Can I take mortgage broker courses online?

Yes. Under NMLS, mortgage brokers are classified as mortgage loan originators, so the coursework is the same NMLS-approved pre-licensing education, available in online and live formats from approved providers. The requirement is at least 20 hours, including 3 hours of federal law, 3 hours of ethics, and 2 hours on nontraditional mortgage products, plus any state-specific hours your state adds. Enroll through an NMLS-approved provider and completions are reported to your NMLS record.

Yes. A broker pursuing the MLO endorsement can complete the required 20 hours of pre-licensing education through any Nationwide Multistate Licensing System (NMLS)-approved provider in any area of the United States, and may split the hours across multiple courses taken over time. The 20-hour requirement counts only NMLS-approved education; the 45 hours used for real estate license renewal cannot satisfy it.

Florida has no mortgage broker course requirement, because the mortgage broker license is a company credential issued to entities. The education requirement applies to the individual loan originator license: 20 hours of NMLS-approved prelicensing education, including 2 hours on Florida law, which approved providers offer in online and self-paced formats.

Yes. New Mexico does not have a separate mortgage broker course; the 20 hours of NMLS-approved pre-licensure education required for the Mortgage Loan Originator License covers the requirement. Approved providers commonly offer the coursework online in self-paced, video, and webinar formats, including the 3 hours of New Mexico law.

The New York mortgage broker company registration has no course requirement; the applicant instead needs a qualifying individual with two years of verifiable credit analysis or underwriting experience. However, New York qualifying individuals must hold a mortgage loan originator license, and that license requires 20 hours of NMLS-approved pre-licensing education including 3 hours of New York law. With less than four years of MLO experience, that education must be taken in a live, interactive, or comprehension-gated format rather than a passive online course.