North Carolina Real Estate Agent / Broker Continuing Education Requirements
Requirements Overview
The North Carolina Real Estate Commission requires 8 hours of continuing education each license year. All brokers must complete a 4-hour Update course — either the General Update (GENUP) for provisional and non-BIC brokers, or the Broker-In-Charge Update (BICUP) for BIC-eligible licensees. This Update course must be taken live, either synchronous online or in-person. The remaining 4 hours are electives, which may be self-paced online.
North Carolina uniquely uses the term "broker" for all real estate licensees. There is no salesperson license — only provisional broker and full broker. Provisional brokers must also complete 90 hours of postlicensing education within 18 months of initial licensure, separate from annual CE.
The license year runs July 1 through June 30, with CE due by June 10. A blackout period from June 11 to June 30 prevents any CE courses from being offered or taken. If CE is not completed by June 10, the license transitions to inactive status on July 1. Courses must be completed within 30 days of enrollment or progress resets automatically.
Mandatory Topics
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Update (GENUP) | 4 | Every renewal | Required for provisional brokers and non-BIC brokers. Covers annual legislative and rule changes, market updates, and practice issues. Must be taken live (synchronous online or in-person). Course content changes each license year. |
| Broker-In-Charge Update (BICUP) | 4 | Every renewal | Required for BIC-eligible and designated Brokers-in-Charge. Covers BIC-specific responsibilities, supervision requirements, and annual legislative/rule changes. Must be taken live (synchronous online or in-person). |
Renewal Pathways
Exemptions
- First License Period — Brokers do not need to complete CE during the license period in which their license is first issued. CE must be completed before the second renewal.Must still complete 90-hour postlicensing education within 18 months if provisional broker
- Nonresident Exemption (Repealed) — Previously, nonresident brokers could be exempt from NC CE. Effective July 1, 2023, this exemption was repealed. All licensees must now complete NCREC-approved CE.Rule 58A .1711 repealed effective July 1, 2023
How You Can Complete Your CE
Provider Requirements
Only NCREC-approved courses and providers count for CE credit. Non-NCREC courses no longer qualify (equivalent credit eliminated July 1, 2023). Providers must report completions within 7 days.
Tips for North Carolina Real Estate Agents
- The Update course (GENUP or BICUP) must be live — synchronous online or in-person only. Self-paced versions do not count.
- Complete all CE by June 10, not June 30 — the June 11-30 blackout period means no courses are available during those weeks.
- As of July 1, 2023, non-NCREC-approved courses no longer qualify and nonresident broker CE exemptions were repealed.
- Finish each enrolled course within 30 days — if you exceed this window, your progress resets and you must start over.