Build an online Ohio real estate CE course the Division will approve
Ohio gives distance education its own approval rule, and it asks for more than content. The Division wants a full copy of the course, proof students cannot sit passively, reasonable assurance of who did the work and a completion list every ten days. Vaylo Studios builds that course software for your school and hands you the code.
What Ohio Division of Real Estate requires of an online course
Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing. Summarized from the rule text, with the citation for each so you can check it yourself.
- 01
Apply forty-five days out with a full copy of the course
OAC 1301:5-7-08(B) and (D)
A distance education course is filed with a nonrefundable $200 fee at least forty-five days before its first offering, and courses completed before approval do not count. The application includes a complete copy of the course, a summary of course design showing how active participation is ensured, a detailed outline, a time sequence for the hours and an estimated completion time.
- 02
Students may not sit passively and watch
OAC 1301:5-7-08(E)(2) to (4)
The course must provide substantial student interaction, and students may not merely sit passively and observe or read. It also needs an orientation package covering subject matter, objectives, completion requirements, hardware and software and support, plus instructor and technical support.
- 03
Reasonable assurance of who did the work
OAC 1301:5-7-08(E)(5) and (J)
The provider must have procedures that give reasonable assurance of the student identity and that the student receiving credit actually performed all the work. A course without institutional controls on the pace of instruction may be denied.
- 04
Hours measured without interruption
OAC 1301:5-7-08(C) and (F)
For distance education, hours of classroom education means the time necessary to complete the course without interruption. Courses may only cover the topic areas listed for continuing education.
- 05
A completion list every ten days
OAC 1301:5-7-08(H) and (I); OAC 1301:5-7-04(B) and (C)
Every ten days the provider sends the Division a list of licensees who completed the course, with the course certification number, approved hours, completion date, name and formatted license number. Certificates follow the content and correction rules for all CE certificates.
- 06
Approval runs by calendar year
OAC 1301:5-7-08(K); OAC 1301:5-7-04(D)
Distance course approval is valid for the calendar year and renews by December 31 with a $60 fee. A renewal filed after January 31 is treated as a new course. Attendance records are kept for six years.
Would your course pass Ohio Division of Real Estate today?
6 questions, one per rule above, about how you deliver the course now. You see the result right away.
OAC 1301:5-7-08(B) and (D)
Apply forty-five days out with a full copy of the course
A distance education course is filed with a nonrefundable $200 fee at least forty-five days before its first offering, and courses completed before approval do not count. The application includes a complete copy of the course, a summary of course design showing how active participation is ensured, a detailed outline, a time sequence for the hours and an estimated completion time.
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.
Interaction that keeps the student working
Questions, scenarios and decisions placed through every unit, so the course design summary the Division asks for describes real participation and not a slideshow.
Pace controls and identity checks
Minimum time per section, no skipping ahead and identity confirmation during the course, which together support the identity assurance in paragraph (E)(5) and the pace controls in paragraph (J).
Orientation and support built in
Students see the objectives, completion requirements and system needs before they start, with instructor and technical support reachable from every page.
The ten day completion list, generated for you
Completions are batched with the certification number, approved hours, date, name and formatted license number, ready to send to the Division every ten days.
Renewal reminders and six year records
Each course carries its calendar year approval, with a reminder well before December 31. Attendance records stay on file for six years.
The path to Ohio Division of Real Estate approval
- 1
File the distance education application with the $200 fee at least forty-five days before the first offering (OAC 1301:5-7-08(B)).
- 2
Include the complete course copy, design summary, outline, time sequence and estimated completion time (OAC 1301:5-7-08(D)).
- 3
Cure any deficiency the Division identifies within the 30 day window (OAC 1301:5-7-08(G)).
- 4
Renew by December 31 each year with the $60 fee (OAC 1301:5-7-08(K)).
- 5
For post-licensing, apply at least ninety days before the offering and follow the commission curriculum or learning objectives (OAC 1301:5-7-09).
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 Ohio prelicense real estate courses be offered online?
Ohio law sends prelicense education through institutions of higher education, which may deliver it by classroom instruction or distance education. For noncredit offerings, the institution gets approval from the appropriate state authorizing entity before marketing the course. A private school building an online catalog usually starts with continuing education under OAC 1301:5-7-08.
Does Ohio require ARELLO certification or a proctored exam?
Neither appears in the distance education rule. Ohio asks instead for substantial interaction, controls on pace and procedures that give reasonable assurance of the student identity.
Can online post-licensing count in Ohio?
Statute allows post-licensing by classroom instruction or distance education. Providers apply at least ninety days before the offering, and the rule ties certification to being physically present for at least 90 percent of the course, so confirm with the Division how that applies to a distance version before you build.
Do we own the platform and the code?
Yes, both, along with the student data and the domain. There are no per-student fees, only a set price per course, with the remaining balance paid when the Division 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 Ohio Division of Real Estate 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
- OAC 1301:5-7-02, continuing education requirements
- OAC 1301:5-7-03, course approval
- OAC 1301:5-7-04, attendance and certificates
- OAC 1301:5-7-08, distance education
- OAC 1301:5-7-09, post-licensing
- ORC 4735.09, salesperson license education
- ORC 4735.07, broker license education
Read from the sources above on October 17, 2026. Rules change, so confirm the current text with Ohio Division of Real Estate before you apply. This page is not legal advice.