What it takes to get a mortgage loan officer license in Utah
Utah has 2 separate agencies that license loan originators. Most people need the Utah 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.
Utah Mortgage Loan Originator License
Most people need this oneIssued by Utah Division of Real Estate
Total Course Hours
25 hrs
National & Elective
20 hrs
Utah-Specific
5 hrs
License Fee
$100
Of the 25 hours, 5 must cover Utah law and rules and the other 20 are the national SAFE Act topics and electives. That is 5 more than the federal minimum of 20.
The general route, covering brokering and retail origination of closed-end first mortgages. Utah requires 25 hours in total: the federal 20 plus a separate 5-hour Utah course from an approved pre-license school. Holding this license exempts you from the DFI one.
Requirements verified 2026-08-11 against the official source.
Utah DFI Mortgage Loan Originator License
Narrower routeTotal Course Hours
20 hrs
National & Elective
20 hrs
Utah-Specific
None
License Fee
$200
All 20 hours are the national SAFE Act topics and electives. Utah designates none of them to state law.
The narrower route, for certain residential mortgage activity under Title 70D. Anyone holding an active Division of Real Estate license does not need it. It designates no Utah-specific hours, so its total is the federal 20 rather than the 25 the DRE route requires.
Requirements verified 2026-08-11 against the official source.
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How to become a mortgage loan officer in Utah
Utah 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 Utah Mortgage Loan Originator License, issued by Utah Division of Real Estate. It takes 25 hours of pre-licensing education from a provider approved by the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System, usually written NMLS, 5 of them covering Utah law.
The Utah DFI Mortgage Loan Originator License from Utah 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.
Utah Division of Real Estate charges $100 to apply for the Utah Mortgage Loan Originator License, plus $18 for utah education fund fee. Utah Department of Financial Institutions charges $200 to apply for the Utah 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.
3 providers in this comparison sell pre-licensing courses for Utah, priced from $119 to $599. Read the coverage column before the price column: a package that skips the 5 Utah hours is cheaper and does not get you licensed.
Utah mortgage license FAQ
How many hours of coursework do I need to become a loan officer in Utah? ▾
It depends which agency licenses you, and most people need the Utah Mortgage Loan Originator License. Utah Mortgage Loan Originator License: 25 hours, 5 of them covering Utah law. Utah 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 Utah? ▾
The SAFE Act national test carrying uniform state content. Every state and territory has adopted it, so there is no separate Utah exam behind it. You need 75 percent to pass.
What does the license itself cost in Utah? ▾
$100 to Utah Division of Real Estate, $200 to Utah 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 Utah? ▾
No. In Utah the bond obligation sits with the company sponsoring you, not with you personally.
What does an Utah mortgage license cost in total?
Course tuition is only part of it. See the full stack of state and NMLS fees.