Merchant mariner training in California
1 maritime program with costs, results and funding that can make it free
One school offers this merchant mariner program, and California has approved it for workforce funding. It shows its price if you pay yourself and how past students did.
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 California, the one program takes students without a high school diploma.
See the programHow much does merchant mariner training cost in California?
$1,175
is what this program costs if you pay yourself
This program
- Finished the program
- Not reported
- The program doesn't report it
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- The program doesn't report it
- Earned a year, estimated
- Not reported
- The program doesn't report it
- Length
- 1 week
Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in California may also offer merchant mariner training. How these figures are made
The one maritime program in California approved for WIOA funding
Filters
1 program
STCW Basic Training
CSU Maritime Academy
Vallejo
Accredited school
No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimatedNot reportedPrice if you pay yourself$1,175More details about STCW Basic Training at CSU Maritime Academy
- 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
- $1,175
No programs match these filters.
How to pay for merchant mariner training in California
WIOA funding can pay for merchant mariner training in California
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.
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How merchant mariner training compares with the rest of transportation and logistics: Transportation and logistics training in California
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Where the California merchant mariner program numbers come from
Which California merchant mariner programs are on this list?
These are the merchant mariner programs California 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 California offers.
How the prices and results of California 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.
Sources for the facts about merchant mariner training in California
Show the 10 sourcesHide the sources
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Water Transportation Workers
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations: 46 CFR 10.225, requirements for original Merchant Mariner Credentials
- US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
- US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
- 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)
- US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
- US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
- US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Don't Miss Out on Federal Pell Grants
- US Department of Veterans Affairs: GI Bill benefits for non-college degree programs
- 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