What it takes to get a mortgage loan officer license in Oregon
Oregon Mortgage Loan Originator License Requirements
Issued by Oregon Division of Financial Regulation
Total Course Hours
20 hrs
National & Elective
16 hrs
Oregon-Specific
4 hrs
License Fee
$80
Of the 20 hours, 4 must cover Oregon law and rules and the other 16 are the national SAFE Act topics and electives.
20 hours in total, 4 of them on Oregon law. Those 4 come out of the 20 rather than being added to it, so the total is the same as a state with no requirement at all, but a generic national course still will not satisfy it. Continuing education is heavier than the federal minimum too: 10 hours a year rather than 8.
Requirements verified 2026-08-11 against the official source.
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How to become a mortgage loan officer in Oregon
Originating mortgage loans in Oregon takes 20 hours of pre-licensing education from a provider approved by the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System, usually written NMLS. Oregon Division of Financial Regulation issues the license and calls it the Oregon Mortgage Loan Originator License.
The number to slow down on is the 4. Oregon requires 4 of those 20 hours to cover its own mortgage law, and they come out of the 20 rather than being added on top of them. So the total matches a state that asks for nothing of its own, which is exactly what catches people out: a generic 20-hour national course looks like the whole requirement and leaves you 4 hours short of an Oregon license.
Continuing education is a separate annual obligation and it does not track the pre-licensing rules. Oregon wants 10 hours every year, 2 of them on Oregon law, which is 2 more than the federal annual minimum of 8.
Oregon Division of Financial Regulation charges $80 to apply for the Oregon 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.
4 providers in this comparison sell pre-licensing courses for Oregon, priced from $89 to $659. Read the coverage column before the price column: a package that skips the 4 Oregon hours is cheaper and does not get you licensed.
Oregon mortgage license FAQ
How many hours of coursework do I need to become a loan officer in Oregon? ▾
20 hours in total, of which 4 must cover Oregon law and rules and the remaining 16 are the national SAFE topics and electives. Note that the 4 Oregon hours come out of the 20 rather than being added to it, so a generic 20-hour SAFE course will not cover them. Every hour has to come from an NMLS-approved course provider.
What exam do I have to pass in Oregon? ▾
The SAFE Act national test carrying uniform state content. Every state and territory has adopted it, so there is no separate Oregon exam behind it. You need 75 percent to pass.
What does the license itself cost in Oregon? ▾
$80 to Oregon Division of Financial Regulation, 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 Oregon? ▾
We have not confirmed this against Oregon's own rules yet, so check with Oregon Division of Financial Regulation before you budget for one. Under the federal SAFE Act an originator has to be covered by a bond, but in most states an employee is covered by their employer's.
What does an Oregon mortgage license cost in total?
Course tuition is only part of it. See the full stack of state and NMLS fees.