Rugby

How to get a Rugby scholarship

Athletes from all over the world who are preparing themselves for a professional career in Rugby have benefited from scholarships within the American college system. AJ McGinty, Paul Lasike, and Naya Tapper are just three names who have taken this route in order to be ready for their careers on to the international stage.

The impact of international players has grown steadily over the last few years. Of all current men’s D1A rosters, almost 15% come from outside of the US. It is also important to remember that there is more than one path to career success.

You are not confined to only one division in order to pursue a professional career after college. Several MLR players chose routes other than D1A to prepare themselves and enjoyed great success in their careers. All whom received rugby scholarships. Rugby is the fastest growing team sport in the US. Women’s rugby is a recognized NCAA sport whilst men’s is recognized as a varsity sport on 30+ campuses in the US already.

We have put together a selection of Rugby scholarship videos that will help you learn how to receive Rugby scholarships.

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How to qualify for a rugby scholarship?

You might notice that men’s rugby rosters tend to be quite big, with the average team size being made up of 35 players. Here’s why—only the starting 23 travel to games. Therefore, when it comes to offering scholarships, coaches typically recognize the top twelve to twenty players on their team.

That’s why student-athletes looking to land an athletic scholarship need to know exactly what each coach is looking for in their recruiting. There’s actually an equation that many coaches use to determine who they’ll recruit. How many players do they have graduating I that position and what positions are they looking to recruit depth into. Of course, in some cases where the college is already extremely competitive, this equation isn’t always foolproof. But it’s a great way for a coach to determine how they can better their program. More importantly, it’s a useful tactic for student-athletes to help them determine where they can be competitive and earn a roster spot. Remember, though, that coaches usually consider a strong rugby resume and adequate game footage to evaluate a potential recruit.

Beyond athletics, there are steps recruits can take to get on a coach’s radar:

1. Know the different division levels: Before reaching out to college coaches, student-athletes need to do their homework and learn about the different divisions and conferences. For example, which ones offer Rugby scholarships? And what do you need to qualify? In men’s rugby, D1A, D1AA, D2, NCR and junior colleges offer athletic scholarships.
2. Academics: An outstanding GPA and high test scores show college coaches that you’re more likely to succeed in a college setting and can possibly earn academic scholarship money. They’re continuously looking for well-rounded athletes who excel academically.
3. Online profile: To improve your chances of being evaluated by college coaches, you need to build an online profile that showcases your playing ability, rugby experience and highlight video. Coaches simply can’t see every recruit in person. Your online profile allows them to evaluate your fundamentals and athleticism. You can build a free profile on our website so coaches can find you.

Varsity vs Club rugby programs

Varsity refers to the principal teams representing a college or university. Primarily these teams compete against similar teams at peer educational institutions. Additionally varsity programs receive significant support in resources. Typically these resources take the form of financial support, facilities, equipment and scholarships from college and university departments. Rugby programs that have a full varsity status at the University have the ability to offer rugby scholarships as well as academic and/or international awards.

Club sports can be very similar to varsity sports in many different varieties of ways. Both offer a chance to play a sport after high school graduation and both give athletes the ability to show off their skills against other athletes who attend different universities and colleges. Programs that have a club status for rugby are predominantly funded by club sports and alumni on campus. Programs with club status usually have a full time coach and can even offer academic scholarships and or international awards whilst also being able to tag students applications giving them an advantage in the application process. Schools like the University of Arizona, Dartmouth University and UCLA have been incredibly successful programs whilst maintaining a Club status on campus.

What are the best colleges for rugby scholarships?

We’ve compiled a list of the best mens rugby programs in all three NCAA divisions and the NAIA. An important thing to note is that these programs are by their traditional NCAA or NAIA division that the University associates itself with. With rugby all colleges are governed by USA Rugby and compete across divisions. This way the best Universities compete week in week out against each other.

• NCAA Division 1: University of California Berkeley, University of Arizona, Arkansas State University, Saint Mary’s University – California, Brigham Young University, Penn State University, St. Bonaventure University, Grand Canyon University.
• NCAA Division 2: Lindenwood University, Central Washington University, Kutztown University, Davenport University, Notre Dame College.
• NAIA: Life University
• NJCAA: Iowa Central Community College