By the Numbers: GAO Examines America's Mariner Training Pipeline

Report highlights expanding career opportunities—but says access to financial aid remains uneven

The United States has no shortage of maritime career opportunities. 

What it does have, according to a new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), is a fragmented training and financial aid system that can make entering the profession more difficult than it should be.

In its report issued earlier this year, Mariner Training: Maritime Administration Should Share More Information About Financial Aid and Careers, the GAO examines the nation's mariner training infrastructure, federal financial aid programs and the Maritime Administration's (MARAD) efforts to grow the workforce amid continued concerns over a national mariner shortage.

By the Numbers

• 200,000 – Approximate number of Americans holding valid Merchant Mariner Credentials as of 2023. MARAD continues to warn that additional credentialed mariners will be needed to meet commercial shipping and strategic sealift requirements.
• 20,451 – Applications for original Merchant Mariner Credentials submitted to the U.S. Coast Guard in 2024, up sharply from pandemic-era lows and evidence that interest in maritime careers is rebounding.
• 204 – U.S. institutions offering Coast Guard-approved mariner training, including seven maritime academies, 23 colleges and universities, 106 private training centers, four union schools and 64 other providers.
• 47 – Institutions designated by MARAD as Centers of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education, recognizing schools that prepare students for careers afloat and ashore.
• Less than 20% – The percentage of non-academy training institutions approved to accept federal financial aid through the Departments of Education, Veterans Affairs or Labor. The GAO found this to be one of the biggest barriers facing prospective mariners, particularly those seeking entry-level or career-advancement training outside the traditional maritime academies.

The report concludes that while MARAD has developed strategies to improve awareness of maritime careers and available financial aid, implementation has lagged. GAO recommends that the agency better coordinate with other federal departments, expand outreach on available aid programs and do more to promote maritime career pathways to prospective students. MARAD agreed with all four recommendations.