United States · Captain’s licenseDo you need a USCG captain license course?
No, but it changes who tests you. The Coast Guard approves courses that substitute for its exams, and it sets a bar for them: a course must be hard enough that a student who completes it would most likely pass the Coast Guard’s exam on the first attempt. Students also have to show practical skills at the level of the endorsement.
Without a course, you sit the Coast Guard exam after your application is approved, with 1 year to pass every section.
Approved courses and free official texts compared
| Option | Price | Free to use | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official and free | |||
Navigation Rules, International and InlandOfficial rules text (PDF)Both sets of rules are exam subjects. NOAA’s Coast Pilot page offers the amalgamated version, which sets out the differences between the two rule sets, and an up-to-date copy meets the Inland Rule 1(g) carriage requirement. | Free | The whole amalgamated text of the COLREGS and the Inland Navigation Rules, with their annexes | |
NOAA U.S. Coast Pilot and U.S. Chart No. 1Official navigation publicationsChart No. 1 explains the symbols, abbreviations and terms on nautical charts. The Coast Pilot covers channels, anchorages, bridge clearances, currents, tides and weather. Charts and navigation publications are exam subjects for OUPV and Master. | Free to download | All ten Coast Pilot volumes, and Chart No. 1 as a PDF | |
Exam subject table, 46 CFR 11.910Official exam syllabusTable 2 marks which subjects each endorsement is tested on, with notes for route limits and the sail addendum. Use it as a checklist against any course or study guide. | Free | The subject list for every deck endorsement, OUPV and Master included | |
| Online courses | |||
Captain’s License Class (Mariners Learning System course)Online Coast Guard-approved OUPV courseUses the Mariners Learning System course, with 12 months to finish and an online proctored exam in four modules: Rules of the Road, Plotting, Navigation General and Deck General. The school says no testing at a Coast Guard Regional Exam Center is needed. Also sells Master upgrade, assistance towing, sail and renewal courses. | $695 for the online OUPV course; plotting tools $80 extra | Not listed | |
| In person | |||
Sea SchoolCoast Guard-approved courses, classroom and onlineThe classroom OUPV course is 54 hours over two weekends, or six days in a row, with testing held separately. Locations include Fort Lauderdale, St. Petersburg, Jacksonville and Panama City, Florida; Charleston, South Carolina; Houma, Louisiana; and Bayou La Batre, Alabama. The online OUPV course has 12 months of access, books and charts, and an online proctored final. | Classroom OUPV $850 to $1,100 by location; online OUPV $650; online Master upgrade $300 plus a $50 exam fee | Not listed | |
The Captain SchoolCoast Guard-approved classes in Southwest FloridaThe Masters class needs the OUPV course first. It also runs assistance towing ($175), sailing endorsement ($200) and first aid and CPR ($110) classes. The school lets 17-year-olds take the OUPV class if they turn 18 within a year of finishing. | OUPV class $900 plus a $100 testing fee; Masters class $400 | Not listed | |
Maritime Professional Training (MPT)Coast Guard-approved captain’s license program, Fort LauderdaleTeaches OUPV and Master in one program, with written final exams at MPT instead of at the Coast Guard. MPT says every student also gets the assistance towing certification. | Not listed on the program page | Not listed | |
Prices and ratings checked October 2026.
How to choose a captain’s license class
- Check that the USCG captain’s license course is approved for the endorsement you want: OUPV, a Master upgrade, or both in one program.
- Check what the price includes: some schools charge an exam or testing fee on top, listed on the cost page.
- Pick a format. Classroom courses run over set days, and online courses give you months of access with a proctored exam at the end.
- Ask which certificates come with it. Some schools also teach first aid and CPR, or an Assistance Towing endorsement.
The Coast Guard’s own fees are separate from any course price.
Captain’s license study guide: the free official texts
The exam subjects are listed in Table 2 to 46 CFR 11.910, and several of them are built on free government publications. NOAA lets you download the ten volumes of the U.S. Coast Pilot free, and its Coast Pilot page also offers the International and U.S. Inland Navigation Rules as a PDF. NOAA’s U.S. Chart No. 1, which explains chart symbols, abbreviations and terms, is a PDF on its website too.
Practice tests and sample questions
Practice questions come with the approved courses. Captain’s License Class’s online OUPV course, for example, has course quizzes and module exams before its proctored final. For the Navigation Rules, work from the free NOAA text above.
A change coming for schools
The Coast Guard says it won’t require approved schools to report course completions electronically before November 25, 2028, so for now you send a copy of your course certificate with your application.
Sources: eCFR · Federal Register · NOAA Office of Coast Survey and 2 more. Checked October 2026.
- eCFR: 46 CFR 10.402 and 10.403, approval of training courses ↗
- eCFR: 46 CFR 11.910, exam subjects for deck officers ↗
- Federal Register: Implementation of Electronic Submission of Mariner Course Completion Data, October 16, 2026 ↗
- NOAA Office of Coast Survey: U.S. Coast Pilot ↗
- NOAA Office of Coast Survey: U.S. Chart No. 1 ↗
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.
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