How To Get Your Captain's License

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

The section belowis a list of questions frequently asked by mariners getting their captain's license. Click on the questions and they will expand to give you an answer. If you have a question about getting your captain's license that should be added to the list please give us a call or shoot us an email. (866) 293-9308 or info@uscaptainstraining.com

Complete a captain's license course
Send a complete packet to the US Coast Guard (USCG)
USCG processes your packet and issues you a license

The Blended Captain's License Course is 5 – 7 days long. The class starts at 8:00 am and goes until as late as 5:00 pm with an hour for lunch. Course schedules may vary, for example some instructors offer private courses or course schedules designed to accommodate for individual schedules.

The time it takes to complete the online modules that make up the OUPV and Master captain's license course varies by student. The average time frame is 2 – 4 weeks if you spend 2 hours per day.

It costs between $1,395 and $995 which includes everything you need to complete the course. The reason for the price range is due to the instructor in that area. We have been around for awhile now and we have gone through multiple pricing structures. In the last pricing restructure we slashed our blended course prices by $550! It was a bit of a shock to some instructor because a large chuck of that came from their compensation. Ironically the price cut was driven by new instructor in competitive markets that needed a lower price to complete. Visit or Blended OUPV or Master's course page to see locations and prices of each Blended Classroom Captain's License Course.

Below is a list of prices for online captain's license course.

OUPV (Six Pack) is $595
Master 100 is $795
Apprentice Mate (Steersman) is $995
Able Seamn (AB) is $395
Increase in Scope Great Lakes & Inland to Near Coastal is $395
Upgrade OUPV to Master 100 is $295
Upgrade Master 100 to Master 200 is $295
Towing Endorsement is $195
Sailing Endorsement is $195
License Renewal is $195
Train the Trainer is $295

Visit our Shop for a full list of products and prices.

You may buy captain's license exam modules one at a time to spread the cost of the course over multiple payments. You save between $50 and $100 when you purchase the full course instead of buying each exam module and a book package individually. The exam modules do not expire so you have as long as you need to finish. This makes buying individual exam modules convenient for some folks.

Visit the Blended OUPV or Blended Master Captain's License Course Pages and give them a read through. The pages cover most of what you need to know.

From the course pages you can enroll in the course. The best way to enroll is right from the course page and then give us a call if you are confused at all and we can make sure you have access to the online exam modules and that you understand the process.

Visit the course page and enroll from there. You may find the courses pages in our Shop or by clicking the "Captain License" drop down menu at the top of each page of this website and selecting the course you are interested in.

Enrolling right from the course page is the best way to get started because a lot of the process is automated. If you are confused at all after you enroll contact us and we will be sure you have access to your course and understand the process by which the course is completed.

Each online captain's license course module has a Certificate of Achievement that unlocks when you complete it. Print and sign the Certificate of Achievement for each module and bring them with you to your in person final proctored exams. You must have all of the Certificates of Achievement that make up the course for which you would like to take the final examination before you attempt it.

Schedule in Person Final Exams

The cost of the in person final examination is included in the price of the course and takes place by appointment at one of our USCG approved testing sites with one of our USCG approved Qualified Instructors.

Follow these steps to schedule your in person final examination:

Check out the interactive map below
Click on a location to get the instructor's contact information and site address
Contact the instructor and schedule a time that works for both of you
Show up with your Certificates of Achievement and take the exams, be sure to sign your Certificates of Achievement

Your instructor grades your exams right away and you know your score. When you pass your exams the instructor emails your student file to US Captain's Training and we process your file. We then issue a Certificate of Training which satisfies testing requirements for the USCG.

The online course is a combination of video lectures, readings, practice problems, video solutions to practice problems, and quizzes.

Get as much done as you can in the online modules before you show up the first day of class. You do not have to finish the entire online portion of the course but it is a good idea to get as far as possible in the online course before the first day of class. You end up finishing the online modules during the classroom portion of the course.

All students, whether online or in a classroom must complete the online exam modules to meet US Coast Guard regulations.

You will also need a laptop computer, mechanical pencils, notebook and calculator.

Yes you will. We created the exams from an existing bank of Coast Guard questions which will be covered in class.

Yes, you will take the in person final exams at one of our USCG approved sites.

The final in person examination for an OUPV consists of four exams which are:

Rules of the Road	50 questions	90% or higher
General Navigation: Near Coastal	50 questions	70% or higher
Chart Navigation	10 questions	90% or higher
Deck General and Safety	50 questions	70% or higher

The final in person examination for an Master 100 consists of five exams which are:

Rules of the Road	50 questions	90% or higher
General Navigation: Near Coastal	50 questions	70% or higher
Chart Navigation	10 questions	90% or higher
Deck General	50 questions	70% or higher
Deck Safety	50 questions	70% or higher

Our passing rate is very high! All students are required to complete the online modules whether they take a Blended Classroom Course or an Online Captain's License Course. Completing the online modules proves you are ready to take the in person final exams.

We send you a Certificate of Training and a receipt for the course. You have one year to send your completed captain's license application packet with your Certificate of Training to the nearest regional exam center. They will process your application packet and issue your license.

Download the forms from our website in the Application Page and follow the step by step video tutorials or call the USCG National Maritime Center at 888-I-ASK-NMC (1-888-427-5662) and request your free small vessel licensing package for 6pk to 100 ton Masters License.

No. You have one year from the last day of class to finish your USCG packet and mail it to the USCG.

The license you qualify for will depend on sea service. The requirements for the different licenses are listed below.

Sea Time Requirements

Near Coastal Master Captains License:

720 days total
360 days seaward of the boundary line (east coast, west coast, gulf) or on the Great Lakes
90 days in the last three years

Great Lakes and Inland Master Captain's License

360 days total
90 days on the Great Lakes
90 days in the last three years

Inland Master Captain's License

360 days total
90 in the last three years

To qualify for the Masters 100 GRT

90 days on a vessel 51 GRT or above, or
180 days on a vessel 34 GRT or above, or
180 days of service on a vessel 5 GRT or above while holding a captain's license
To qualify for the 50 GRT

At Least 1 day on a vessel over 5 GRT prior to March 24, 2014, or

90 days on a vessel 25 GRT or above, or
180 days on a vessel 17 GRT or above

Take an American Red Cross standard or multimedia (CFR 11.205)

You have to be resourceful and do detective work. Contact the facility that registered the vessel or dig up old insurance records of the vessel or find pictures of the vessel that show the registration numbers.

The most common fees for an original issue are shown below.

pay.gov user fee image

The towing endorsement allows you to engage in commercial assistance towing within the scope of your license.

A sailing endorsement authorizes the holder to take paying passengers sailing.

If the vessel is documented, look on the certificate of documentation. You might get this information by contacting the vessel's manufacturer. If all else fails just fill out the length, width, and depth of the vessel on the small vessel sea service form and the Coast Guard will calculate it when they go through your paperwork. Link to our Tonnage Calculation Video.