What it takes to get a mortgage loan officer license in Indiana
Indiana has 2 separate agencies that license loan originators. Most people need the Indiana Mortgage Loan Originator License, shown first below. The other one covers a narrower kind of lending, and the coursework is not always the same. Check which agency licenses your employer before you buy a course.
Indiana Mortgage Loan Originator License
Most people need this oneTotal Course Hours
20 hrs
National & Elective
18 hrs
Indiana-Specific
2 hrs
License Fee
$50
Of the 20 hours, 2 must cover Indiana law and rules and the other 18 are the national SAFE Act topics and electives.
The route for originating first-lien residential mortgages, which is what most loan officers do. 20 hours in total, 2 of them covering Indiana law.
Requirements verified 2026-08-11 against the official source.
Indiana DFI Mortgage Loan Originator License
Narrower routeTotal Course Hours
20 hrs
National & Elective
20 hrs
Indiana-Specific
None
License Fee
$100
All 20 hours are the national SAFE Act topics and electives. Indiana designates none of them to state law.
The narrower route, covering subordinate-lien lending supervised by the DFI rather than the Securities Division. It designates no Indiana-specific hours. Check which agency licenses your employer before choosing.
Requirements verified 2026-08-11 against the official source.
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How to become a mortgage loan officer in Indiana
Indiana licenses loan originators through 2 separate agencies, and the licenses they issue are not interchangeable. The one most people entering the industry need is the Indiana Mortgage Loan Originator License, issued by Indiana Secretary of State, Securities Division. It takes 20 hours of pre-licensing education from a provider approved by the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System, usually written NMLS, 2 of them covering Indiana law.
The Indiana DFI Mortgage Loan Originator License from Indiana Department of Financial Institutions reaches a narrower kind of lending and carries its own coursework: 20 hours, none of them state-specific. Which license you need follows from the lending your employer actually does, not from which course costs less, so settle that before you buy anything.
Indiana Secretary of State, Securities Division charges $50 to apply for the Indiana Mortgage Loan Originator License. Indiana Department of Financial Institutions charges $100 to apply for the Indiana DFI Mortgage Loan Originator License. NMLS charges its own processing fees on top of that and those are the same in every jurisdiction, so the license costs more than the state's own figure suggests. The cost breakdown adds up the whole stack.
5 providers in this comparison sell pre-licensing courses for Indiana, priced from $79 to $639. Read the coverage column before the price column: a package that skips the 2 Indiana hours is cheaper and does not get you licensed.
Indiana mortgage license FAQ
How many hours of coursework do I need to become a loan officer in Indiana? ▾
It depends which agency licenses you, and most people need the Indiana Mortgage Loan Originator License. Indiana Mortgage Loan Originator License: 20 hours, 2 of them covering Indiana law. Indiana DFI Mortgage Loan Originator License: 20 hours, none of them state-specific. Every hour has to come from an NMLS-approved course provider.
What exam do I have to pass in Indiana? ▾
The SAFE Act national test carrying uniform state content. Every state and territory has adopted it, so there is no separate Indiana exam behind it. You need 75 percent to pass.
What does the license itself cost in Indiana? ▾
$50 to Indiana Secretary of State, Securities Division, $100 to Indiana Department of Financial Institutions, plus the fees NMLS charges to process the application. Course tuition is separate and varies by provider. The cost breakdown page has the full stack.
Do I need a surety bond in Indiana? ▾
No. In Indiana the bond obligation sits with the company sponsoring you, not with you personally.
What does an Indiana mortgage license cost in total?
Course tuition is only part of it. See the full stack of state and NMLS fees.