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Top 23 Scholarships for Students Studying Automotive Trades in January 2023
Are you looking to study automotive trades and go on to a career in automobiles? Auto scholarships cover a wide variety of fields, including auto body and paint work, upholstery, collision repair, motorcycle technology, diesel and truck technology, and even NASCAR pit work! But like other forms of education, auto trades are not cheap. It’s a good idea to look into scholarships to fund your education. Now start your engines, and check out our top vetted auto scholarships!
Jump ahead to…
- Top auto scholarships
- How to win automotive trade scholarships
- Frequently asked questions
- Explore these additional scholarship categories
Top 23 Scholarships for Students Studying Automotive Trades in January 2023
The Scholarships360 Research Team reviews all scholarships individually and strives to exclude any scholarship where any of the below applies:
- The scholarship requires a fee to apply
- The scholarship provider’s privacy policy allows for the misuse of student data
- The scholarship requires paid membership in an organization (with certain exceptions for reputable trade organizations and others)
- Student are required to sign up for a site or service to apply*
- The scholarship seems primarily used for lead generation** or idea harvesting purposes***
- The scholarship website has many grammatical errors and/or advertisements
- The scholarship or scholarship providing organization seem untrustworthy
- There is no evidence the scholarship was previously awarded
- The scholarship has not been awarded in the past 12 months
- There is no available contact information
If you believe a scholarship has been published in error, please reach out to [email protected] and we’ll take a look!
* There are certain exceptions to this, for example if the sponsoring organization is a major corporation or nonprofit with its own scholarship application system.
** Lead generation scholarships will require students to sign up for an app or website and require minimal (if any) application requirements.
***Idea harvesting scholarships will require students to submit blog posts or other materials that companies may use for marketing purposes.
$10,000 “No Essay” Scholarship
Scholarships360 Exclusive
Easy scholarship open to all US-based high school, college, community college and graduate students.
$2,000 Nitro College Scholarship – No Essay
Sponsored
Easy scholarship open to all high school, college, community and graduate students.
$25,000 No Essay Scholarship
Sponsored
Open to high school and college students, as well as anyone looking to attend college or graduate school in the next year.
“Follow Your Own Path” Essay Scholarship
Scholarships360 Exclusive
Open to all postsecondary students, regardless of the type of training/education they are pursuing.
“Outstanding Undergraduate” Essay Scholarship
Scholarships360 Exclusive
Open to current undergraduates at four-year universities in the U.S.
DEWALT Trades Scholarship
Offered by Stanley Black & Decker
Open to individuals attending a two-year or vocational school to pursue a trade degree or certificate.
SEMA Scholarship
Offered by Speed Equipment Manufacturing Association
Open to current and incoming college students who demonstrate passion for the automotives trades.
AASP-MN Scholarship
Offered by Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Minnesota
Open to first- and second-year students enrolled in post-secondary automotive service and collision repair programs in Minnesota.
Auto Value Scholarship
Offered by Auto Value
Automotive trade students who are employees or whose parent is an employee of an Auto Value store, warehouse, or certified service center.
Automotive Aftermarket Scholarship
Offered by Automotive Aftermarket
Current and incoming students at a U.S. college or ASE/NATEF Certified post-secondary automotive, heavy duty, or collision repair school.
$25k “Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship
Sponsored
Easy scholarship open to high school students, college students, community college students, and graduate students.
Andrew Piech Memorial Scholarship
Offered by Albuquerque Community Foundation
Current or past residents of New Mexico seeking a degree in automotive or technical vocational studies.
Automotive Hall of Fame Scholarship
Offered by The Automotive Hall of Fame
Open to current and incoming postsecondary students pursuing a degree related to automotive trades.
Women in Skilled Trades Scholarship
Offered by The Refrigeration School
Open to eligible female students of the Refrigeration School who demonstrate financial need.
Automotive Women’s Alliance Foundation Education Scholarship
Offered by Automotive Women's Alliance Foundation
Open to female, North American citizens pursuing a career in the automotive, mobility, or related industries.
This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications.
Jan 10, 2024CarBrain Scholarship
Offered by CarBrain
Open to high school seniors and college students who submit an essay about cars/the auto industry.
This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications.
Nov 1, 2023Garage Gurus Automotive Technician Scholarship
Offered by Garage Gurus
Open to current and incoming college students in the U.S. pursuing an automotive technician degree or certification.
This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications.
May 31, 2023Find Your Drive Scholarship Program
Offered by Pep Boys
Open to current and incoming postsecondary students in pursuit of an automotive degree or certification in the U.S. or Puerto Rico.
This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications.
May 21, 2023$10,000 CollegeXpress Scholarship
Sponsored
Annual $10k scholarship from CollegeXpress open to all high school students.
Niche $2,000 “No Essay” College Scholarship
Sponsored
Easy scholarship from Niche open to all high school, college, and graduate students.
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How to win automotive trade scholarships
As you begin to fill out your applications for automotive trade scholarships, it’s a good idea to do some brainstorming to decide what to focus on in your essays. Try to think of the aspects of the automotive trades which interested you in the first place, and consider what aspects of yourself indicate that you would do well in the field.
Whether you spent your youth helping a family member work on cars, or watched Formula One races every week, you probably have some story connecting you to cars that got you interested in the field. Think of this experience and apply it to your future potential in the field. You can also use anecdotes that are not explicitly automobile-related, but rather speak to your work ethic, responsibility, and/or knack for innovation.
Also see: Everything you should know about trade schools
Resources for writing scholarship essays
Once you’ve done your brainstorming, it’s time to begin writing. Writing scholarship essays is a unique skill that takes some work to master. Luckily, we have guides to steer you through the process. These include our guides on how to start a scholarship essay and how to write a winning scholarship essay. Check out a few more resources to help you through the process:
- How to write a scholarship resume
- How to respond to a “Why do you deserve this scholarship?” prompt
- Tailoring your writing to a 250 or 500 word limit
- “Show, Don’t Tell” essay primer
Frequently asked questions about automotive trade scholarships
Can automotive trades students apply for engineering scholarships?
Automotive trades is a field that encompasses many different career paths and educational tracks. If your field involves working on the engineering of cars, you probably qualify for a number of engineering scholarships! For example, those in the motorsports technology field probably will qualify.
However, if you are working in sales or repairs or other aspects of the field, you will not qualify for these scholarships.
Are car mechanics included under automotive trades?
Yes! Mechanics are considered to work in the automotive trades. So, you’ll find many great matches on this scholarship list that you should consider applying for.
Are car salesmen included under automotive trades?
Yes, under most definitions, car salesmen, whether selling new or used cars, are part of the automotive trades.