Auto Upholstery Institute 1973 Tank Top

Long before online colleges and distance learning were a thing, correspondence courses were the way people could get a degree or certification without having to ever set foot on a college campus. One such institution was Auto Upholstery Institute of Orange, California. In an attempt to ride the car and van customizing wave of the early '70s, A.U.I. set up several correspondence courses to teach auto upholstery and customization. Advertisements in automotive magazines and comic books advised readers to send in the included form for a free course catalog. Once registered, schools sent training materials, lesson worksheets, and the tools and supplies for the selected course. A.U.I. was even accredited by the California Department of Education.