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Merchant mariner training in Louisiana

7 maritime programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

3 schools offer these merchant mariner programs, and Louisiana has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows its price if you pay yourself and how past students did. One school runs 5 of these 7 programs, so the typical figures lean heavily on its prices and results.

Water transportation workers run and maintain the vessels that carry cargo and people over water. Entry-level sailors and marine oilers need no set education and usually get 1 month to 1 year of training after they are hired, while other jobs on board take Coast Guard-approved training. Most jobs require a Merchant Mariner Credential from the Coast Guard and a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC), and moving up takes logged time at sea.1 To get a first merchant mariner credential from the Coast Guard you must show you hold or have applied for a TWIC, pass a drug test and pass vision, hearing and medical exams (or hold a Coast Guard medical certificate).2

In Louisiana, all 7 programs take students without a high school diploma.

By kind, the 7 programs here are entry-level mariner training (3 programs), STCW and endorsement course (2 programs), able seaman course (1 program) and captain's license course (OUPV or Master 100 ton, 1 program).

See the 7 programs

How much does merchant mariner training cost in Louisiana?

$825 to $995 is what most maritime programs in Louisiana cost if you pay yourself

That is the middle half of the 7 programs with a price. All of them: $500 to $1,174

In the typical program

Finished the program
Not reported
None of the 7 programs report it
Working 6 months later
Not reported
None of the 7 programs report it
Earned a year, estimated
Not reported
None of the 7 programs report it
Length
1 to 2 weeks

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in Louisiana may also offer merchant mariner training. How these figures are made

Is there free merchant mariner training in Louisiana?

Who qualifies, and other ways to pay: financial aid, grants and the GI Bill

All 7 maritime programs in Louisiana approved for WIOA funding

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7 programs

  • STCW and endorsement courseIn personNo diploma needed

    Radar Observer Unlimited--USCG

    South Louisiana Community College

    Lafayette

    Accredited school

    No diploma needed

    South Louisiana Community College, LafayetteSTCW and endorsement course · Accredited schoolIn person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$500
    Program website, Radar Observer Unlimited--USCG at South Louisiana Community College
    More details about Radar Observer Unlimited--USCG at South Louisiana Community College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    1 week, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    None listed
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    $500
    Program website, Radar Observer Unlimited--USCG at South Louisiana Community College

  • Able seaman courseIn personNo diploma needed

    Able SeamanUSCG

    South Louisiana Community College

    Lafayette

    Accredited school

    No diploma needed

    South Louisiana Community College, LafayetteAble seaman course · Accredited schoolIn person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$750
    Program website, Able SeamanUSCG at South Louisiana Community College
    More details about Able SeamanUSCG at South Louisiana Community College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    1 week, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $100
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    $750
    Program website, Able SeamanUSCG at South Louisiana Community College

  • STCW and endorsement courseIn personNo diploma needed

    Tank Barge DL --USCG

    South Louisiana Community College

    Lafayette

    Accredited school

    No diploma needed

    South Louisiana Community College, LafayetteSTCW and endorsement course · Accredited schoolIn person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$900
    Program website, Tank Barge DL --USCG at South Louisiana Community College
    More details about Tank Barge DL --USCG at South Louisiana Community College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    2 weeks, 32 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    None listed
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    $900
    Program website, Tank Barge DL --USCG at South Louisiana Community College

  • Entry-level mariner trainingIn personNo diploma needed

    Basic TrainingUSCG

    South Louisiana Community College

    Lafayette

    Accredited school

    No diploma needed

    South Louisiana Community College, LafayetteEntry-level mariner training · Accredited schoolIn person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$945
    Program website, Basic TrainingUSCG at South Louisiana Community College
    More details about Basic TrainingUSCG at South Louisiana Community College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    2 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $100
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    $945
    Program website, Basic TrainingUSCG at South Louisiana Community College

  • Captain's license course (OUPV or Master 100 ton)In personNo diploma needed

    Operator of Uninspected Vessel (OUPV)-USCG

    South Louisiana Community College

    Lafayette

    Accredited school

    No diploma needed

    South Louisiana Community College, LafayetteCaptain's license course (OUPV or Master 100 ton) · Accredited schoolIn person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$990
    Program website, Operator of Uninspected Vessel (OUPV)-USCG at South Louisiana Community College
    More details about Operator of Uninspected Vessel (OUPV)-USCG at South Louisiana Community College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    2 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $100
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    $990
    Program website, Operator of Uninspected Vessel (OUPV)-USCG at South Louisiana Community College

  • Entry-level mariner trainingIn personNo diploma needed

    Deckhand

    Delgado Community College

    New Orleans

    Accredited school

    No diploma needed

    Delgado Community College, New OrleansEntry-level mariner training · Accredited schoolIn person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$1,000
    School website, Deckhand at Delgado Community College
    More details about Deckhand at Delgado Community College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    1 week, 50 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    None listed
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    $1,000
    School website, Deckhand at Delgado Community College

  • Entry-level mariner trainingIn personNo diploma needed

    STCW Basic Safety Training (STCW BST)

    RelyOn Nutec USA LLC

    Houma

    No diploma needed

    RelyOn Nutec USA LLC, HoumaEntry-level mariner trainingIn person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$1,174
    More details about STCW Basic Safety Training (STCW BST) at RelyOn Nutec USA LLC
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    1 week, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    None listed
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    $1,174

How to pay for merchant mariner training in Louisiana

WIOA funding can pay for merchant mariner training in Louisiana

Every program on this page is approved for it. Whether you qualify, how much your local area pays and how to apply are on our page Does WIOA pay for job training?

Financial aid and grants for merchant mariner training

Most students can get federal student aid for college, career school or trade school. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, usually doesn't have to be repaid. Ask the school whether its program qualifies.78

GI Bill for merchant mariner training

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.9

The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.

Quick facts: Merchant mariner training in Louisiana

programs with a price cost under $1,000
5 of 7
most maritime programs of any state, after Washington and Alaska
3rd

State comparisons use the same figures as the merchant mariner training by state table: the middle program of each state, and only states with three or more schools for prices. Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025).

Merchant mariner training in Lafayette, New Orleans, Houma and other Louisiana cities

Choosing an area filters the program list above.

Other training in Louisiana

How merchant mariner training compares with the rest of transportation and logistics: Transportation and logistics training in Louisiana

Where the Louisiana merchant mariner program numbers come from

Which Louisiana merchant mariner programs are on this list?

These are the merchant mariner programs Louisiana approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).10 The list here covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what Louisiana offers.

How the prices and results of Louisiana merchant mariner programs are measured

Prices are tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported them; check the current price with the school. Results describe students who left each program in recent years, so they are no guarantee, and the yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. A program without a "Trained with WIOA funding" line may still take WIOA students. Where a field was left empty or withheld, the page says "Not reported", and "Left out" where a figure was filed but failed one of our checks; nothing is estimated to fill a gap. Where the numbers come from explains each figure in full.

How reliable are the Louisiana figures?

The US Department of Labor's own results site lists Louisiana among the states with "known data quality concerns".11 We leave out the share working 6 months later for Louisiana: most of its programs report exactly 100%, which no other state comes close to. We leave out the share who finished for Louisiana: half of its programs report exactly 100%.

Sources for the facts about merchant mariner training in Louisiana

Show the 11 sourcesHide the sources
  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Water Transportation Workers
  2. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations: 46 CFR 10.225, requirements for original Merchant Mariner Credentials
  3. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
  4. US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
  5. Code of Federal Regulations, title 20, part 680, sections 680.220, 680.230 and 680.310: career services before training, other grants such as Pell Grants first, and limits on Individual Training Accounts (GovInfo, 2024 edition)
  6. US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
  7. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
  8. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Don't Miss Out on Federal Pell Grants
  9. US Department of Veterans Affairs: GI Bill benefits for non-college degree programs
  10. US Department of Labor, Training and Employment Guidance Letter 8-19, Attachment I: Requirements for Training Providers, Program Eligibility, and the State Eligible Training Provider (ETP) List
  11. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: search page, note on states with known data quality concerns