South Carolina Real Estate Associate License requirements

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

1. 1

   Complete Unit I (60-hour fundamentals)

   § 40-57-320. Unit I is what makes you eligible to apply and take the exam. A Georgia 75-hour course does not substitute. A first-time certificate is good for five years.

2. 2

   Apply to the Commission ($25), then fingerprint (SLED/FBI/SSN) after the application

   Notarize pages 4 and 6. Pay to complete the portal file. Do not get fingerprinted first. Wait for [email protected], then wait 48 hours before booking PSI.

3. 3

   Sit PSI ($67): 80 national / 120 min (56 to pass) + 40 state / 80 min (28 to pass)

   Pass both portions within one year of eligibility. Combined 200 minutes. PSI, not Pearson, gives the exam. Centers in Greenville, Columbia, North Charleston, Beaufort, Myrtle Beach, Charlotte.

4. 4

   Complete Unit II (30 hours), Supervision Attestation under a BIC, pay the invoiced $50

   Within one year of passing. If no brokerage is listed on the attestation, the license issues inactive and no card is mailed. Calendar 10-hour CE (4 core + 6 elective) on the biennial cycle. Broker later: 21, five years in seven, Unit IIIA+IIIB.

Minimum age

18 years old

Identification

A Social Security number is required. An ITIN is not confirmed as a substitute.

Residency and identification

Age 18 for associate (§ 40-57-310(2)); high school diploma or a certificate of equivalency recognized by the State Department of Education. South Carolina residency is not independently required; a nonresident who is licensed must still be licensed under a South Carolina BIC if practicing here, or may skip a South Carolina office if they maintain an active office in the state of residence (§ 40-57-120). DACA status recipients cannot receive a professional license (S.C. Code § 8-29-10; LLR associate page). Reciprocity is only Georgia and North Carolina under current Commission agreements. An individual who holds an active real estate license in another state, or whose license expired not more than six months before application, sits the state portion only but still satisfies South Carolina education (§ 40-57-320(B)(6)). JD, bachelor of law, or a baccalaureate/master’s with a major in real estate from an accredited college may substitute for Unit I+II (§ 40-57-320(A)(1)(b)).

Qualifying education

§ 40-57-320(A)(1)(a): 60 hours classroom instruction in fundamentals of real estate principles and practices and 30 hours classroom instruction in advanced real estate principles within five years before the application. The applicant may sit the license examination before completing the 30 hours of advanced instruction. Per the associate page, the Unit II certificate is submitted after the exam through Document Submission and does not apply to reciprocity applicants. First-time course certificates are good for five years; applicants reapplying after failing to complete both exam portions successfully have a three-year course window (Commission FAQ). JD / bachelor of law / real-estate baccalaureate or master’s may substitute. A North Carolina 75 or a Georgia 75 is not Unit I+II unless you are on the GA/NC reciprocal row. Unit IIIA/IIIB are broker courses, not associate courses; completing them as an associate exempts CE for that renewal period.

Education or filing deadline

Unit I+II within five years before application (statute). Exam eligibility one year from Commission approval with unlimited retakes; if you fail to complete both portions, reapply only if qualifying courses were completed fewer than three years before the new exam application (§ 40-57-320(B)(3)). License application within one year of passing both portions or retake all portions. After the pass, Unit II + Supervision Attestation + invoiced fee must still be submitted within that one-year license-application window (per the associate page, examination applicants submit the final packet within one year of passing).

Character review

SLED/FBI/SSN checks plus application criminal-history questions. Disclose convictions (not expunged). Pardons are disclosed. Non-disclosure is independently disqualifying. Denied applicants wait 24 months to reapply unless they prevail on APA appeal (§ 40-57-320(B)(5)).

Background process

After application: SLED fingerprint, FBI fingerprint, and SSN-based check (§ 40-57-115). The applicant pays. Results take three or more weeks. Do not submit before the application, and do not use a CWP fingerprint packet. The check repeats every third renewal.

Experience

No licensed experience for associate. Affiliation under a South Carolina broker-in-charge is required to practice on active status. Broker later: age 21, five years of active associate licensure within the past seven years, plus Unit IIIA (30-hour Broker Management) and Unit IIIB (30-hour Brokerage Principles).

Broker affiliation

An active associate must be licensed under a South Carolina broker-in-charge and may not be licensed with more than one BIC at the same time (§ 40-57-330(B)). Per the associate page, file the Supervision Attestation Form after you pass (do not mail it; upload it via Document Submission in the Licensee Portal). If a brokerage is not identified on that form, the license issues inactive and will not be mailed. Inactive associates cannot practice, including referrals (§ 40-57-110(B)(1); § 40-57-710(A)(12)). There is no “referral license” status — active or inactive only. Transfer is Update My License → Transfer License in the eService portal.

PSI Services LLC after Commission eligibility. https://test-takers.psiexams.com/scre (855) 340-3701. Bulletin updated 8/27/2026. 48-hour import delay after the LLR email. Pearson VUE does not administer this exam. · Fee: $67

Bulletin 8/27/2026: Both Portions $67, One Portion $59, valid one year from payment, not refundable or transferable. Unlimited retakes within one year of Commission eligibility. Both portions must still be passed within that year. License application within one year of passing both or retake all portions. You cannot schedule a new appointment the same day you test. Cancel 2 days in advance; no-show, late, or missing ID forfeits. Wait 48 hours after the eligibility email before registering. Do not mail the score report; PSI transmits it. The LLR fee sheet (Rev. 2/20) still lists $63/$55; pay the current PSI fee ($67/$59).

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

LLR fee sheet Rev. 2/20: examination application $25; vendor fee “currently $63 both / $55 state”; the 8/27/2026 PSI bulletin sets $67 both / $59 one, which is what you pay PSI. New license: the sheet’s salesperson row is $50 biennial (the credential is now associate). Renewal FAQ: Associate License $45; late $15 per month beginning July 1 through December 31; after December 31 the licensee must reapply. Inactive biennial on the sheet $120. License transfer $0; duplicate $10; certification $5; personal name change $10; activate from inactive $10. BIC/PMIC original $250, broker/PM $125. Application and initialLicense are sequential ($25 then invoiced $50 after Unit II + attestation). Do not mail a check; the Commission invoices after Document Submission. Education and Research Fund may take up to $10 of a renewal (§ 40-57-70(C)).

• !

  Calling it a salesperson license and expecting a salesperson license certificate

  Under 2024 Act 204, the license is called associate. The fee sheet’s “salesperson” row uses the old name for this credential. North Carolina’s provisional broker is a different license in a neighboring state.

• !

  Sitting PSI before Unit I, or skipping Unit II because you already passed

  Unit I is eligibility. Unit II is issuance. The statute lets you sit before the 30; it does not let you skip the 30. Reciprocal GA/NC is the Unit II exception.

• !

  Booking PSI during the 48-hour import window, or mailing the score report

  Wait for [email protected] plus 48 hours. PSI transmits scores. If you book before the import, you risk losing the $67 fee.

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  Fingerprinting before the application, or attaching a CWP / other-board print

  The FAQ is explicit: do not get fingerprinted before you apply. § 40-57-115 results are purpose-limited. Expect results three or more weeks after the application.

• !

  Paying the Rev. 2/20 $63/$55 vendor fee, or treating $25 as the whole original license cost

  The 8/27/2026 PSI bulletin sets $67 both / $59 one. The original license costs $25, then an invoiced $50 after Unit II and the attestation. Do not mail a check.

• !

  Leaving the Supervision Attestation blank and expecting an active card in the mail

  Without a BIC, the license issues inactive and no card is mailed, and inactive licensees cannot take referrals. List a BIC, or file inactive deliberately.

• !

  Importing a Georgia 75 or a North Carolina 75 as Unit I+II without using the reciprocity agreement

  Reciprocity is a named GA/NC agreement with its own application. Everyone else completes SC education. State-portion-only is for current (or ≤6-month-expired) out-of-state licenses, and it does not waive Unit I+II.

• !

  Reading 70% as 56 of 80 only, or as Missouri’s 100-at-70 plus 40-at-75

  South Carolina associate is 56 of 80 and 28 of 40. Combined 200 minutes, not Missouri’s 270. Experimental items do not count against your time.

• !

  Letting the one-year eligibility window or the one-year pass-to-licensure window expire

  Pass both portions within one year of approval. Then apply (Unit II + attestation + fee) within one year of passing, or retake all portions. If a window closes, you reapply from scratch, including the application fee and transcripts.

• !

  Taking referrals on inactive, lapsed, or canceled status

  § 40-57-710(A)(12). There is no referral license. A license canceled after 24 months lapsed requires a new paper application at current requirements.

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  DACA filing, or treating a lawful-presence checkbox as optional

  Per the LLR associate page and § 8-29-10, the notarized Verification of Lawful Presence is a required document, and DACA recipients cannot be licensed.

§ 40-57-120: the Commission may recognize active-status licenses from other jurisdictions only if that jurisdiction recognizes South Carolina licenses and has a reciprocity agreement. The current list is Georgia and North Carolina only. Non-GA/NC out-of-state licensees sit the state portion only (if active or expired ≤6 months) and still complete South Carolina education. Reciprocity application is good one year from receipt. DACA still cannot license.

South Carolina vs neighboring states

Hours are the pre-license total printed in each guide; states that count credits or named courses show “See guide.” Published state fees add the application, exam, initial-license, and fingerprint amounts the guide can cite — tuition is not included.

Does South Carolina issue a salesperson license?

No. 2024 Act 204 substituted associate for salesperson throughout Chapter 57. § 40-57-30(5) is the definition. This guide is listed under salesperson to match other states, but the license is called associate. North Carolina says provisional broker. Georgia still says salesperson. South Carolina says associate.

How many prelicense hours?

Unit I 60 hours (fundamentals) before you apply and sit, Unit II 30 hours (advanced principles) before issuance. § 40-57-320(A)(1)(a) expressly lets you sit before finishing the 30. Reciprocal GA/NC applicants skip Unit II. A single 90-hour course that does not separate the two units will not count as the two required certificates.

What is the PSI sitting?

Bulletin 8/27/2026: Associate 80 national / 120 minutes (56 to pass) and 40 state / 80 minutes (28 to pass), combined 200 minutes. Both portions $67; one portion $59. 5–10 experimental items are unscored and do not count against time. You need Commission eligibility first, followed by a 48-hour import delay. PSI, not Pearson, gives the exam.

Do I fingerprint before I apply?

No. FAQ: do not submit the background check before the application. Submit the SLED fingerprint, FBI fingerprint, and SSN-based check after the file is in. Results take three or more weeks. A CWP print will not be accepted. The check repeats every third renewal.

What does the original cost?

Application $25 (nonrefundable) + PSI $67 both portions + invoiced initial license $50 on the Rev. 2/20 sheet (renewal FAQ currently $45 to renew). Plus fingerprinting and Unit I/II tuition. Do not mail a check; wait for the invoice after Unit II and the Supervision Attestation.

Who supervises me?

A South Carolina broker-in-charge. Not an employing broker or qualifying broker. If no BIC is listed on the attestation, the license issues inactive and no card is mailed. Inactive licensees cannot take referrals. You may have one BIC at a time.

Can I get licensed by reciprocity from any state?

No. According to the Commission’s pages, reciprocity is with Georgia and North Carolina only. Licensees from other states sit the South Carolina state portion (if the other license is active or expired ≤6 months) and still complete SC education. DACA recipients cannot be licensed.

What CE applies?

Active associate or broker: 10 hours biennially, 4 mandatory/core + 6 elective, tracked in CE Broker, due in the April–June open renewal of the expiry year. BIC: 4-hour BIC course + 4-hour core + 2 elective. Inactive: no CE until reactivation. Carry forward up to 4 elective hours (§ 40-57-340(C)). Associates who complete Unit IIIA+IIIB are exempt for that renewal period. Age 65 + 25 years SC licensure: full waiver; 25 years: partial (core only). 2025 Act 27: nonresident who satisfied home-state CE may be exempt with Commission approval. Georgia residents licensed in both states self-report a CE exemption through CE Broker.

When does the license expire?

Biennial, coinciding with the CE deadline; approximately half the licensees renew even years and half odd years (§ 40-57-340(A)(3)). Renewal FAQ: licenses expire June 30; late $15 per month July 1–December 31; after that you reapply. Lapsed and not reinstated by the last day of the 24th month is canceled (§ 40-57-110(E)), and you must then file a new paper application at current requirements. You are responsible for renewing whether or not you get the notice.

I have a JD. Do I still take Unit I and II?

§ 40-57-320(A)(1)(b) substitutes a JD, bachelor of law, or a baccalaureate/master’s with a major in real estate (or another Commission-approved course of study) for the 60+30. You still apply, still fingerprint, still sit both exam portions unless you are on a reciprocal row that waives them, still file the Supervision Attestation.

Can I warehouse the license inactive and still take referrals?

No. Inactive, lapsed, and canceled cannot practice, and § 40-57-710(A)(12) treats a referral fee as an act requiring a license. There is no referral status. Inactive still renews ($120 on the fee sheet) without CE until reactivation.

How long is the course certificate good?

FAQ: first-time associate/broker/BIC course certificate 5 years. Reapplying after failing to complete both exam portions: 3 years. Statute also wants Unit I+II within five years before application.