# NATEF

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The National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) was a national program that provides an accreditation process for automotive technician training programs. It is now known as the ASE Education Foundation. This accreditation ensures the program meets established industry standards, and prepares graduates for professional success in the auto repair and service industry. NATEF also works to improve safety, workplace development and higher educational standards by providing advice, resources and support.

## NATEF Accreditation: What It Means and Where to Find It

NATEF stood for the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation. It accredited automotive training programmes. Accredited means it checked a course against an industry standard and approved it. In 2018 NATEF merged into the ASE Education Foundation. The name changed. The accreditation did not go away.

So a NATEF accredited school is an ASE Education Foundation accredited school. They are the same thing. This page explains what that covers. Then it lists what we hold: 1,809 current programmes at 1,391 schools. That is 49 US states, plus Puerto Rico.

## Why accreditation matters when you pick a school

Any school can say its course is good. Accreditation is a check by someone outside the school. The programme gets measured against what shops actually need. It is then re-checked on a schedule. It is not approved once and forgotten.

It tells you three things. The tools and equipment are current. The instructors hold ASE certification themselves. The course covers the task list employers expect. That last one matters most. It means your first day in a shop is not a shock.

Accreditation does not promise you a job. It does mean the training was checked by someone with no reason to flatter it.

## What gets accredited

Accreditation is granted by programme, not by school. One school may hold it in one area and not another. The three areas are:

- **Automobile**: 1,496 current accredited programmes.
- **Collision Repair and Refinishing**: 181 current accredited programmes.
- **Medium/Heavy Duty Truck**: 133 current accredited programmes.

Programmes are also split by level. Secondary means a high school course. Post secondary means a college or adult course. Read the post secondary column if you have already left school.

## Accredited programmes by state

The table shows schools with at least one current accreditation. Use the post secondary column if you are an adult looking to train. Where we have a page for that state, the name links to it.

| State | Post secondary schools | All accredited schools |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Alaska | 2 | 3 |
| [Alabama](/AL/) | 10 | 39 |
| [Arkansas](/AR/) | 12 | 18 |
| [Arizona](/AZ/) | 7 | 14 |
| [California](/CA/) | 39 | 51 |
| [Colorado](/CO/) | 11 | 17 |
| Connecticut | 3 | 5 |
| [Florida](/FL/) | 54 | 108 |
| [Georgia](/GA/) | 13 | 31 |
| [Hawaii](/HI/) | 3 | 4 |
| Iowa | 11 | 11 |
| [Idaho](/ID/) | 6 | 7 |
| [Illinois](/IL/) | 25 | 47 |
| [Indiana](/IN/) | 9 | 20 |
| [Kansas](/KS/) | 14 | 16 |
| Kentucky | 17 | 61 |
| Louisiana | 8 | 10 |
| [Massachusetts](/MA/) | 5 | 34 |
| Maryland | 5 | 24 |
| Maine | 5 | 17 |
| [Michigan](/MI/) | 15 | 103 |
| Minnesota | 18 | 24 |
| [Missouri](/MO/) | 13 | 22 |
| Mississippi | 5 | 45 |
| Montana | 1 | 1 |
| North Carolina | 16 | 112 |
| North Dakota | 4 | 10 |
| [Nebraska](/NE/) | 5 | 6 |
| New Hampshire | 3 | 19 |
| New Jersey | 16 | 41 |
| New Mexico | 6 | 6 |
| Nevada | 2 | 4 |
| [New York](/NY/) | 13 | 35 |
| [Ohio](/OH/) | 9 | 44 |
| [Oklahoma](/OK/) | 36 | 37 |
| [Oregon](/OR/) | 6 | 8 |
| [Pennsylvania](/PA/) | 18 | 39 |
| [Puerto Rico](/PR/) | 1 | 1 |
| Rhode Island | 1 | 8 |
| [South Carolina](/SC/) | 8 | 20 |
| South Dakota | 3 | 4 |
| [Tennessee](/TN/) | 21 | 22 |
| [Texas](/TX/) | 29 | 71 |
| [Utah](/UT/) | 11 | 20 |
| [Virginia](/VA/) | 15 | 91 |
| Vermont | 0 | 4 |
| [Washington](/WA/) | 12 | 22 |
| [Wisconsin](/WI/) | 18 | 30 |
| West Virginia | 3 | 3 |
| [Wyoming](/WY/) | 2 | 2 |

## How to check a school yourself

Accreditation lapses. A programme accredited three years ago may not be accredited today. Some schools keep the logo on the website after it has run out. Ask the school two questions. Which programme is accredited? When does that accreditation expire?

You can also check the [ASE Education Foundation](https://www.aseeducationfoundation.org/) directly. It publishes the current list. Our figures come from that source. They were last updated on 2026-07-21. We leave out programmes whose accreditation has already expired. We excluded 182 of them. That is why our count is lower than the total ever accredited.

## Accreditation and ASE certification are different things

These two get mixed up a lot. Accreditation applies to a school’s programme. Certification applies to you. You earn it by passing [ASE](https://www.ase.com/) tests once you have the work experience. Training at an accredited school does not certify you. It gets you ready for the tests.

## Sources

- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025) — wage and employment figures. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook — job outlook. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/
- ASE Education Foundation — accredited automotive programme directory (1515 schools). https://www.aseeducationfoundation.org/
- National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) — certification. https://www.ase.com/
- ASE Education Foundation — https://www.aseeducationfoundation.org/

Canonical: https://automechanicschools.com/natef/
Last checked: 2026-08-19