Build an online Colorado real estate course the Commission will approve
Colorado lets all 168 broker prelicense hours and every CE hour be delivered by distance learning. For distance CE, the Commission says it will approve delivery methods certified by ARELLO or a substantially equivalent authority. Vaylo Studios builds the course software to that standard, on your domain and owned by you.
What Colorado DRE requires of an online course
Colorado Real Estate Commission and Division of Real Estate. Summarized from the rule text, with the citation for each so you can check it yourself.
- 01
Distance learning counts for all 168 prelicense hours
4 CCR 725-1, Rule 2.1.A.2
Broker applicants complete 168 hours of classroom instruction or the equivalent distance learning hours, from an accredited college or university or a real estate school. The hours split into Real Estate Law and Practice (48), Colorado Contracts (48), Closings (at least 24), Trust Accounts and Record Keeping (at least 8), Current Legal Issues (at least 8) and Practical Application (at least 32).
- 02
Synchronous, asynchronous or hybrid
4 CCR 725-1, Rules 1.19 and 2.1.C
The rules define distance learning as any education process based on the geographical separation of student and instructor, and name synchronous, asynchronous and hybrid components. Whether classroom or distance, a course must rest on educational principles acceptable to the Commission.
- 03
CE providers apply thirty days ahead
4 CCR 725-1, Rule 4.6.A and B
CE providers must be approved before any offering, unless exempt, such as an accredited college or a government body. The application goes in at least thirty days before the initial course date with an outline or syllabus showing learning outcomes, objectives and time per topic, plus the course exam and answer sheet and instructor credentials. Approval lasts three years.
- 04
ARELLO certification for distance CE delivery
4 CCR 725-1, Rule 4.6.B.6
A distance CE provider submits evidence that its delivery method and course structure fit acceptable educational principles. The Commission will approve delivery methods certified by ARELLO, or by a substantially equivalent authority and method.
- 05
Full courses, fifty minute hours, eight a day
4 CCR 725-1, Rules 4.4.A.4, 4.5.A and F, and 4.7.B
A CE course runs at least one hour, each hour with at least fifty instructional minutes. No more than eight hours of credit count per day, the entire course must be completed, and the provider may not waive any part or grant partial credit.
- 06
The Annual Commission Update arrives as written
4 CCR 725-1, Rule 4.3
The Commission writes the four hour Annual Commission Update and gives it only to approved providers, who present it without added content and apply for it each year. Students pass with 70 percent on a written or online exam developed by the Commission, and a different exam is used for a retake.
- 07
Certificates, four years of records and open audits
4 CCR 725-1, Rules 2.1.D and 4.7
Completion certificates show the provider, course title, CE hours, course dates, student name, provider authentication and any Division approval number. Providers keep outlines and attendance records for four years and agree to audits at any time, and failing an audit can take a course off the approved list.
Would your course pass Colorado DRE today?
7 questions, one per rule above, about how you deliver the course now. You see the result right away.
4 CCR 725-1, Rule 2.1.A.2
Distance learning counts for all 168 prelicense hours
Broker applicants complete 168 hours of classroom instruction or the equivalent distance learning hours, from an accredited college or university or a real estate school. The hours split into Real Estate Law and Practice (48), Colorado Contracts (48), Closings (at least 24), Trust Accounts and Record Keeping (at least 8), Current Legal Issues (at least 8) and Practical Application (at least 32).
Does your current setup do this?
How the platform is built to it
Your course, on your site, under your name. Every requirement above is a feature, not a promise in the application.
One platform for prelicense and CE
The six prelicense subjects and your elective CE courses share a single catalog, each with its own hour count and subject breakdown. Students see progress against the Rule 2.1 minimums before they sit for the state exam.
Delivery built to pass an ARELLO review
Objectives per unit, interactive checks and remediation, with the design documentation ready for a certifying body. That is the evidence Rule 4.6.B.6 asks a distance CE provider to bring.
Hour and day caps enforced in software
Fifty instructional minutes per credit hour, no more than eight credited hours in a day and no partial completions. The platform will not issue a certificate for a course the student did not finish.
Annual Commission Update delivery
The Commission content loads untouched, the exam scores at 70 percent and a retake draws from the alternate exam. Your approval for the year is tracked so the course closes if it lapses.
Audit-ready records
Attendance, outlines and completion certificates are stored for four years and exportable in one pass. If the Commission requests instructional materials or attendance records, they are already organized.
The path to Colorado DRE approval
- 1
Confirm the school qualifies as a Real Estate School as defined in Rule 1.44, which borrows its definition from Colorado private occupational school law, or as an accredited college or university.
- 2
For CE, apply at least thirty days before the first course date with the outline, exam, answer sheet and instructor credentials (Rule 4.6.B).
- 3
For distance CE, include evidence of ARELLO certification of the delivery method, or of a substantially equivalent authority (Rule 4.6.B.6).
- 4
Apply each year to offer the Annual Commission Update (Rule 4.3).
- 5
Renew course approvals before the three year term ends (Rule 4.6.C).
The terms
We are building one right now for a state-approved online school in Virginia, in English and Spanish, on the same terms.
- One flat fee
- Quoted per course before any work starts. No hourly billing and no surprise line items.
- Final payment on approval
- The last payment is due when the regulator approves the course, so the platform has to pass review before it is paid for in full.
- No per-student fees
- You keep what every enrollment pays. Nothing is skimmed per seat, per certificate or per month of traffic.
- You own it
- The platform, the code and the student records are yours outright, on your site and under your brand.
Questions schools ask
Can Colorado broker prelicense be completed entirely online?
The rule allows it. Rule 2.1.A.2 accepts 168 hours of classroom instruction or the equivalent distance learning hours. Proof of the education is filed before the licensing exam, which a third-party testing service gives in a national part and a Colorado part.
Do Colorado online CE courses need ARELLO certification?
Rule 4.6.B.6 says the Commission will approve distance delivery methods certified by ARELLO or by a substantially equivalent authority and method. A provider without that certification still has to show the delivery method and course structure fit acceptable educational principles.
Does Colorado require a proctored final for online courses?
The Commission rules we read do not set a proctoring requirement. CE applications include the course exam and answer sheet, and the Annual Commission Update uses a Commission-written exam with a 70 percent pass mark.
Who owns the platform when it is done?
Your school does: the code, the domain and the student records. Each course is priced as one fixed fee, nothing is charged per student, and the final installment comes due when the Commission approves the course. Optional monthly upkeep covers hosting and rule changes. We are building one right now for a state-approved online school in Virginia, in English and Spanish, on the same terms.
Price your Colorado DRE course
Tell us the course and how you teach it now. You get a flat price back by email, and a list of what the application will ask about the platform.
Or email [email protected]
Sources
- 4 CCR 725-1, Chapter 1, definitions
- 4 CCR 725-1, Chapter 2, licensing education
- 4 CCR 725-1, Chapter 4, continuing education
- 4 CCR 725-1, Rules Regarding Real Estate Brokers
Read from the sources above on October 17, 2026. Rules change, so confirm the current text with Colorado DRE before you apply. This page is not legal advice.