How To Pay for Trade School: 7 Methods
Discover how to pay for trade school with options like scholarships, trade school loans and tuition reimbursement incentive programs. Learn more here!
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If you want to attend trade school, there are scholarships available to help you cover costs. Scholarships are a form of financial aid that are a gift from the donor to the recipient.10 The student can use the scholarship money and doesn’t have to pay it back.
There are thousands of scholarships available for students all over the country who want to attend trade school. You can get a scholarship based on academic achievement, volunteerism, your association with a certain organization or business, and a wide variety of other factors.
You can get part or all of your school paid for with trade school scholarships. Consider your options when you’re applying for or enrolled in trade school to help get your costs covered.
Trade School Scholarships
Here are some scholarships geared toward trade school students in areas like diesel, motorcycle, marine and automotive technician training, as well as collision repair, CNC machining and welding.
$2,000 “No Essay” College Scholarship
This scholarship is awarded by random draw each month to high school and college students who qualify.
Alliance Automotive Service Providers – Minnesota
This organization awards $1,500 scholarships every fall to students enrolled in post-secondary collision repair and auto service programs.
American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Vocational Scholarship
The APWU Vocational Scholarship is a scholarship of up to $3,000 awarded to high school seniors who plan to study specialized trade school training.
Automotive Aftermarket Scholarships Central
The University of the Aftermarket Foundation (UAF) offers scholarships to graduating high school seniors and full-time students studying post-secondary automotive, collision repair or heavy duty technician programs.
Automotive Hall of Fame Scholarships
The Automotive Hall of Fame makes scholarships available to students who are accepted for full-time enrollment at an accredited college, university or trade school.
Built Ford Tough
This scholarship open to Future Farmers of America members is available to 500 students at $1,000 each.
Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation
The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation gives away $3.55 million in scholarships each year to 1,400 graduating high school seniors.
Dr Pepper Tuition Giveaway
Dr Pepper Tuition Giveaway scholarships are available for students ages 18 to 24, with $1 million in tuition money available for giveaway total. Scholarships range from $2,500 to $100,000 each.
High School Senior Scholarship Contest
The American Fire Sprinkler Association sponsors this scholarship program, awarding 10 high school seniors $2,000 scholarships.
Imagine America Foundation Scholarship
There are scholarships available to 4,000 students offered every year, to those who are studying automotive technology, diesel technology, auto collision repair, motorcycle technician and NASCAR programs.
John Deere Dealer Scholarship Program
The John Deere Dealer Scholarship Program awards 150 scholarships for $2,000 each to high school seniors or college students in welding or diesel mechanic programs.
Mike Rowe Works Foundation Work Ethic Scholarship Program
This scholarship program recognizes having a strong work ethic in the skilled trades industries.
National Tooling and Machining Association
The National Tooling & Machining Foundation Scholarship program provides scholarships of up to $2,500 for students who are studying programs like CNC machining to pursue a career in manufacturing.
Ram Trucks Scholarship
Ram Trucks awards one national scholarship of $3,000 and up to 91 scholarships of $1,000 each to high school seniors or trade school students pursuing a degree in any major.
TechForce Foundation
The TechForce Foundation awards more than $1.5 million in scholarships and grants to students attending trade schools like Universal Technical Institute (UTI).
Welder Training Scholarship
This scholarship sponsored by the American Welding Society (AWS) is available for students who are in a welder training certificate program.
Trade School Scholarships for Women
Women bring diversity, innovation and skilled labor to the professional trades. All of the above trade school scholarships are open to applicants of any gender. There are also many female-focused trade school scholarships available to bring more women into these exciting industries, like the ones featured below.
Air Products Women of Gases & Welding Scholarship
This scholarship is available to a female pursuing higher education in a welding discipline. Students must be enrolled full-time.
Automotive Women’s Alliance Foundation (AWAF)
The AWAF provides quarterly scholarships to women who are accepted to or enrolled in automotive industry programs who have a 3.0 or higher GPR and are citizens in North America.
GM Women’s Retail Network Drive to Succeed Automotive Retail Scholarship for Women
This scholarship is available to female high school students, GM dealership workers and non-traditional students who are pursuing automotive technical certification in automotive education.
Live Your Dream Awards
The Live Your Dream Awards program by Soroptimist gives up to $16,000 to female students who are the primary financial support for their families, including dependents, spouse, partner, parents and/or siblings.
Women in Auto Care Scholarship
Both female high school seniors and female students currently enrolled in a post-secondary program can apply for this scholarship program. In 2019, 40 scholarships were awarded.
Related Questions
How do I get a grant for trade school?
To receive a grant, which is another form of gift aid, you’ll need to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).10 Then, learn about UTI grant programs. UTI offers two grant programs: the Institutional Grant and the Relocation Grant. Contact the UTI Financial Aid office online or at 800-834-7308 for more information on grants to help pay for trade school.
Can I go to trade school for free?
You may be able to go to trade school for free if you pay for all of your education with grants and scholarships.10 Trade school does have tuition costs, but an advantage with trade school is that expenses are typically less expensive than traditional four-year colleges because the programs are shorter.
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1 ) UTI is an educational institution and cannot guarantee employment or salary.
2 ) For program outcome information and other disclosures, visit www.uti.edu/disclosures.
10 ) Financial aid, scholarships and grants are available to those who qualify. Awards vary due to specific conditions, criteria and state.
Universal Technical Institute of Illinois, Inc. is approved by the Division of Private Business and Vocational Schools of the Illinois Board of Higher Education.
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