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State Cert Guide

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What do I need for a Mississippi mortgage loan originator license?

In Mississippi, unless exempt, an individual may not engage in the business of a mortgage loan originator without first obtaining and maintaining annually a license. Prelicensing takes at least 20 hours of approved education. The individual must also pass a qualified written test with not less than 75% correct answers. These rules come from an old copy of the Act that a later law may have changed.

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The rule, fact by fact

Course hours
At least 20 hours of approved educationThe law names four topics that the hours include.
Verified. dbcf.ms.gov (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
Cost
$110 for the SAFE MLO Test, as NMLS lists it. This is not the course priceNMLS lists this fee for its national test.
NMLS Resource Center · SAFE MLO Test overview (opens external website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
Online accepted
Yes. A classroom, online, or any other means the registry approvesThe law says this about prelicensing education in general.
Verified. dbcf.ms.gov (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
Passing score
A qualified written test is passed with not less than 75% correct answersThe law sets this as the minimum for a qualified written test.
Same source and date as above

How to get it done

  1. Step 1. Check whether you need the license. Unless exempt, an individual may not engage in the business of a mortgage loan originator with respect to any dwelling in Mississippi without first obtaining and maintaining annually a license. A person who offers or negotiates terms of a residential mortgage loan with or for an immediate family member is exempt, among others. A licensed attorney who negotiates a client's residential mortgage loan as an ancillary matter is exempt too, unless a lender, broker or other originator, or an agent of one, compensates the attorney.

  2. Step 2. Pick a course that the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry, called the registry on this page, has approved. The registry reviews and approves prelicensing courses, and that review includes the course provider.

  3. Step 3. Take at least 20 hours of approved education. The hours include at least 4 hours of education related to the Mississippi S.A.F.E. Mortgage Act. The law lets prelicensing education be offered in a classroom, online, or by any other means the registry approves.

  4. Step 4. Pass a qualified written test. The registry develops it, and a test provider the registry approves gives it. An individual may retake a test three consecutive times, each at least 30 days after the preceding test. After failing three consecutive tests, the individual must wait at least six months before taking the test again.

Before you pay

Before you pay, check that the registry has approved both the course and its provider, and that the course covers the 4 hours on the Mississippi S.A.F.E. Mortgage Act.

Questions

What must the 20 hours include?

Besides the 4 hours on the Mississippi S.A.F.E. Mortgage Act, the hours include at least 3 hours of federal law and regulations, and 3 hours of ethics with instruction on fraud, consumer protection and fair lending issues. They also include 2 hours of training related to lending standards for the nontraditional mortgage product marketplace.

Can my employer provide the course?

Yes, if the registry approved the course. The law says nothing in the section precludes an approved prelicensing course provided by the applicant's employer, by a company affiliated with the applicant by an agency contract, or by any subsidiary or affiliate of either.

What if my license lapsed?

A licensed originator who fails to maintain a valid license for five years or longer must retake the test, not counting any time as a registered mortgage loan originator. A person previously licensed who applies to be licensed again must also prove completion of all continuing education requirements for the year in which the license was last held.

What does the test cover?

A test counts as a qualified written test only if it adequately measures knowledge and comprehension in appropriate subject areas, including ethics. It also covers federal and state law and regulation pertaining to mortgage origination, and fraud, consumer protection, the nontraditional mortgage marketplace and fair lending. NMLS lists 120 questions, with 115 scored. The five unscored pre-test questions have no effect on your pass or fail result.

Is this law text current?

The Department of Banking and Consumer Finance hosts a copy of the Act that is current with laws from the 2021 Regular Session effective through July 1, 2021, and says some sections may be more current. A bill whose history record lists it as Law brought sections 81-18-5, 81-18-7 and 81-18-14, among others, forward for purposes of possible amendment. We haven't confirmed whether that law changed any rule on this page.

What to do next

Start with the Mississippi S.A.F.E. Mortgage Act as the Department hosts it. Then pick a course the registry has approved.

dbcf.ms.gov

Sources we read