Frequently Asked Questions

Tristar Academy is a Maryland Real Estate Commission (MREC) approved education provider and a Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) approved private career academy. We offer:

• Prelicensing – the Maryland 60-hour Salesperson course (live on Zoom) and the 135-hour Maryland Broker course (self-paced)
• Continuing Education (CE), live on Zoom – Maryland, Washington DC and Virginia
• Self-paced CE – Tristar’s own Maryland CE bundles, plus Maryland first renewal, DC, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Georgia and Florida through our partner Colibri Real Estate, and North Carolina through Superior School of Real Estate
• PSI exam prep and tutoring
• Reciprocity guidance for adding a DC or Virginia license to your Maryland license
• Professional skills development for agents, teams and brokerages – live on Zoom with Tristar or self-paced with our partner McKissock Learning

Live classes are taught on Zoom by licensed, practicing instructors.

Browse Live Zoom CoursesSelf-Paced MD CE BundleSelf-Paced with ColibriSelf-Paced PD with McKissock

1. Browse our course catalog. Not sure which course you need? Contact us and we’ll point you to the right one.
2. Choose your course and click Add to Cart.
3. Check out online with a credit/debit card or PayPal.
4. Watch for your confirmation email with class instructions.

We accept all major credit and debit cards and PayPal.

We do not currently offer payment plans.

Yes. The course price on our website includes the textbooks and materials you need. After you register, our enrollment team collects your shipping address through the enrollment forms and ships your books via UPS.

Call or text 240-701-6327 or email [email protected]. You can also reach us through our contact page.

1. Log in at the top right of MyTristarAcademy.com.
2. Go to My Courses and click Start Course.
3. Click Join Course when it’s time – you’ll be taken to Zoom. If you’re early, you’ll see a countdown to the start time.

Your Zoom link is also in the confirmation email you received at registration and in a reminder email sent one hour before class.

Yes. To receive credit:

• Join on time and stay visible on camera for the entire session. Late arrival, leaving early or turning off your camera means no credit is awarded.
• Attendance is tracked at entry and exit. You may be asked to confirm your presence through polls or chat checks.
• Full attendance is required – partial credit is not permitted, and students who don’t meet the attendance policy are denied credit.
• You are responsible for your own camera, microphone and connection. Class won’t be delayed for technical troubleshooting, so join early and test your setup.
• Join from a stationary, distraction-free location.

Yes!

• Test Zoom here before class.
• Log in 10 minutes early to check your audio and video.
• Our staff is available to help during office hours.

In the Salesperson Prelicensing course you may miss up to 6 hours of class time. Missed time must be made up on the make-up day listed in your course syllabus. Students who miss more than 6 hours are dismissed from the course and must re-enroll.

• Maryland and Virginia CE with Tristar: we report your credits directly to the state, typically within 24–72 hours of completion.
• Washington DC CE: DC licensees attest to their CE when they renew, so download your certificate from your account and keep it for your records. See DC requirements.
• Certificates: download them from your student portal. Your photo ID must be uploaded to your profile and approved by our staff first.
• Self-paced courses through Colibri: Colibri reports these courses, generally within 3–14 days of completion. Contact Colibri directly with reporting questions.

It depends on the state:

• Maryland: if you hold a license in another state, out-of-state CE may be credited toward your Maryland electives. Email the completion certificates to MREC at least 30 days before your license expires. Maryland details
• Virginia: up to 5 hours of out-of-state CE can count as electives (licenses expiring on or after June 30, 2026) if you hold a current license in that state and completed the course during your current term. Virginia details
• Washington DC: Tristar’s Maryland Brokerage Relationships & Disclosures (BRAD) course can earn DC elective credit with a $10 DC add-on, and our Ethics course counts in Maryland, DC and Virginia with no add-on. DC details

Contact us right away with a screenshot of your renewal portal showing the missing credits. We’ll resubmit them and report the technical issue. Maryland licensees can check credits anytime with MREC’s CE lookup.

Because prelicensing is a multi-week program, refunds depend on how much of the course you have attended:

• Full refund – only if you cancel within 7 days of purchase and before the course begins.
• Partial tuition refund – if you cancel after the course starts, refunds follow the schedule in the student enrollment forms sent to you at registration.
• No refund – after 50% of the course is completed.

Attending even one or two sessions removes eligibility for a full refund. Shipped textbooks and the registration fee are non-refundable.

• Cancel, reschedule or refund – request it by email up to 24 hours before your class start time.
• Within 24 hours of class – cancellations, reschedules and refunds are no longer available.
• No-shows – if you miss your class, there is no refund or reschedule. You’ll need to register again.

Email refund and transfer requests to [email protected].

• Full refund – if you have not started the course and it has not expired. Courses typically expire one year from purchase; expired courses are not refundable.
• No refund – once the course has been started. Prelicensing refunds follow the schedule in the student enrollment forms.
• Transfer – may be available if the course was never started. Contact us to request one.

If we cancel a class due to low enrollment or unforeseen circumstances, we’ll notify you by email and you can reschedule, switch courses or receive a full refund – your choice.

• Check your spam or promotions folder.
• Make sure the email address in your profile is correct.
• Still missing? Email [email protected].

1. Log in to your student portal.
2. Go to My Profile › Upload ID under Identification (JPEG, JPG, PNG or HEIC).
3. Our staff will review and approve your file.

Log in and choose Edit Profile to update your name, license number, email and password.

You can reach your Zoom link two ways: from the email sent at registration (and again one hour before class), or by logging in and going to My Courses › Start Course › Join Course. If you can’t connect for technical reasons, call or email us to reschedule.

Click Forgot Password on the login page and check your inbox (and spam) for the reset email. If it doesn’t arrive, email [email protected] and we’ll send a temporary login code.