Qualifying Tennessee High School Seniors Can Participate in Free Real Estate Licensing Program

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance’s (“TDCI”) Division of Regulatory Boards proudly announces the launch of the Tennessee High School Senior Real Estate Licensing Program.

Created with the financial support of the Tennessee Real Estate Commission, the program gives qualifying Tennessee high school seniors across the Volunteer State a free way to jump start their real estate sales careers while completing high school.

“The Tennessee High School Senior Real Estate Licensing Program is an extension of our Department’s mission to empower professionals by giving high school students a way to begin a potentially high-earning career in real estate upon their graduation,” said TDCI Commissioner Carter Lawrence. “I am excited to support this program as it offers specialized education and training while giving Tennessee’s next generation a way to start exploring their career opportunities, gain more experience, and potentially build their savings.”

Details of the program include:

• Successful students must complete the 60-hour Tennessee Affiliate Broker pre-licensing course as well as the 30-hour Tennessee New Affiliate course through TDCI’s licensing education partners at Kaplan, a U.S.-based global educational services company.
• Once students have enrolled, they have six to 12 months (even after high school graduation) to complete the program.
• Upon completion of the courses, students must successfully complete state and national real-estate exams.

An FAQ page about the program can be found here.

“By covering the costs of the required coursework while students are still finishing their high school coursework, the Tennessee Real Estate Commission is helping grow Tennessee’s workforce and strengthen our economy,” said TDCI Assistant Commissioner for Regulatory Boards Alex Martin.

“I congratulate the Commission for their vision to launch this program and the hard work of our staff to bring it to fruition.”

“The creation of this program sends a strong message that the Tennessee Real Estate Commission is dedicated to helping bolster the state’s economy by creating the next generation of real estate professionals across Tennessee,” said Commission Chairman Geoff Diaz. “I believe a career in real estate can be among the most rewarding professions a person can pursue. This program offers high school seniors an entry point to this profession earlier than ever before.”

While the program is available to all Tennessee graduating seniors, the program has a dedicated focus on Tennessee’s economically distressed counties.

“This program will help encourage high school seniors who might not have plans to attend a trade school or a university to gain a professional education that can lead to personal improvement,” said Commission Executive Director Denise Beard Baker. “I encourage interested educators, parents, and students to reach out to me with their questions directly by email at trec.hsprogram@tn.gov in order to learn more about this program.”

An application to the program can be found here.

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