Short answer
You can do much of the work alone, with a good reciter's audio and a fixed plan, but you should still recite to a qualified person regularly. The Quran has always been passed on from mouth to ear, and a teacher catches mistakes you cannot hear yourself. Memorising the whole Quran in a year is possible for many people with daily effort.
There is no ruling requiring a teacher as such, but reciting correctly is obligatory, and for most people that is only assured by reciting to someone qualified. Memorising mistakes and then reciting them in salah can create real problems.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
The Quran was taught by hearing. Jibril reviewed it with the Prophet ﷺ every Ramadan, and Ibn Mas'ud said he took seventy-odd surahs directly from his mouth. The chains of recitation that reach us today pass from teacher to student in an unbroken line. This is called talaqqi, receiving it face to face.
Doing it on your own:
- Choose one clear reciter, such as Husary for learners, and listen to each ayah many times before memorising it.
- Use one printed mushaf so your visual memory settles.
- Record yourself and compare with the reciter.
- Follow a plan with daily revision: the hifz planner and Quran tracker help.
Where a teacher is needed: correcting letters you are not hearing right, such as ayn and hamza, ha and kha; checking lengths and stops; and testing your revision. Online teachers make this possible even if there is no class near you; once or twice a week is enough for many adults.
How long? At one page a day, with revision, the whole Quran takes about two years; at two pages, about a year. Three months is done by some full-time students, but it is not a fair target for most people with work or school. Steady and correct beats fast. See how to memorise the Quran and is tajweed compulsory.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Qiyaama 75:18
فَإِذَا قَرَأْنَٰهُ فَٱتَّبِعْ قُرْءَانَهُۥ ﴿١٨﴾
So when We have recited it [through Gabriel], then follow its recitation.
The Prophet himself received the Quran by listening and following its recitation.
Quran, Surah Al-Qamar 54:17
وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا ٱلْقُرْءَانَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍۢ ﴿١٧﴾
And We have certainly made the Qur'an easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?
Memorisation is within reach of those who try.
Sahih al-Bukhari 5000
Sahih... أخذت من في رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بضعا وسبعين سورة ...
"Ibn Mas'ud said: I took seventy-odd surahs directly from the mouth of the Messenger of Allah."
The Companions learned the Quran from a teacher.
Sahih al-Bukhari 4998
Sahih... كان يعرض على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم القرآن كل عام مرة ...
"The Quran was reviewed with the Prophet once every year."
Even the Prophet's recitation was reviewed with Jibril.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Nashr fi al-Qira'at al-Ashr (Ibn al-Jazari), Introduction, on taking recitation from teachers. Recitation is a sunnah received by transmission from teacher to student.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.