One of the interesting things about being athletically competent is that it will open doors to several opportunities whether it’s through Rugby scholarships, or participating in pro rugby. If you’re in the United States or you intend to enroll in the U.S. one of the interesting things to know is that U.S. college rugby is the fastest growing sport in the country for both men and women rugby.
Though it’s not as mature as college AFL or basketball – where you can easily get full scholarships – but, the pace is promised to cause more and more scholarships to be provided.
Moreover, the United States is not the only country that has colleges that offer Rugby scholarships, other countries like the UK, Australia, Ireland, Canada, etc., also provide rugby scholarships.
Speaking of Australia, did you know there are still other sports scholarships they provide that can help reduce the cost of education and help you concentrate fully on your sporting activities and academics?
Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
Colleges that Offer Rugby Scholarships
Note that rugby scholarships in the United States are renewed annually and can be awarded for up to 10 semesters per NCAA guidelines. Other countries have different patterns of renewal which are determined by the institution and their partners.
1. Lindenwood University (USA)
Lindenwood University is a member of the NCAA Division I, which makes them eligible to offer higher rugby scholarships worth up to 100% fees. Scholarships are awarded at the discretion of their rugby head coach.
It’s worth noting that the Lindenwood men’s rugby team won the 2012 USA Rugby Division II national championship in its inaugural season, and finished second in Division I-AA for the 2012-13 season from Wikipedia.
2. Notre Dame College (USA)
Notre Dame College is one of the colleges that offer Rugby scholarships and plays at the highest level of collegiate rugby in the United States. The University of Notre Dame’s Rugby Program is the oldest collegiate rugby club in the Midwest.
3. Bond University (Australia)
Bond University is partnering with the former Wallabies Captain, John Eales AM, to present the John Eales Rugby Excellence Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to two outstanding rugby union players (one male and one female) to be mentored both on and off the field.
The scholarship covers the full fee of recipients and it’s promised to be very competitive. Besides the monetary value, scholars will also network with elite athletes, coaches, and top-level teams from a range of sports.
Also, scholars will receive a living allowance worth $20,000 during the course of their enrollment.
4. University of Stirling (UK)
The University of Stirling is partnering with the Stirling County Fosroc Super6 rugby franchise to provide scholarships to their student-athletes. This is one of the colleges that offer Rugby scholarships and also give their students the opportunity to enroll in other additional Scholarships.
That means you can take advantage of both athletic scholarships and academic scholarships.
5. The University of Melbourne (Australia)
The University of Melbourne easily fits into our list of Universities that offer Rugby scholarships due to their sporting scholarship worth $5,000 plus a suite of support services. Scholars will be emerging or talented rugby union players with a desire to continue playing competitively at the Melbourne University Rugby Football Club while studying at the University of Melbourne.
6. Davenport University (USA)
Davenport University provides scholarships to their rugby student-athletes up to 100% fee, and like every other collegiate program, these scholarships are awarded by coaches. The coach has to come to an agreement with you that you will receive a scholarship for playing, and once that agreement is made, a Grant In Aid (GIA) must be signed and sent to the financial aid office.
7. Brunel University London (UK)
Brunel University London is another college that offers Rugby scholarships and is partnering with Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club to provide financial assistance to outstanding players from around the world. Scholars will not only receive financial support but also professional rugby training, backroom team assistance, medical, nutritional, and personal support, and degree study.
8. University of College Cork, Ireland
The University of College Cork, Ireland is among the colleges that offer Rugby scholarships awarded to either undergraduate or graduate student-athletes. The Moss Keane Rugby Scholarship is worth €5,000, and applicants must possess the appropriate academic qualifications needed for admission to UCC or be a full-time registered UCC Student to be eligible for this scholarship.
9. Belmont Abbey (USA)
One of the reasons I love Belmont Abbey University is not just because of the scholarships they provide – which is amazing, by the way – but because of the progressive growth in their rugby performance. They recently obtained their first-ever national ranking, coming in at No. 20 in the latest Division I coaches poll by National Collegiate Rugby.
10. The Henley College (UK)
This is among the universities that provide Rugby scholarships that work in close partnership with Ealing Trailfinders as a satellite Elite Player Programme (EPP). They also partner with their local partner, Henley Hawks Rugby Club.
Just like other colleges, this school believes that the rugby program requires a high level of commitment, but the academic program comes first.
11. Newcastle University (UK)
Newcastle University doesn’t only provide Rugby Scholarships but also other athletic scholarships like American Football, Basketball, Football, Golf, Hockey, Netball, Squash, Table Tennis, Tennis, Volleyball, etc. Their scholarships are awarded annually to students who have prolific athletic performance, and who want to build on their success and represent the University.
The Scholarship is worth up to £5000.
11. University of New England (Australia)
University of New England is partnering with Armidale Rugby Union Football Club, to provide the Armidale Blues Rugby Scholarship. They provide two scholarships to their outstanding student-athletes, one for a male and one for a female resident in either Austin or Duval College and registered to play rugby with the Armidale Blues.
The scholarship is worth $3,000.
12. Griffith University (Australia)
Griffith University is among the colleges that offer Rugby scholarships in Australia to players from the Easts Rugby Union Club to pursue a tertiary education. The scholarship is worth $5,000 and candidates need to be Australian citizens,
be enrolled or eligible for admission, as a Griffith University, plus other requirements.
13. Loughborough University (UK)
Due to the desire for the best student-athletes to join their team, Loughborough University has provided financial support to incoming students participating in different sports including women’s and men’s Rugby. Besides the $5,000 that eligible recipients will receive, they will also have access to free membership of Powerbase – one of the country’s largest strength and conditioning gyms –
Free Athletic Union club membership,
Campus parking permit, etc.
14. Durham University (UK)
Durham University provides 4 different undergraduate scholarships to their student-athletes which are;
- Vice-Chancellor’s scholarships
- Weldon-le Huray scholarships
- Palatinate scholarships
- Racecourse scholarships (rugby preference)
Preference will be given to applicants from Ethnic Minority groups and candidates who come from neighborhoods with low overall progression to higher education or high levels of socio-economic deprivation.
15. Southern Cross University
SCU provides Southern Cross University Rugby Gold Rats Scholarship to students studying in a degree at the Lismore campus. The scholarship is worth $3,000 and applicants need to be admitted and enrolled either full-time or part-time in an undergraduate or postgraduate degree at Southern Cross University, Lismore campus.
Also, he or she needs to be a current or new player in the Far North Coast first-grade rugby competition or Women’s competition, for the SCU Rugby Club in the year the scholarship is offered.
Conclusion
If you’re in the United States or intend to study in the country you should know that all NCAA D1 & D2 Rugby colleges offer scholarships with Division 1 providing the best of them. Some of these colleges include;
University of Massachusetts-Amherst, St. Bonaventure University, Fordham University, University of North Texas, University of Connecticut, Queens University of Charlotte, Syracuse University. Boston College, Clemson University, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus, Texas Tech University, Baylor University, Brigham Young University-Provo, and many more.
As long as you participate as a collegiate athlete in one of the NCAA D1 or D2 levels, you’re guaranteed some sort of scholarship.
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