Principles of Real Estate 1

Principles of Real Estate 1 (01878-REQC) is one of the six 30-hour Qualifying Education courses the Texas Real Estate Commission requires for a Texas Real Estate Sales Agent license. It provides an extensive foundational understanding of real estate terminology and professional obligations, covering the licensing terms tested on the state and national portions of the Texas Real Estate Sales Agent Exam.

All six QE courses are also sold together at a discount in Champions’ licensing packages, and none is a prerequisite to another.

Champions School of Real Estate has been providing education to aspiring agents and brokers since it opened its doors in Houston in 1983. It offers courses and counseling at brick-and-mortar campuses in Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, and its Online Correspondence, Online Interactive and Virtual Classroom (ChampionsLive) delivery methods reach students anywhere in the nation. Since 1983 the curriculum has expanded from real estate to loan origination, appraisal, and inspection licensing and renewal programs.

• Updated, leading-edge course material created by the school’s own in-house curriculum development team, with constant updates based on market changes.
• Instructors are practicing professionals with at least five years of industry experience; the school says all instructors also have at least five years of experience teaching adults.
• Morning, day, night and weekend classes offered via Classroom, Virtual Classroom, Correspondence and Online Interactive.
• Career counselors available at campuses Monday through Saturday in person, by phone or by online chat.
• Free networking events, career nights, virtual study halls, career fairs, and annual free industry updates, live-streamed and in person.
• Textbooks and proctoring fees are included in tuition, and most courses remain available for up to 10 years.

Basic requirements. To apply for a Texas real estate license you must be a citizen of the United States or a lawfully admitted alien, be 18 years of age or older, and meet TREC’s qualifications for honesty, trustworthiness and integrity. TREC recommends submitting an optional Fitness Determination form if you have any criminal offenses, unpaid judgments or similar issues.

TREC application number. Effective October 1, 2026, new Sales Agent License applicants and out-of-state Brokers applying in Texas for the first time must submit their TREC Pre-Licensing Education Application Number to Champions. Create or log in to your REALM account with TREC to obtain the number, then add it to your Champions student profile; Champions needs it to upload your courses to TREC upon completion.

Registration. Students must register at least 24 hours before the class starts, and the same QE or SAE course may not be repeated within a 2-year period.

Principles of Real Estate 1 (listed in the catalog as “Principles I”) rotates through the statewide classroom and virtual schedule roughly every six weeks in each format: evenings Monday to Thursday, 6:00 PM to 9:45 PM; weekdays Monday and Tuesday or Wednesday and Thursday, 8:30 AM to 4:45 PM; weekends Saturday and Sunday, 8:30 AM to 4:45 PM; and mornings Monday to Thursday, 8:30 AM to 12:15 PM at Dallas and Houston North. It is also available online at your own pace.

Tuition. Principles of Real Estate 1 is listed at $165 as an individual 30-hour course; textbooks are included.

Payment. Tuition is due in full at the time of enrollment, but you may purchase courses individually if you prefer to pay as you go. Tuition for each course must be paid in full at registration to receive package pricing. Textbook materials are included in the cost of courses, and the school states that proctoring fees are included with no hidden add-ons.

Discounts. Champions offers a military appreciation discount to active-duty military, veterans and military spouses: 25% off Real Estate, Home Inspection, Loan Origination and Appraisal pre-licensing (including SAE) programs, 20% off individual Real Estate QE/SAE and Loan pre-licensing courses, and $20 off Real Estate Continuing Education programs. It also works with the SpouseWorks Scholarship Program, which offers up to $4,000 to eligible military spouses for the pursuit or maintenance of a license or certification.

Refunds. All courses except Exam Prep are refundable within 5 days of purchase, minus a $20 cancellation fee per course and the cost of the textbook(s). After 5 days, or once any portion of a course is started, courses are non-refundable; unstarted courses can still be transferred or used toward another course.

A career in real estate offers flexibility, growth and unlimited potential, and Champions asks prospective students: are you ready to be your own boss? All real estate Sales Agents must work under the sponsorship of a licensed broker; to become an active sales agent you submit a sponsoring broker form to TREC, and your active license arrives by email to you and your sponsoring broker.

Champions helps students launch their careers through its Career Connections directory of companies and sponsoring brokers interested in Champions students in the Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio areas, its free Career Fair at every campus (billed as the largest real estate career fair in Texas, held October 16, 2026), and broker-sponsored classroom meals where students learn about brokerages in their area.

Delivery methods. Blended Classroom combines home study with classroom instruction at a campus; Classroom requires in-person attendance for all course hours; Virtual Classroom (ChampionsLive) is live instruction over Zoom from home; Online Interactive is self-paced with videos, activities and online exams; Online Correspondence combines textbook study with online exams; Online Instructor-Led pairs online modules with required instructor sessions. Not every method is offered for every course.

Quizzes and exams. Certificates are awarded only after passing chapter quizzes and the final exam. Quizzes are open-book and untimed, and QE/SAE course exams are open-book, with 70% or higher required to pass. A student who fails the first final exam can retake it at no charge; failing the second requires retaking the course for a $50 fee.

Attendance. Full attendance is required for credit. Missing more than 5 hours of class means being moved to the next course offering for a $50 fee; missed QE time can be made up by attending a corresponding session or watching video recordings.

Support. All QE and Prep students can join free virtual study hall sessions (also in Spanish) to ask an instructor questions, and one-on-one teacher tutoring is available.