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The GP (General Purpose) Rating course is the main way to train for a merchant ship straight after Class 10. It does not make you an officer. It makes you a rating: one of the crew who keep watch on deck and in the engine room under the officers. Here is who can join, what the medical checks, what the job involves, and how to check an institute before you pay.
Who is eligible for the GP Rating course after 10th?
The core rules are in DG Shipping's Training Circular No. 01 of 2018, with one change made in 2026. The regulator now signs as the Director General of Maritime Administration and publishes its rules on dgma.gov.in.
Academics: a Class 10 pass from a government-recognised board, with English, Maths and Science, and at least 40% aggregate.
English: at least 40% in Class 10 or Class 12.
Minimum age: 17½ years on the day the course starts.
Maximum age: 28 years (up from 25) under DGS Order 12 of 2026, in force from 1 August 2026, with the SC/ST relaxation unchanged.
The same order reserves 25% of seats in every GP Rating course for candidates with a technical qualification of at least one year, such as an ITI certificate in fitter, mechanic, electrical, plumbing or computer trades.
Worked example: when can you actually join?
Many students finish Class 10 at 15 or 16, so age is the real barrier. Take a student born on 15 March 2010 who passes Class 10 in 2026. They turn 17½ on 15 September 2027. The 2018 guidelines start batches in early January and July, so their first eligible batch is January 2028.
That leaves about 20 months. Class 11 and 12 keep the officer routes open; a technical course of a year or more, such as an ITI trade, could qualify you for the reserved 25% of seats. Batch dates can change by circular, so confirm them with the institute.
What medical standards do you need to meet?
The 2018 circular applies the Merchant Shipping (Medical Examination) Rules, 2000, as amended. The regulator's maritime health page says only doctors on its approved medical examiner list can certify Indian seafarers as fit, that eyesight standards follow the STCW Code, and that colour vision is tested with the Ishihara chart. Draft Merchant Shipping (Medical) Rules, 2026, dated 19 October 2026, would replace the 2000 rules once notified.
Get the approved medical done before you pay fees. Colour vision cannot be coached, so find out early; our piece on how the Ishihara colour test works explains the plates. If a result worries you, see an eye specialist, not an agent.
What do GP ratings do on board a ship?
The 2018 guidelines train you to two international (STCW) standards: a rating in a navigation watch on deck, and a rating in an engine-room watch. That is the "general purpose".
Deck: navigation, and cargo handling and stowage, at support level.
Engine room: marine engineering and electrical work, at support level.
Both: maintenance and repair, and care for people on board.
Safety: five basic STCW courses, including survival, fire fighting and first aid.
The course is residential, with workshops, boat work, swimming and parade, and ends with an All India Exit Examination. After the required sea time, a rating can qualify as an Able Seafarer (Deck or Engine). The engineering and electrical theory builds on Class 10 science; if that feels shaky, the Fermi Concept Library has a lesson for every concept in physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics and computing, so you can fill gaps before day one.
If you would rather become an officer after Class 12, see our guide to the merchant navy deck officer route.
How do you check that a GP Rating institute is genuine?
DGS Order 12 of 2026 warns that agents lure young people from poorer, remote regions with false promises. It cites ITF figures: 899 abandoned Indian seafarers sought help in 2024, and 1,125 in 2025. From 1 August 2026 it also stops issuing a CDC (the seafarer's service book) on the basis of the five short safety courses alone, so a quick "CDC package" is no longer a way in.
Find the institute and its GP Rating course on the list of approved maritime training institutes.
Check it is not on the withdrawal and suspension list.
If an agency promises a ship job, look it up on the valid and invalid RPSL list.
Ask for placement figures in writing. The 2018 guidelines require institutes to place at least 85% of passed-out trainees for onboard training within 12 months, and an existing institute needs at least 75% placed to take its next batch.
Pay only into the institute's own account, keep receipts, and never hand cash to an agent.
Weighing a trade course first? Our comparison of ITI and polytechnic after 10th can help you choose.
