Education equivalency assessment is a process where an applicant’s prior related learning and/or real estate licencing history is assessed for a determination of what education will be required for registration as a salesperson or broker in Ontario.
Who is eligible to apply for an education equivalency assessment?
An individual may qualify to apply for an education equivalency assessment if they:
- Have previously been registered to trade in real estate in Ontario (no time limitation)
- Have previously been registered/licenced and authorized to trade in real estate in Canada (other than Ontario), in the past five (5) years.
- Are currently (or have been in the past five (5) years) registered/licenced and authorized to trade in real estate in another country.*
- Completed a recognized real estate registration or licence program (required to enter practice) in a Canadian jurisdiction in the past five (5) years.
- Completed the Salesperson Registration Education Program, or at least one of the following pre-registration courses at the OREA Real Estate College in the past five (5) years:
- The Real Estate Transaction General & The Residential Real Estate Transaction
- The Commercial Real Estate Transaction
- Real Property Law
- Completed the Real Estate Salesperson Program, or at least one (1) pre-registration course + examination at Humber Polytechnic in the past five (5) years.
Prior post-secondary academic education and/or knowledge gained from other related work experience is not eligible for education equivalency assessment.
Applicants who have completed a course through Humber Polytechnic but did not achieve a passing grade on the course’s exam, will not be credited for the course.
* To be eligible for education equivalency assessment, applicants must be from a country in which real estate is a regulated profession, with real estate licencing and education.
What courses or examinations will applicants be required to complete?
New applicants for registration as a salesperson or broker must complete the approved education program requirements. Eligible education equivalency assessment applicants will receive a decision outlining the specific education required to be eligible to apply for registration. This may include registration courses and examinations, simulation sessions, or continuing education (CE) courses.
It is important to note that the education equivalency assessment process does not typically allow for complete exemption from all education requirements necessary for registration as a salesperson or broker with RECO.
How to apply for education equivalency assessment
To apply, applicants must complete and submit the Education Equivalency Assessment Application form below, attach the documents to support their application, and pay the $100.00 application fee online. Payment instructions will be sent to you by email after your application has been received.
Education equivalency assessment application form (PDF)
Applicants must submit their completed application (as a PDF attachment) by email to education@reco.on.ca.
Applicants must fill in the Education Equivalency Assessment Application form, save it, and email it to RECO’s Education Department, or alternatively, scan their completed application form and submit it by email. Do not send photographs of the Education Equivalency Assessment Application form and/or supporting application materials. Photographs of government issued identification may be submitted.
Although not typically required, applicants may be asked to submit original copies of their supporting documents for verification purposes.
Please send the application form and supporting documents in a single attachment (do not scan/send documents as separate attachments).
Please note that if sending your application by email, we ask that you please not also send it by mail/courier as this will cause delays and prolong our processing times.
After applying
- Upon receipt of an Education Equivalency Assessment Application, an email with payment instructions will be sent to the applicant within five (business) days. The $100.00 payment must be made online using a Visa or Mastercard within 60 calendar days, otherwise, the application will be abandoned.
- After payment has been received, RECO will review the Education Equivalency Assessment Application and email the applicant. The email will either indicate that RECO is processing the application or that additional documents are required.
- Deficient Education Equivalency Assessment Applications will be held by RECO for 60 calendar days from the date the applicant is sent the deficiency notification email. If the documentation required to process the application is not received within 60 calendar days, the application will be abandoned and confidentially destroyed, and the applicant will have to reapply and include an additional application fee again. If an applicant requires more than 60 days to supply the requested materials, they must notify RECO by email.
- Completed applications take approximately 15 working days to process, depending on the complexity of the application.
- A decision letter will be emailed to the applicant. Decisions will be valid for one (1) year from the date the decision letter is issued. Should an applicant not complete the requirements within the one (1) year stipulated, a new application and fee must be submitted, and a new decision will be issued. Applicants for registration will be bound by the current decision at the time of the application for registration.
- The application fee is non-refundable, regardless of the outcome of an application.
- Once an applicant receives their decision letter, they must follow the specific instructions on how and where to access their courses as set out in the decision letter.
- When applying for registration with RECO, education equivalency assessment applicants must submit a PDF version of the applicable registration form, rather than applying online via MyWeb. A PDF application form can be obtained by contacting RECO’s Education Department.
- Education equivalency assessment does not apply to admission requirements for entry into the Real Estate Salesperson Program provided by Humber Polytechnic. To be admissible to Humber Polytechnic, applicants must apply and satisfy program admission requirements.
Important note: The status of an Education Equivalency Assessment Application is not immediately available upon receipt. You can expect an email communication within a few days of RECO receiving your application and/or application fee.
Please email any questions to: education@reco.on.ca.
