RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – Applications are now being accepted online for the 2010 Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) scholarship, awarded to students planning automotive aftermarket careers. The application process is now entirely electronic through the GAAS scholarship Web site, www.automotivescholarships.com.  
 
The deadline to apply is Wednesday, March 31, 2010.
 
The scholarships are available to students in two-year technical college programs and vocational schools and four-year college programs. To receive a GAAS scholarship, applicants must be enrolled full-time in a college-level program or a NATEF (National Automotive Technician Education Foundation) accredited automotive technical program. Graduate programs and part-time undergraduate programs do not qualify.
 
The GAAS scholarship is unique in that technician recipients can receive two financial grants: one while in school to assist with tuition and an equivalent grant awarded to scholarship recipients who graduate from their program and show proof of post-graduation employment as a technician in the automotive aftermarket for at least six months.

By completing a single online application at the GAAS Web site, students will be considered for GAAS scholarships, plus scholarships from a number of industry partners.
 
In 2009, a total of 75 students – 68 in the United States and seven in Canada – were awarded scholarships by the GAAS scholarship fund, its contributors and other groups collaborating with GAAS. Individual scholarships ranged from $250 to $2,000. A second round of donations in July was made possible by donations of more than $10,000 at GAAS 2009. In its 14-year history, the fund has presented more than $1.4 million in awards to approximately 1,400 students.
 
Proceeds from the annual GAAS event fund the scholarship program. Additional scholarship funding comes from industry contributions from individuals, companies and foundations. Contributions can be made to the GAAS Scholarship Fund, c/o Susan Medick at AAIA, at 301-654-6664, or susan.medick@aftermarket.org.