The specialty of General Purpose (GP) Rating is that candidates are trained for both deck as well as engine department. After successful completion of the training, ratings can be employed in either deck department or engine department, depending upon the demand of the company. Basically, General Purpose (GP) Rating is the boarding course approved by Director General (DG) Shipping. In the combined study of deck and engine department they are made to learn seamanship, maintenance work on deck, machine operations and maintenance.

General Purpose (GP) Rating course also includes physical training such as physical drills, swimming, rope and mast climbing, fire-fighting exercises, workshop training, etc. After completion of the training, trained candidates have to pass the external examinations Board of Examinations of Seafarers (BES) which comes under the D.G. Shipping (Govt. of India). After passing BES General Purpose (GP) Rating candidates are issued INDIAN CDC after which they can sail.

Students can join General Purpose (GP) Rating course after class 10^thor they can also go for NCV DECK CADET COURSE no common entrance test is conducted for GP Rating’s selection process but few colleges conduct their own examinations to select candidates.

Even after being eligible for the course, it is not that easy to find the best college which can provide you the placement just after completion of the course.

The only colleges you must choose to go for General Purpose (GP) Rating course for placements surely are-

To get into a good GP Rating College you need to clear the interview and written test first, different companies have different criteria and syllabus for the written exam and interview, and our free GP Rating Guidance Series will introduce you to all the aspects of exams and interview so that you can be one of the students in these colleges.

1. Training Ship (TS) Rahaman-

This college has a golden and extensive past from the 1910s, but at present it conducts pre-sea training courses and other STCW courses with the recognition of DG Shipping.

Eligibility Criteria-

• Someone who has passed class 10^th with subjects- Science, Mathematics and English with an aggregate of 40% along with 40% in English, may apply for the admission.
• Class 12^th pass out from any stream can also apply for the admission, but he has to fulfil the above-mentioned point.
• An aspirant from the 2-year ITI course (Fitter/ Machinist / Mechanic /Welder /Turner) approved by DVET with 40 % in the final year who must be satisfying the first point can also apply for the admission.
• The age limit to apply is minimum 17 and a half years and 25 years maximum on the date of commencement of training.
• Aspirant should have 6/6 vision of the better eye and 6/9 in the other eye and normal colour vision is tested.

This is one of the best colleges in India, situated in Mumbai for a secure General Purpose (GP) Rating course in terms of training and placement.

Placement Scenario-

• Before the covid pandemic the on-campus placement was about 90% but currently only 30 out of 240 have been placed by the mass recruiter Anglo-Eastern.

The waiting period of Anglo-Eastern is about 1 year to 1 and a half years.

The Course Fees and Duration-

• Two courses are held per year, which start from January and July. The duration of the course is 6 months (25 weeks) for which a candidate has to pay 2,39,000 INR.

After the successful completion of the course, the college forwards the document for the issuing of the CDC for the Ratings.

Admission Procedure-

• Candidate may apply without company sponsorship. Application form has to be submitted 2 months prior to the commencement of the programme.
• An application form has to be submitted with 10^th marksheet and school leaving certificate.
• The administration will assign the date of the entrance test followed by an interview.
• Candidates from outside Mumbai are advised to make their local guardian registered in the college.
• Candidates appearing for the class 10^th may also appear for the entrance test.
• Successful candidates are provided with the joining formalities.

Terms and Conditions to Stay Inside the Campus are-

• There must be no complaints against the candidate, of misbehavior and breach of code of conduct to the principal and other staff members of the campus.
• 90% attendance is compulsory, and exams are conducted in English medium.
• Only those Ratings will be allowed for city leave on Sundays who have submitted the signed parents’/guardian form to the college administration.
• Cadets are not allowed to keep much valuable things with themselves, they must not keep more than 250 INR.
• Any intentional damage or misbehavior by the Ratings in the college will be fined and if this continues through the training period, the principal will expel the respective trainee.

T.S. Rahaman is full of amenities provided to its trainees, such as-

• Library- This library contains wide variety of maritime domain books. Scanning and printout facility is also available here on paid basis. Desired person has to approach librarian for the printouts and scanning.
• Laundry- A housekeeper may be contacted for the purpose of using the laundry. The laundry works on paid basis in the college.
• Survival at Sea centre- Director General of Shipping started an initiative- Survival of Sea course in 1981. This course includes techniques to be used while an emergency at the sea, for survival.
• Maritime Fire Fighting complex- This was established in 1989 to train the Ratings and Officers as mentioned by STCW convention of International Maritime Organisation (IMO). A double storey mock ship structure has been established in the campus where actual fire conditions are simulated. This trains the trainees in controlling and fighting fires.
• Marine Museum- It holds n numbers of past stories. At present, the ground floor is designed to showcase Indian Shipping from the very starting. Similarly, the rest of the floor of the museum reflects the maritime culture of India.
• Hospital- Along with providing medical aid to the trainees in a advanced manner this hospital also conducts First Aid Courses for the officers and crew of the merchant navy.

For more details regarding college and admission you may visit Best GP Rating Course Mumbai | Best Maritime Academy in India (tsrahaman.org).

2. National Union of Seafarer of India (NUSI), Maritime Academy-

The duration of the course is 6 months. College strictly prohibits any kind of leave during the course time. The college schedule is strict and highly disciplined. The course is completely residential (hostel compulsory). This course also includes the mandatory STCW courses required for the CDC. The college is situated in the beautiful union territory of India, GOA.

The placement-

• Is almost fixed here. The mass recruiters are MOL, DOCKENDALE and ANGLO-EASTERN.
• Even in the Covid scenario the strong bond of college has provided its trainees the best placement.

The waiting period of companies is approximately 4-6 months, except for Anglo-Eastern which is 1-1.5 years.

The fees for the course –

• 1,50,000 INR and 13,000 INR must be paid to the tailor for the uniform. Apart from this 2,000 INR will be kept as caution money by the campus.

Eligibility criteria and admission process –

• Someone who has passed their class 10^th with subjects Science, Mathematics and English with an aggregate of 40% along with 40% in English, may apply for the admission.
• Class 12^th pass out from any stream can also apply for the admission, but he has to fulfil the above-mentioned point.
• You must have the documents, mentioned in the official website of the college before joining for GP Rating course.
• An aspirant from the 2-year ITI course (Fitter/ Machinist/ Mechanic/ Welder/ Turner/ Mechanic Diesel/ Mechanic Motor Vehicle/ Electrical Et Electronics/ Automobile / Instrumentation) approved by DVET with 40 % in the final year who must be satisfying the first point can also apply for the admission.
• The age limit to apply is minimum 18 years and maximum 25 years on the 1^st of January or July.
• Aspirant should have 6/6 vision of the better eye and 6/9 in the other eye and normal colour vision is tested. No speech impairment will be entertained.
• Minimum height is 158cm. Your Body Mass Index (BMI) should range between- 20<your BMI<30.

The selection procedure starts with the submission of the application form followed by the written and oral test of the following subjects-

• English grammar
• Mathematics
• Science
• General knowledge

The questions in the entrance test are of the level of 10^th standard.

Campus facilities-

• Here, trainees are trained in lowering and hoisting the boat, rowing, sailing and boat handling in the DAVITS.
• Boat shed is installed in the water front area of the campus which is used to train Ratings in hauling the boat up on the ramp.
• Fire-fighting mock up is also installed in campus to deal with the real fire emergency onboard ship.
• Several labs have been installed in the campus for a real ship-based experience such as SOLAS lab, SEAMANSHIP lab, HOUSEKEEPING lab, COMPUTER lab, STEERING simulator etc.
• The campus also has the privilege of swimming pool, a vast library and several sports activities which keep the trainees in the campus active and their moral high.

For further details and admission process visit GENERAL PURPOSE COURSE (nusiacademy.edu.in).

3. Great Eastern Institute of Maritime Studies-

GEIMS is known to give world’s best seafarers from India. Having its own shipping company and tie ups with other leading shipping companies provides it an edge over other maritime colleges. GEIMS has been rated “OUTSTANDING” by the DG Shipping.

Till batch 5 there used to be placement just after completion of the course but till date no trainee is placed from batch number 6, 7 and 8. The waiting period of companies is approximately 4-6 months except Anglo-Eastern which is 1-1.5years.

The total number of seats for the General Purpose (GP) Rating course is limited to 40 seats but, usually the batch comprises of just 35 trainees.

 Course Fees–

• Including all boarding, lodging, tuition fee, study material, uniform, examination is 4,50,000 INR. On doing GP rating course from this college, you get a sponsorship letter from the company. Which helps you in getting an education loan from the banks.

 The duration of the course is 6 months.

GEIMS Placement-

• 100% placement to the trainees. Trainees get 5 years contract of sponsorship which offers fixed placement.

To apply in the college, first you must fulfil the following criteria –

Eligibility Criteria and Admission Process-

• You must have the documents, mentioned in the official website of the college before joining for GP Rating course.
• An aspirant from the 2-year ITI course (Fitter/ Machinist/ Mechanic/ Welder/ Turner/ Mechanic Diesel/ Mechanic Motor Vehicle/ Electrical Et Electronics/ Automobile / Instrumentation) approved by DVET with 40 % in the final year.
• The age limit to apply is minimum 18 years and maximum 27 years on the 1^st of January or July.
• The candidate must be unmarried while joining the training course.
• Aspirant should have 6/6 vision of the better eye, and 6/9 in the other eye and normal colour vision is tested.
• Cadets have to go for the medical check-up by the DG Shipping approved doctors to meet the physical standards for the sea job.
• The height and weight of the candidate must not be less than 157cm and 48kg. (There are exemptions in height and weight for the candidate coming from special areas.)
• No class 10th or 12th pass out is allowed to take admission in the college.

This course is designed in a unique manner to maintain the best balance between the classroom and practical training. More focus is given to simulators and experimental training and techniques.

Several sports activities, swimming pool, engine room simulator, bridge simulator, huge auditorium, digital simulator and most importantly faculty and library make GEIMS a Great Institute for the General Purpose (GP) Rating Course.

Visit Great Eastern Academy (geinstitute.com) to proceed for admission purpose and brief details.

To get into such GP Rating Colleges you need to have complete knowledge of the exam structure and complete preparation where Merchant Navy Decoded can help you with a dedicated GP Rating Course that will give you a fair chance of selection into such colleges.

4:- Seven Islands Maritime Training Institute

Seven Islands Maritime Training Institute is a privately owned institute that conducts a 6 month GP Rating Course for students who want to join the merchant navy through GP Rating. The best part about this college is that it offers placement in its own company so you don’t have to sit for the placement after the completion of the course.

Eligibility Criteria and Admission Process

• Candidates must pass the exam aggregate with 40% marks in 10th with Science and Mathematics.
• Candidate must have scored a minimum of 40% marks in English as a subject in 10th.
• The student must have passed a 2-year ITI course with (Fitter / Machinist / Mechanic / Welder / Turner) with govt. approved institute with a minimum of 50% in the final year.
• If a candidate has a diploma or degree then he is also eligible for GP Rating from Seven Islands.

If you want to know whether you are eligible or not for Seven Islands or any other GP Rating Institute then check out your eligibility for GP Rating with our eligibility calculator.

Placement Criteria for Seven Islands Maritime Training Institute

If you get into Seven Islands Maritime Training Institute then one thing you should not care about is the placement as Seven Islands has its own shipping company which will help you in placement and if you clear the entrance round then the company will give you placement.

Fees for the Course

The fee for the 6-month GP Rating course in Seven Islands Maritime Training Institute is ₹4,87,000.

Admission Process for SIMTI

• Apply for the GP Rating course from the official website of Seven Islands.
• You will receive the mail to appear for the entrance test with the details of the venue.
• Once you clear the written examination, you will be shortlisted for the interview.
• Those candidates who are selected in the interview will be asked to go for the DG Shipping medical test after which they can join the training institute.

5:- Shipping Corporation of India

Shipping Corporation of India has recently started their GP Rating course for students who want to start their career in merchant navy after 12th or Diploma. SCI-MTI situated in Powai is responsible for the the GP Rating Course after which students will be placed in their own shipping company which is Shipping Corporation of India.

Eligibility for SCI-MTI

• A candidate must be pass-out from government recognized board with subjects, English, Mathematics and Science with 40% aggregate and 40% in English either in 10th or 12th.

[OR]

• 12th standard pass out from any stream with 40% aggregate and 40% in English either in 10th or 12th.

[OR]

• He must have completed 2 year of ITI course (Fitter / Machinist / Mechanic / Welder / Turner) with at least 40% aggregate and 40% in English either in 10th or 12th.
• Candidates between ages 18 to 25 are eligible for the course with some relaxation to SC, ST, and OBC.

Course Fees

The fees for the 6-month course of GP Rating in SCI-MTI is ₹4,50,000 for males and ₹3,60,000 for female candidates.

Application Process

• The application will be submitted online via online forms released by the college.
• The fees for the online form will be ₹1,000 for General, OBC NCL, and EWS candidates and ₹700 for SC, ST, and female candidates.
• For the entrance examination you will be required to physically present there with proper documents which you will be informed via mail.
• Once you pass the entrance examination you will be asked to present for the interview, details of which will be provided to you via mail.
• If you clear the interview, you will have to appear for the medical by a DG-certified doctor, and then you can join the institute after which you will be placed on board.

Conclusion

At the end, these are the only 5 GP Rating colleges that we support based on their placement criteria, services they offer, and the time-period they have. If you are going for any other GP Rating colleges then we suggest that you learn everything about that college first and then go for it after some professional advice.