About Us

About the Scholarship Program

This scholarship program is proud to be a centralized location for scholarships available to students looking to have a career in the automotive aftermarket and commercial vehicle industry. Students are considered for hundreds of scholarship opportunities from over 40 different organizations by filling out just one application.

How we started:

In 1996 the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) began funding scholarships for students pursuing careers in the automotive aftermarket. The application and reviewing processes went fully online in 2004. Additional donors began awarding their scholarships through the program in 2008. The University of the Aftermarket Foundation (UAF) assumed responsibility for operating the program in 2016. Since the program began more than 5,000 scholarships have been awarded by GAAS, UAF, Women in Auto Care and many additional collaborating organizations.

Priority in awarding scholarships is given to those pursuing a career in the automotive aftermarket, and sons and daughters of aftermarket industry families.

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About the Automotive Aftermarket

The +500K businesses in the auto care industry form a coast-to-coast network of independent automotive aftermarket manufacturers, distributors, repair shops, marketers and retailers small and large. At its core, this integrated grid of professionals is dedicated to providing the quality parts, products and vehicle service and repair for all 290 million vehicles on the road today.

Frequently Asked Questions

The program was founded in 1996.

In the past several years, University of the Aftermarket Foundation (UofAF) and its donors award more than 200 scholarships per year of $1,000 to $5,000 each. More than 30 additional organizations award scholarships ranging from $250 to $10,000.  Over the 25 year history, more than 5,000 scholarships and more than $6.0 million have been awarded.

For the first 15+ years, the Global Autuomotive Aftermarket Symposium was held annually, and the net proceeds and other contributions funded most of the scholarships.  The scholarship program is now part of the University of the Aftermarket Foundation.

See the eligibility requirements on the Apply On-Line page at this site, and see each donor’s page for any specific requirements.

The scholarship funds are sent directly to the recipient’s school to be applied to their account.  Awards can be applied to the student’s tuition, fees, or books.  Additional arrangements will be made for veterans or others who have benefits that fully fund these items.

Applications may be made on-line for the 2022 scholarships must be completed by March 31, 2022.

The organizations review their candidates starting in April each year.  Recipients are notified as each group makes their selections, and this process continues through August each year.

Recipients receive mail and email notification of their awards.  These include instructions on confirming their award, by supplying their college enrollment information and a photo.  Once the recipent has supplied the confirmation material, funds are sent promptly to the recipient’s school.

For questions about Scholarship Applications: contact Andrea Mack, uafscholarships@nawilliams.com.

For questions about scholarship awards:  Email uafscholarships@autocare.org

You may also contact me directly about any issue.  Mike Buzzard, Chairman, Scholarship Committee.  mbuzzard@schwartzadvisors.com

Almost 40 other organizations who also award scholarships to students preparing for automotive aftermarket careers use this website. Your application is first reviewed to determine all the organizations where you meet their qualifications. Your application will be considered by all of those organizations. Each organization makes their own selections, and you may receive more than one scholarship. Note that some organizations have special requirements. Please review the pages for each organization on this website.