This year, there will be very few licensees who are exempt from the annual continuing education (“CE”) requirements. With over 7,000 licenses issued in the 2022-2023 license year, the elimination of equivalent credit, and the repeal of CE exemptions for brokers licensed in another state, there are quite a few brokers who must now complete North Carolina approved CE for the first time. In this article, we will review the CE requirement, how a broker can check their license record, and where to find CE courses for credit.
Pursuant to Rule 58A .1702, all North Carolina brokers must complete eight hours of CE each license year. These eight hours of CE are earned by successfully attending a four-hour elective course and a four-hour General Update (GENUP) or Broker-In-Charge Update (BICUP) course. Brokers who are BIC-Eligible, whether they are designated as a Broker-In-Charge or not, must attend the BICUP course to satisfy their continuing education requirement. All other brokers must complete the GENUP course. Every broker licensed prior to July 1, 2023, must complete eight hours of continuing education by 11:59 PM EST on June 10, 2024, to remain eligible for active licensure.
If you are unsure whether you have completed any continuing education that applies to this year’s requirements, you can go to the Commission’s website and access your Licensee Login. On the Commission’s homepage, select Licensing, and then select Licensee Login. Once you have logged in, select “CE License Information.”
Under your name are two lines of text, “Current Update Hours completed for the 23-24 License Year” and “Elective Hours completed for the 23-24 License Year.” A four beside either of these phrases means that you have satisfied that portion of your CE requirement. If there is a zero, then you have not completed that CE requirement. Therefore, you will need to complete this requirement prior to June 10, 2024, at 11:59 PM EST to maintain an active license status on July 1st.
If you need to find an Update course, click the Education tab on the Commission’s homepage. In the drop-down select “Search CE Course Schedules.” You can then search for the course you need to complete and even limit your search to a specific location, education provider, instructor, etc. The course number for the synchronous (live online) GENUP course is 5924; the in-person one is 9924. The course number for the synchronous BICUP course is 5824; the in-person one is 8824. While the Update course can only be taken live, whether online or in-person, electives can be taken in-person, synchronously or via distance format (self-paced online).
NOTE: You can either search for live electives on this page or go to the Distance Continuing Education Providers page to find a provider that offers self-paced online electives.
For each CE course you complete, the education provider of that course is required to provide you with a course completion certificate and report your course completion to the Commission within 7 days. It is your responsibility to keep that course completion certificate in your personal records and review your license record to ensure the course completion has been reported. If the course has not posted to your license record within 10 days, contact the education provider and request that they report your course completion as soon as possible. In addition to completing your CE requirement, do not forget to renew your license between May 15th and June 30th. While you do not need to complete CE prior to renewing your license, you will need to complete it prior to June 10, 2024, at 11:59PM EST.