU doesn’t offer extension options in New York, but their initial access lasts for 12 months. Many other providers start at 6 months and then require students to extend if they aren’t finished in the allotted time. If you want more time to finish your course, then you can purchase it again. While there are downsides to that, the price point is cheaper than many other schools. However, if you do need to buy the course again, you’ll have to start over the lessons over from the beginning.

Support: 3.8 out of 5. RealEstateU’s customer support team is pretty frustrating to say the least. I had a quick question and the only way to reach out to someone was through a contact box on their website. They don’t offer live chat, nor do they have a phone number or direct email address. You can check their FAQs page if you think your issue might be widespread, but I didn’t find it very helpful.

Refund Policy: 4.6 out of 5. It’s important to note that RealEstateU doesn’t offer free trials or money-back guarantees, but they do offer a 30-day refund policy for classes that are not completed. Keep in mind that $20 may be deducted from your refund depending on the class you are enrolled in. This is pretty standard, and other schools like The CE Shop and Colibri Real Estate offer similar.

Overall Value: Overall, I wouldn’t say that RealEstateU’s New York pre-licensing course is the best pick, but it does get the job done if you’re on a tight budget. For new agents, I’d suggest taking a look at Aceable’s exam prep option to pair with your REU course. This combo will make sure you have a reliable course that you can quickly work through, but will also give you the exam prep resources to make sure you feel prepared when studying for the test.

Colibri Real Estate’s course has the best refund policy in New York, 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 ($298-$529) 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.

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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 New York students is higher than the state average. About 85% of Colibri students go on to pass the state exam, and they’ve helped more than 520,000 aspiring agents get their license in New York. 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 New York pre-licensing course only takes 77 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 New York 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 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.

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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. 

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.”

NYREI’s classes are different than many of the other options available in New York….and different isn’t a good thing. If you really thrive in a traditional classroom setting with in-person instructors, this is the best course available. However, the old-school approach does come at a cost, as NYREI is really expensive, especially compared to the other schools on this list.

NYREI does have a “zoom classroom” option…but since they’re not a company that specializes in digital learning (like Aceable or The CE Shop), it’d be a lot like going to a Mexican restaurant and ordering chicken tenders…it just doesn’t make sense because it’s not what they’re known for.

See Pricing

Convenience: 3.9 out 5. The high price point and lack of online options weren’t things I was very impressed with, but if you really need an in-person option, it’s the best of what is out there. Unfortunately, NYREI’s classes largely take place during the day. This can be tricky for students who are working full-time or have a busy schedule. As I said above, they do offer online and “livestream” classes, but the online courses just aren’t as good as the more modern online real estate schools. Because of that, this review is going to focus on their in-person class.

For decades, NYREI has boasted about their traditional classroom approach, and they were very popular before online options were readily available. They only have campuses available in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, and Westchester. So while they are primarily in the city, that comes with its own set of struggles. One of the main complaints about NYREI is the lack of parking at their various campuses. Obviously traffic and travel can be unpredictable in New York City as well, so in-person is just not for everyone. If you have a busy schedule like I do, it just isn’t possible. BUT – if you really, really value one-on-one time with instructors, and that’s what suits your learning style – this is the best in-person school in New York.

Pass Rate: 4 out 5. NYREI doesn’t have the highest pass rates, especially when you look at the time and effort you’ll have to put in. What they do have is more connections and enrolled students than any other real estate school provider in New York. They have helped more than 100,000 students get their real estate license over the years, and they often boast about their ability to accommodate different learning styles. And while the 90% pass rate is pretty great, it’s still lower than The CE Shop’s and Aceable’s that can help you pass the test without you having to commute daily.

Course Duration: 3.8 out of 5. The New York real estate course is fairly short (77 hours), so a lot of students want to power through it as quickly as possible. However, NYREI makes that a little more difficult than other courses because you have to rely on instructor availability and classroom hours. While other schools like Aceable or even Colibri Real Estate allow you to knock out a good chunk of the course in a single session, you are at the mercy of others with NYREI.

You also only have access to the course for 4 months! That is shorter than any other provider. If you need more time you can extend for two months, but you’ll have to pay an additional $150. That means you are paying upwards of $1,000 for the education process alone. That doesn’t even include the state fees you’ll have to pay later.

Support: 4.1 out of 5. NYREI’s customer support team is pretty lackluster. You can go in-person to talk with someone during regular business, but there is no street parking Monday-Friday. You will have to pay for parking to talk with an IT person. They do have phone numbers available for each branch location, but I didn’t have any luck getting someone to answer.

Your other option is to fill out a contact form on the website itself. You can select to send it directly to the “sales” department or the “customer support” department depending on what questions you have. All in all, it was not easy to get answers without having to go out of your way.

Refund Policy: 3.7 out of 5. I wasn’t looking for a refund, but because NYREI is so expensive, I’ve included it in the review. NYREI is really strict when it comes to returns. You have only 3 days to request a refund, and even then you’ll lose a chunk of your money. If you don’t submit a written request within 3 days you will lose your money completely.

Overall Value & Recommended Package: Overall, I only recommend NYREI’s New York pre-licensing course if you are without a doubt looking for an in-person option. For new agents, I’d suggest taking a look at Aceable’s Deluxe Package instead. You can enjoy the perks of interactive, engaging content, but can also take the course from the convenience of your home without having to commute to a campus every day.