Foreign Marine Professional looking to obtain USCG License

Had thought about doing all the exams for the QMED-Any Rating, but the only thing that’s putting me off is the cost. Am going to double check with the NMC because their fees table is a little confusing, but it’s either $145 for the original endorsement including the examination, or it’s $280 if I have to add together all the evaluation, examination and issuance. Eventually would like to add the Elec-Refer Engineer as I’ve been working with Refrigeration for some time now as part of my job, but if I’m going to have to pay for each credential, might have to build it up over a little time.