MN real estate licensing guide

Minnesota

Minnesota salesperson is Course I (30 hours) then PSI — not Pearson — $68 combo at 75% independently scored, national 80 items (80 points) / 2.5 hours and Minnesota 50 items (50 points) / 1.5 hours (combo 130 / 4 hours), then Courses II and III (30 each) before the associated broker files the license on PULSE. Live August 2025 Guide (fetched 2026-09-02): initial salesperson totals $100 plus the $10 technology surcharge and includes $30 for the Real Estate Education, Research, and Recovery Fund; apply within one year of passing or retake; sitting before Course I invalidates the score. Broker is a separate 30-hour broker course (apply within 12 months of the course), three years of active salesperson experience in five with inactive months excluded or a named waiver, PSI broker 75 items carrying 80 points / 2.5 hours plus state 60 / 1.5 hours still at 75%, a Dual Application, a trust-account notice or notarized waiver, and $180 plus surcharge including $30 fund. CE is 30 hours by June 30 with 15 by the previous June 30, including 1 hour agency, 1 hour fair housing, and the named general module — except the first June 30 after original licensure. Torrens, wells, septic, and § 82.86 are scored Minnesota items — this paper cannot be renamed to Wisconsin's 72 or Iowa's 60-plus-three-live-12s.

Verified 2026-09-02

The Minnesota Department of Commerce, Real Estate Section, sits at 85 7th Place East, Suite 280, St. Paul, MN 55101-2198. Phone (651) 539-1599. Licensing.Commerce@state.mn.us. mn.gov/commerce. Statute: Minn. Stat. ch. 82 and ch. 45. PSI delivers the exam under the Candidate Information Bulletin at test-takers.psiexams.com/mnre ((866) 395-1006; 10/1/2023; bulletin 10958; fetched 2026-09-02). The live August 2025 Guide to Real Estate Licensing is the hour bible: Course I then the exam; Courses II and III before the broker files on PULSE. A Wisconsin 72 is a 13-hour reciprocity product, not Course I.

PSI seats 80 national items in 2.5 hours and 50 Minnesota items in 1.5 hours at 75% correct, $68 combo. 75% of 50 is 37.5 — the bulletin does not print 37 or 38. Apply within one year. Initial $100 plus $10 technology surcharge includes $30 Recovery Fund. You do not file the salesperson application; the broker does.

Broker is a 30-hour course, three years in five or a named waiver, PSI 75 items/80 points + 60 state, Dual Application, trust-account notice, $180 plus surcharge. South Dakota's broker-associate title, Iowa's 60-plus-three-live-12s, and Wisconsin's 72 are neighbor comparisons, not Minnesota's thesis. This paper cannot be renamed to another state: Course I is the exam gate, the broker files on PULSE, and Torrens is scored.

Licensing authority

Minnesota Department of Commerce, Real Estate Section

MN Commerce

A Commerce Department section — not a stand-alone real estate commission — that licenses Minnesota salespersons and brokers. Live August 2025 Guide (fetched 2026-09-02): three 30-hour courses (Course I, Course II, Course III); Course I before the salesperson examination; Courses II and III before the broker files the license on PULSE; apply within one year of passing or retake. PSI bulletin (10/1/2023): 90 hours restated the same way; combo $68 / split $45; 75% correct to pass; salesperson general 80 items (80 points) / 2.5 hours, state 50 (50 points) / 1.5 hours, both 130 / 4 hours. Initial salesperson fee totals $100 plus the current technology surcharge and includes $30 for the Recovery Fund. The Recovery Fund is a scored state-outline topic under § 82.86.

Minn. Stat. ch. 82 (brokers and salespersons, including Course I/II/III sequence and § 82.86 Real Estate Education, Research, and Recovery Fund); ch. 45 (Commerce powers, including § 45.24(f) technology surcharge). Live Minnesota Department of Commerce Guide to Real Estate Licensing (current as of August 2025) at mn.gov/commerce-stat/pdfs/re-license-guide.pdf, Real Estate applications page, and scheduling-exams page fetched 2026-09-02. PSI Real Estate Salesperson, Broker and Abstracter Candidate Information Bulletin at test-takers.psiexams.com/mnre, 10/1/2023, bulletin 10958, fetched 2026-09-02. PSI (866) 395-1006. PULSE at pulseportal.com. 85 7th Place East, Suite 280, St. Paul, MN 55101-2198 (651) 539-1599

Official commission site

License types in Minnesota

Next steps

Budget

Verified state fees

Application, exam, and fingerprint fees we could confirm. School tuition is not estimated.

Mobility

Reciprocity, endorsement, recognition

Mutual recognition, endorsement, Act 41, and the states that waive nothing.

Testing

National vs state portions

Pearson VUE, PSI, DRE, and DOS — and what actually fails people.