What it takes to get a mortgage loan officer license in North Dakota
North Dakota Mortgage Loan Originator License Requirements
Total Course Hours
20 hrs
National & Elective
20 hrs
North Dakota-Specific
None
License Fee
$25
All 20 hours are the national SAFE Act topics and electives. North Dakota designates none of them to state law.
North Dakota designates none of the 20 hours to state law, so the federal SAFE course is the whole pre-licensing requirement here. That is not true in most states, and a course bought for North Dakota will not necessarily satisfy a neighboring one.
North Dakota requires every originator to be covered by a surety bond, and names it among the findings the commissioner has to make before issuing a license. An originator who is an employee or exclusive agent of a licensed company is covered by that company's bond.
Requirements verified 2026-08-11 against the official source.
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Provider profiles
How to become a mortgage loan officer in North Dakota
Originating mortgage loans in North Dakota takes 20 hours of pre-licensing education from a provider approved by the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System, usually written NMLS. North Dakota Department of Financial Institutions issues the license and calls it the North Dakota Mortgage Loan Originator License.
North Dakota Department of Financial Institutions charges $25 to apply for the North Dakota Mortgage Loan Originator License, plus $50 for north dakota license registration fee. 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.
4 providers in this comparison sell pre-licensing courses for North Dakota, priced from $249 to $599. The lowest price on a provider's site is sometimes an add-on rather than a full pre-licensing course, so the table marks which packages cover the national hours.
North Dakota mortgage license FAQ
How many hours of coursework do I need to become a loan officer in North Dakota? ▾
20 hours, none of which North Dakota designates to state law. The course has to come from an NMLS-approved provider.
What exam do I have to pass in North Dakota? ▾
The SAFE Act national test carrying uniform state content. Every state and territory has adopted it, so there is no separate North Dakota exam behind it. You need 75 percent to pass.
What does the license itself cost in North Dakota? ▾
$25 to North Dakota 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 North Dakota? ▾
Yes. North Dakota requires every originator to be covered by a surety bond, and names it among the findings the commissioner has to make before issuing a license. An originator who is an employee or exclusive agent of a licensed company is covered by that company's bond.
What does a North Dakota mortgage license cost in total?
Course tuition is only part of it. See the full stack of state and NMLS fees.