Our Texas adult drivers ed course is the state-approved six-hour course for first-time Texas driver license applicants. Whether you are required to take it comes down to one thing: your age. Not sure where you land? Try our license eligibility checker.
Do you have to take drivers ed if you’re 18–24 in Texas?
Yes. Under Texas Transportation Code §521.1601, DPS may not issue a driver license to a first-time applicant younger than 25 unless they have completed an approved driver education course. Our six-hour adults-only course satisfies this requirement — and you can take it entirely online (see online vs in person).
If you are 18–24 and applying for your first Texas license, you must also:
- Complete the free Impact Texas Adult Drivers (ITAD) course before your DPS driving (road) test
- Pass the DPS vision exam and road (driving) test
When you finish the six-hour course and pass the in-course exam, Texas DPS accepts your ADE-1317 Certificate of Completion in lieu of the written (knowledge) test — the highway-sign and traffic-law parts. This is DPS accepting the certificate, not a provider waiver, and the course does not cover the vision exam or the road (driving) test; everyone still takes those at DPS.
Do you have to take drivers ed over 25 in Texas?
No — but you may want to. If you are 25 or older, Texas does not require driver education to get your first license. You can still take our course voluntarily, and if you do, Texas DPS accepts your ADE-1317 Certificate of Completion in lieu of the written (knowledge) test, the same as it does for first-time applicants ages 18–24. As at any age, plan to use the certificate within about two years, and the vision and road (driving) tests are still taken at DPS.
A 25+ first-time applicant still needs to pass the DPS vision exam and road test and present standard identity, residency, and Social Security documentation. And note: ITAD is still required before the DPS driving skills (road) test, even at 25 and older — only the six-hour course is optional at that age, not ITAD. If you want to practice on the road first, an adult learner permit is optional at any age. For the full step-by-step at your age, see our guide to getting a Texas driver license at 25 or older.
At what age does a Texas driver license applicant no longer need to have completed a driver education course?
25. Applicants 25 and older are not required to complete a driver education course; first-time applicants ages 18–24 are (Texas Transportation Code §521.1601). If you are 25 or older, you can still take the six-hour course voluntarily to prepare for the road and to let DPS accept your certificate in lieu of the written test.
Moved to Texas with an out-of-state license?
If you moved to Texas and hold a valid, unexpired driver license from another U.S. state, you are exempt from the adult driver education course requirement (§521.1601(b)). You would surrender that out-of-state license when you apply for your Texas license.
A license from another country does not qualify for this exemption. DPS handles foreign-license and reciprocity cases individually — contact DPS about your situation.
Is there an age limit for adult drivers ed?
There is no upper age limit. The six-hour adult course is open to anyone 18 or older — you can take it at 30, 50, or beyond. There is a hard 18+ minimum: this adult course is not for minors.
Under 18
Drivers under 18 must complete the 24-hour teen/minor driver education course instead — this six-hour adult course does not satisfy a minor's requirement.