Ohio insurance CE, built for online self-study
Ohio lets online self-study earn credit two ways, through interactive chapter questions or a scored final, and OAC 3901-5-03 sets the rules for both. We build the platform on your site, under your brand, to Chapter 3901-5.
What ODI requires of an online course
Ohio Department of Insurance (ODI). Summarized from the rule text, with the citation for each so you can check it yourself.
- 01
Two paths to self-study credit
OAC 3901-5-03(H)(1) and (H)(7)
An interactive online course closes every chapter with questions the student must answer correctly before advancing, and needs no final, but it must stop students finishing in an unreasonably short time. Otherwise the student needs 70 percent or more on a final.
- 02
Ten questions per credit hour
OAC 3901-5-03(H)(6) and (H)(8)
A final carries at least 10 questions for each credit hour and enough for two versions, each later version at least 50 percent new. Multiple choice items have at least four options and one correct answer, and final questions never repeat chapter questions.
- 03
No early access, no downloads
OAC 3901-5-03(H)(3), (4), (5) and (10)
Students enroll and pay before seeing material, cannot reach chapter questions or the final before reviewing the content, and cannot download or print either. The participant affidavit issues only after the course and exam are complete.
- 04
Instructors on call within 48 hours
OAC 3901-5-03(H)(9) and (H)(11)
Self-study providers keep qualified instructors available to answer questions within forty-eight hours by phone or email, and each student certifies finishing without assistance.
- 05
Courses from 1 to 21 hours
OAC 3901-5-03(D) and (G)(1)
A course is at least one and no more than twenty-one credit hours, in whole or half hours, with at least fifty minutes of instruction per hour. The application states how the provider assures participant identity, and ODI reviews it within thirty days.
- 06
Rosters in fifteen calendar days
OAC 3901-5-04(C)(10), (C)(12), (D)(2) and (G)(1); OAC 3901-5-06(E)(1)
Rosters are filed electronically no later than fifteen calendar days after completion with each agent name and NPN, with a participation fee of one dollar per agent per credit hour. Certificates issue within ten calendar days, and records are kept four years.
- 07
Three ways to pay ODI
OAC 3901-5-06(D)(2); OAC 3901-5-02(D); OAC 3901-5-03(G)(3)
Providers choose a flat $1,000 a year covering all course filings, $100 plus $40 per course, or a limited $25 plus $25 per course for up to three courses of three hours. Approvals run to December 31, with renewals due November 30.
Would your course pass ODI today?
7 questions, one per rule above, about how you deliver the course now. You see the result right away.
OAC 3901-5-03(H)(1) and (H)(7)
Two paths to self-study credit
An interactive online course closes every chapter with questions the student must answer correctly before advancing, and needs no final, but it must stop students finishing in an unreasonably short time. Otherwise the student needs 70 percent or more on a final.
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.
Chapter gates with a pace floor
Interactive courses hold each chapter until every question is answered correctly, keep the material open for reference, and enforce a minimum time against the approved credit hours.
A final bank built to OAC 3901-5-03
The bank enforces 10 questions per credit hour, four option items with one answer, two versions at least half new, and no overlap with the chapter questions.
Paywall, lockouts and a gated affidavit
Material opens after payment, questions open after the content, nothing downloads or prints, and the affidavit appears only once the course and exam are passed.
An instructor queue with a 48 hour clock
Student questions route to your instructors with the deadline on each one, and the no assistance certification is signed at completion.
Roster and certificate automation
Completions produce the roster with NPNs inside the fifteen day window and the certificate inside ten days, and records are retained four years.
The path to ODI approval
- 1
Apply as a CE provider on the ODI form and choose a fee option.
- 2
File each course with its credit hours, identity method and question samples or exam key.
- 3
Answer any deficiency letter by its deadline so the filing is not abandoned.
- 4
Run the course with chapter gates or the scored final active.
- 5
File rosters within fifteen calendar days and renew provider and courses by November 30.
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
Does an Ohio online CE course need a final exam?
Not if it is interactive. A course that requires every chapter question answered correctly before advancing can skip the final. Other self-study formats need 70 percent on a final.
How many questions does an Ohio final need?
At least 10 per credit hour, with enough to build two versions where each later version is at least 50 percent new.
When are rosters due to ODI?
No later than fifteen calendar days after the course is completed, filed electronically with the participation fee.
Who owns the platform when it is done?
You do, code included. We quote one flat fee per course, final payment is due when ODI approves the course, and there are no per-student fees. We are building one right now for a state-approved online school in Virginia, in English and Spanish, on the same terms.
Do you file the ODI applications for me?
You file as the provider. We prepare the platform documentation: chapter question counts, the exam key and how identity is assured.
Price your ODI 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
Read from the sources above on October 17, 2026. Rules change, so confirm the current text with ODI before you apply. This page is not legal advice.