Does Mississippi issue a salesperson license, or is entry already called broker?

Salesperson. Original salesperson applicants must be Mississippi residents when that application is submitted (§ 73-35-7). Nonresident/reciprocal is a different application. Illinois-style "the first license is already broker" does not apply here.

How many pre-license hours, and are there named courses?

60 classroom hours of real estate courses from a college/community college or an MREC-approved provider. Two qualifying college real-estate courses (typically 3 semester hours / 45 classroom hours each) can substitute. Mississippi does not publish an Arkansas-style 30-hour principles split; the statutory unit is 60 hours in real estate.

What is the passing score and how long do I have after MREC approves me?

Salesperson national 70 percent (56 of 80) and state 75 percent (30 of 40), Rule 1.1 and the PSI bulletin. Two months from approval to pass both portions in the same window. State paper: two attempts then a three-month wait. Miss it and the file closes.

What is the 30-hour post-license course?

§ 73-35-14.5. After you pass, MREC issues a temporary license. Complete 30 hours — at least 24 in agency, contracts, earnest money, antitrust, fair housing, ethics, and property condition disclosure — in 15-hour increments, no more than 8 hours in a day, within 12 months, or the temporary license goes inactive and then expires. It cannot be renewed. The permanent license is what you renew.

Can I use Arkansas or Louisiana hours?

Original Mississippi applicants use Mississippi-approved hours or qualifying college real-estate courses. Sister-state hours for already-licensed people depend on a current reciprocal agreement and that state's approval of the provider. Contact MREC. A 60-hour Arkansas principles package is not automatically this 60.

Yes. § 73-35-16. Group policy the Commission bids, or independent coverage meeting the statutory floors ($100,000 per claim; deductibles not more than $2,500 damages and $1,000 defense per licensee per claim). Proof within 30 days of licensure. The state paper scores E&O under licensing-maintenance items.

What is salesperson CE after the permanent license issues?

§ 73-35-18: 16 clock hours per two-year renewal. The Commission may require named subjects for not more than 8 of those 16 hours. Up to 6 excess hours earned in the final three months may carry forward. Prelicense hours do not count as CE except in a narrow inactive-arrears case. Two-year salesperson renewal fee is $120 (Rule 2.1).

Do I need fingerprints?

Yes. § 73-35-10 fingerprint-based Mississippi DPS and FBI check, form and manner prescribed by MREC, for original and (with the 25-year-plus-age-70 exemption) renewal applicants.

Mississippi Salesperson License Requirements

Required education: 60 hours
Exam fee: $75
Published fees: $175
Typical timeline: Course length plus MREC review plus a two-month exam fuse

What to know first

Mississippi will not let a nonresident file an original salesperson application. Miss. Code Ann. § 73-35-7 and the MREC PSI Candidate Information Bulletin (updated 10/1/2023, still the bulletin hosted for the Mississippi program) require the applicant to be a bona fide resident of Mississippi when that application is submitted, and at least 18. Reciprocity and nonresident licensure are a different door, with their own form; where a current license-for-a-license agreement exists, the exam may be waived. Education is 60 classroom hours of real estate courses from a college/community college or a Mississippi-approved pre-license provider (list at mrec.ms.gov). College courses that count are real-estate courses only, acceptable toward a degree at a SACS-accredited (or comparable) institution; a three-semester-hour course is usually 45 classroom hours, so two qualifying college real-estate courses can substitute for the 60. A 60-hour Arkansas package that is 30 hours of Arkansas principles is not this 60.

MREC reviews the paper first. A Certificate of Completion of the education requirements and the proper fee must accompany a fully answered application — incomplete answers send the file back. After approval you get a test-approval letter with a two-month fuse: you have two months from approval to appear and pass both the National Portion and the State Specific Portion in the same eligibility period. Miss the window, fail to appear, or fail to pass both portions, and the fee is forfeited and the file is closed; you re-apply to the Commission to establish eligibility. PSI delivers the sitting at $75 for one portion or both (retakes $75). Salesperson General is 80 items (80 points) in 2.5 hours, cut 70 percent (56 points). Salesperson State is 40 items (40 points) in 1.5 hours, cut 75 percent (30 points). Combo is 120 items in 4 hours. You may sit the state portion only twice in those two months; fail state twice and you wait three months before re-applying. Pass state and fail national and you may retake national on an unlimited basis inside the same two months. Both portions must still be passed in that same window.

Passing does not produce a permanent license. § 73-35-14.5 issues a temporary license. The holder must complete a 30-hour post-license course prescribed by the Commission, in no less than 15-hour increments and no more than 8 hours in a single day, within 12 months of issuance or the temporary license is placed inactive; if the permanent license is not issued within one year following the first day of the month after issuance, the temporary license expires and lapses and cannot be renewed. Salesperson post-license content is named: at least 24 of the 30 hours in agency relationships, contracts, earnest money, antitrust, fair housing, ethics, and property condition disclosure; the remaining 6 hours in consumer-competency topics (pricing property, environmental issues, home inspections, leases and property management, mortgage processes). Affiliation is under a responsible broker. Active licensees carry errors-and-omissions insurance (§ 73-35-16). Background is a fingerprint-based Mississippi DPS and FBI check (§ 73-35-10).

Your path to the license

Follow these steps in order. Deadlines and affiliation requirements can make a passed exam unusable if they are missed.

Be a Mississippi resident (original salesperson file) and finish 60 classroom hours

College real-estate courses or an MREC-approved provider. Two qualifying 3-semester-hour real-estate courses can substitute. Nonresident/reciprocal is a different door.
File the MREC application with education proof, $100, and fingerprints

Every question answered. § 73-35-10 DPS/FBI prints. Incomplete files return. Two photographs are a broker-file item, not this one.
Sit PSI inside the two-month window — National 80 at 70% and State 40 at 75% ($75)

Both portions in the same eligibility period. State paper: two attempts then a three-month wait. Miss the window and the file closes.
Hang under a responsible broker; carry E&O; start the 30-hour post-license clock

Temporary license under § 73-35-14.5. E&O proof within 30 days. 24 of 30 post-license hours in the named salesperson subjects, in 15-hour increments, no more than 8 hours in a day, inside 12 months or the license goes inactive and then lapses.
Renew the permanent license: $120 for two years, 16 hours CE

§ 73-35-18: 16 clock hours per two-year renewal, of which required subjects may not exceed 8 hours. Up to 6 excess hours earned in the final three months may carry forward. Late renewal inside the grace period is 100% of the fee.

Education and eligibility

Minimum age: 18 years old
Identification: A Social Security number is required. An ITIN is not confirmed as a substitute.
Residency and identification: Original salesperson applicant must be a bona fide resident of Mississippi when the application is submitted (§ 73-35-7; PSI bulletin). Nonresident/reciprocal is a different application. Applicants already licensed elsewhere may use that state's approved hours only if a current reciprocal agreement is in force. Contact MREC for the live agreement that applies to your state rather than copying a third-party partner chart.
Qualifying education: Sixty classroom hours of real estate courses from a college/community college or from a Mississippi-approved pre-license education provider (PSI bulletin; § 73-35-7). College courses that count are real-estate courses only, acceptable for credit toward a degree at a SACS-accredited or comparable institution; a three-semester-hour course usually equals 45 classroom hours, so two qualifying college real-estate courses can substitute. Original Mississippi applicants use Mississippi-approved hours. Out-of-state provider hours for people already licensed elsewhere count only if that state approved both the courses and the provider and a current reciprocal agreement is in force.
Education or filing deadline: Exam eligibility after MREC approval is two months to pass both portions in the same window. The temporary license then starts a 12-month post-license clock (§ 73-35-14.5).
Character review: Trustworthy and competent to transact so as to safeguard the public (§ 73-35-7). Every question on the application must be answered or the file is returned. Disclose convictions. Non-disclosure is independently disqualifying. § 73-35-10 background investigation is a public-trust standard.
Background process: § 73-35-10: from and after July 1, 2016, all original broker, resident salesperson, and nonresident applicants — and all renewal applicants — undergo a fingerprint-based criminal history records check of the Mississippi central criminal database and the FBI criminal history database, in the form and manner the Commission prescribes, forwarded through the Mississippi Department of Public Safety. Persons licensed in Mississippi for at least 25 years and older than 70 are exempt from the criminal-background-check requirement of that section.
Experience: No licensed experience is required for the salesperson license. A responsible broker is required to practice. Broker upgrade is 12 months active plus 120 hours (or 150 degree-program hours without the year).
Broker affiliation: A Mississippi salesperson practices under a responsible broker. Transfer to another broker requires a transfer application signed by the new broker, the $50 transfer fee (Rule 2.1), and a statement that you are not carrying listings or information belonging to the former broker unless that broker consents. Inactive-to-active is $50; active-to-inactive is $25.

Documents to prepare

60-hour certificate or two qualifying college real-estate courses
MREC application with $100 application-and-one-year fee, fully answered
Fingerprint-based DPS/FBI check (§ 73-35-10)
PSI national 80 at 70% and state 40 at 75% inside the two-month window
Responsible-broker affiliation
30-hour post-license within 12 months of the temporary license
E&O proof within 30 days of licensure (§ 73-35-16)

The licensing exam

PSI after MREC approval (test-takers.psiexams.com/msre, (855) 557-0620). Bulletin updated 10/1/2023. Salesperson General: 80 items / 80 points / 2.5 hours / 70 percent (56 points). Salesperson State: 40 items / 40 points / 1.5 hours / 75 percent (30 points). Combo: 120 items / 120 points / 4 hours. $75 for one portion or both; retakes $75. Experimental items 5–10, unscored, count against time. National outline (salesperson weights): Property Ownership 10%, Land Use Controls 5%, Valuation 8%, Financing 10%, Contracts 19%, Agency 13%, Property Disclosures 7%, Property Management 3%, Transfer of Title 6%, Practice of Real Estate 12%, Calculations 7%. Mississippi state outline (40 items): Duties and Powers of the Commission 4; Out-of-State Brokers and Developers 4; Licensing Requirements and License Maintenance 4 (including continuing and post-licensing education, E&O, activities requiring a license, inactive status); Property Condition Disclosures 4; Agency Disclosure and Duties to Parties 8; Advertising/Marketing/Internet 3; Trust Accounts 4; Broker Responsibilities including Supervision of Sales Associates 6; Records and Documents 3. In-state PSI site includes Jackson (2679 Crane Ridge Dr, Suite B); out-of-state sites include Metairie and others on the bulletin list. Scores display on screen; unofficial paper report at the site.

PSI Services after MREC approval (855-557-0620 / test-takers.psiexams.com/msre). Bulletin updated 10/1/2023. · Fee: $75

Part	Questions	Minutes	Pass
Salesperson National / General	80	150	80 items / 80 points / 2.5 hours; 70% (56 points). $75 for one portion or both.
Salesperson State Specific	40	90	40 items / 40 points / 1.5 hours; 75% (30 points). Two sittings max in the two-month window; third fail of state requires a 3-month wait before re-applying.

Two months from MREC approval to pass both portions in the same eligibility period, or the file closes and the fee is forfeited. State portion: two attempts in that window; two failures require a three-month wait before re-applying for the salesperson exam. National: unlimited retakes inside the same two months if state is already passed. Both portions must still be passed in that same window. Retake fee $75 for one portion or both. Cannot schedule a new appointment the same day as a failure (processing); a Wednesday fail can retest as soon as Friday. Cancel 24 hours out or forfeit. Registration fees expire after one year of registering.

What to study

MREC-linked PSI Candidate Information Bulletin (10/1/2023)

PSI / MREC

Two-month fuse, $75, 80/40, 70%/75%, two-fail wait on state, Jackson site.
MREC Rules Part 1601 (rev. 2/21/2025), especially Rule 1.1 cuts and Rule 2.1 fees

MREC

Adopted cuts and dollars. Broker cuts are higher than salesperson cuts.
Miss. Code Ann. §§ 73-35-7, 73-35-10, 73-35-14.5, 73-35-16, 73-35-18

Mississippi Legislature

Residency, 60 hours, fingerprints, temporary/post-license, E&O, 16-hour CE.
MREC Chapter 4 Agency Relationship Disclosure and property-condition disclosure statutes

MREC / Miss. Code

The 8 agency items and 4 disclosure items on the state paper.

Application costs

These are commission or testing-vendor amounts we can cite. School tuition and optional preparation products are private-market prices.

Fee	Amount
Application	$100
Examination	$75
Initial license	$100
Renewal (every 2 years)	$120

Rule 2.1 (rev. 2/21/2025): application and one year's use of license — salesperson $100, broker $100. Two-year renewal (maximum) — salesperson $120, broker $150, branch $100. Late renewal within grace period 100%. Transfer $50, duplicate $50, place-of-business change $50, active-to-inactive $25, inactive-to-active $50. PSI $75 one portion or both. Same dollars for resident and nonresident (Rule 2.2). Application fee is not refunded after the applicant is scheduled for the examination.

Commission	Mississippi Real Estate Commission (601) 321-6970 Miss. Code Ann. §§ 73-35-1 et seq. (Real Estate Brokers License Law of 1954); § 73-35-7 (qualifications); § 73-35-10 (fingerprint background); § 73-35-14.5 (temporary license / 30-hour post-license); § 73-35-16 (E&O); § 73-35-18 (16-hour CE); MREC Rules Part 1601 (rev. 2/21/2025)
Pre-licensing	60 hours Sixty classroom hours of real estate courses from a college/community college or from a Mississippi-approved pre-license education provider (PSI bulletin; § 73-35-7). College courses that count are real-estate courses only, acceptable for credit toward a degree at a SACS-accredited or comparable institution; a three-semester-hour course usually equals 45 classroom hours, so two qualifying college real-estate courses can substitute. Original Mississippi applicants use Mississippi-approved hours. Out-of-state provider hours for people already licensed elsewhere count only if that state approved both the courses and the provider and a current reciprocal agreement is in force. Exam eligibility after MREC approval is two months to pass both portions in the same window. The temporary license then starts a 12-month post-license clock (§ 73-35-14.5).
Sponsoring broker	A Mississippi salesperson practices under a responsible broker. Transfer to another broker requires a transfer application signed by the new broker, the $50 transfer fee (Rule 2.1), and a statement that you are not carrying listings or information belonging to the former broker unless that broker consents. Inactive-to-active is $50; active-to-inactive is $25.
Fingerprints	§ 73-35-10 fingerprint-based check of the Mississippi DPS central criminal database and the FBI database, in the form and manner MREC prescribes. Required of original salesperson, broker, and nonresident applicants and of renewal applicants, with the 25-year-plus-age-70 exemption. A leftover Arkansas or Louisiana print is not this packet.
CE / renewal	After the permanent license issues: 16 clock hours of approved CE per two-year renewal (§ 73-35-18). Required subjects, if the Commission names them, may not exceed 8 of the 16 hours. Excess hours in the final three months of a cycle may carry forward up to 6 hours. The 30-hour post-license course is what converts the temporary license to permanent; it is not a substitute for later CE cycles. A temporary license is not subject to renewal procedures and may not be renewed. 100% of the renewal fee if late within the grace period (Rule 2.1). NSF checks not made good by the deadline put the licensee in non-renewal status with the same 100% penalty (Rule 2.2).
Recovery fund	Mississippi does not print a separately itemized recovery-fund assessment on Rule 2.1. The consumer-protection instruments the statute actually numbers next to licensure are the fingerprint public-trust check (§ 73-35-10) and mandatory errors-and-omissions insurance (§ 73-35-16) — group policy the Commission bids, or independent coverage at not less than $100,000 per claim with deductibles not more than $2,500 (damages) and $1,000 (defense) per licensee per claim. Proof of E&O is due within 30 days of licensure.

Mistakes that delay applicants

Filing an original salesperson application as a nonresident

§ 73-35-7: bona fide resident of Mississippi when that application is submitted. Reciprocal/nonresident is a different door. A Louisiana or Arkansas address on an original resident form comes back.
Letting the two-month exam window close

Both national and state must be passed in the same two-month eligibility period. Miss it, fail to appear, or fail both, and the file closes. State paper: two attempts then a three-month wait. National unlimited inside the window does not save a failed state paper after two tries.
Treating the passing score report as a permanent license

§ 73-35-14.5 issues a temporary license. Skip the 30-hour named post-license course and it goes inactive at 12 months and expires one year after the first day of the month of issuance. It cannot be renewed. 24 of those 30 hours are named subjects, not electives.
Treating a 60-hour Arkansas or Louisiana certificate as Mississippi hours

Original applicants use MREC-approved providers or qualifying college real-estate courses. Sister-state hours require a current reciprocal agreement plus that state's approval of the provider.
Skipping E&O or the fingerprint card

§ 73-35-16 proof is due within 30 days of licensure. § 73-35-10 prints are a condition of original licensure, not an errand you run after PSI. The state paper scores both.
Paying a blog's $120 as the original application fee

Rule 2.1: application and one year is $100 for a salesperson. $120 is the two-year renewal. $75 is PSI, not MREC. Mixing those three lines is how people overpay or underpay and stall the file.

Reciprocity and recognition

Partner / path	Accepted exam	Conditions
No formal bilateral reciprocity is published for this credential.

MREC: reciprocal agreements with states vary. Currently licensed active people from a state with a current license-for-a-license agreement may be exempt from the examination if that state's exam is equivalent and the other state extends the same privilege to Mississippi licensees (Rule 1.1.G; PSI bulletin). Sister-state prelicense hours count only if that state approved the provider and a current agreement is in force. This site does not copy a third-party partner chart. Contact the Commission for the agreement that applies to your state. Original nonresidents without that agreement complete Mississippi pre-license education and sit the exam.

Renewal and staying active

After the permanent license issues: 16 clock hours of approved CE per two-year renewal (§ 73-35-18). Required subjects, if the Commission names them, may not exceed 8 of the 16 hours. Excess hours in the final three months of a cycle may carry forward up to 6 hours. The 30-hour post-license course is what converts the temporary license to permanent; it is not a substitute for later CE cycles. A temporary license is not subject to renewal procedures and may not be renewed.

Late renewal: 100% of the renewal fee if late within the grace period (Rule 2.1). NSF checks not made good by the deadline put the licensee in non-renewal status with the same 100% penalty (Rule 2.2).

Initial application buys one year ($100). Subsequent salesperson renewals are two-year / $120. Do not treat the first-year temporary license as a renewable product.

Applicant checklist

Mississippi residency at original salesperson application
Age 18
60 classroom hours (or two qualifying college real-estate courses)
MREC application $100, fully answered
§ 73-35-10 DPS/FBI fingerprints
PSI National 80 at 70% and State 40 at 75% inside two months ($75)
Responsible broker hang
E&O within 30 days
30-hour named post-license inside 12 months of the temporary license

How Mississippi is different

Arkansas: 60 hours with 30 hours of principles, AREC then Pearson, 90-day filing fuse, 18-hour post-license. Louisiana: 90 hours including 30 Louisiana law. Tennessee: 60 plus a 30-hour post-license. Alabama is a different hour block and vendor. Mississippi: 60 classroom hours, original salesperson applicants must be residents when the application is submitted, MREC then PSI at $75, two-month exam fuse with a two-fail wait on the state paper, temporary license until a named 30-hour post-license course, $100 for the first year, then $120 for a two-year salesperson renewal, 16-hour CE, mandatory E&O.

Frequently asked questions

Does Mississippi issue a salesperson license, or is entry already called broker?: Salesperson. Original salesperson applicants must be Mississippi residents when that application is submitted (§ 73-35-7). Nonresident/reciprocal is a different application. Illinois-style "the first license is already broker" does not apply here.
How many pre-license hours, and are there named courses?: 60 classroom hours of real estate courses from a college/community college or an MREC-approved provider. Two qualifying college real-estate courses (typically 3 semester hours / 45 classroom hours each) can substitute. Mississippi does not publish an Arkansas-style 30-hour principles split; the statutory unit is 60 hours in real estate.
What is the passing score and how long do I have after MREC approves me?: Salesperson national 70 percent (56 of 80) and state 75 percent (30 of 40), Rule 1.1 and the PSI bulletin. Two months from approval to pass both portions in the same window. State paper: two attempts then a three-month wait. Miss it and the file closes.
What is the 30-hour post-license course?: § 73-35-14.5. After you pass, MREC issues a temporary license. Complete 30 hours — at least 24 in agency, contracts, earnest money, antitrust, fair housing, ethics, and property condition disclosure — in 15-hour increments, no more than 8 hours in a day, within 12 months, or the temporary license goes inactive and then expires. It cannot be renewed. The permanent license is what you renew.
Can I use Arkansas or Louisiana hours?: Original Mississippi applicants use Mississippi-approved hours or qualifying college real-estate courses. Sister-state hours for already-licensed people depend on a current reciprocal agreement and that state's approval of the provider. Contact MREC. A 60-hour Arkansas principles package is not automatically this 60.
Is E&O required?: Yes. § 73-35-16. Group policy the Commission bids, or independent coverage meeting the statutory floors ($100,000 per claim; deductibles not more than $2,500 damages and $1,000 defense per licensee per claim). Proof within 30 days of licensure. The state paper scores E&O under licensing-maintenance items.
What is salesperson CE after the permanent license issues?: § 73-35-18: 16 clock hours per two-year renewal. The Commission may require named subjects for not more than 8 of those 16 hours. Up to 6 excess hours earned in the final three months may carry forward. Prelicense hours do not count as CE except in a narrow inactive-arrears case. Two-year salesperson renewal fee is $120 (Rule 2.1).
Do I need fingerprints?: Yes. § 73-35-10 fingerprint-based Mississippi DPS and FBI check, form and manner prescribed by MREC, for original and (with the 25-year-plus-age-70 exemption) renewal applicants.

Primary Sources

Regulatory requirements on this page are drawn from the official board, statute, and exam-provider materials listed below.

Verified 2026-09-02 · Next scheduled review 2026-12-01