WC Rustin Rugby Football Club: Rugby Scholarships
Tuesday, April 29Collegiate Club Scholarship Opportunities
In the United States, rugby is primarily a club sport played on college campuses. Players generally pay their participation fees and the university may help the teams with access to training and competition facilities and financial help to cover some expenses. Given Rugby’s status as a college club sport, there are currently no full club rugby scholarships available at universities or colleges in the United States. For information about scholarships for NCAA women's varsity rugby, please visit http://www.usarugby.org/goto/NCAA_Scholarships
USA RUGBY is aware of only a few American Universities that currently give certain scholarships or stipends for club rugby players. These include:
Arkansas State University - Rugby has grown at Arkansas State to the extent that the school is now able to offer partial scholarships for men and women Rugby players. Qualifying Rugby players from out-of-state may now attend Arkansas State for the in-state tuition rate.
Contact: Charl Welman, MSISeC, CNA
Assistant Coach: Arkansas State University
870-897-2863
cwelman@sbrmc.org
Albright College - Albright College's Rugby Program has received national recognition for its success on the field and our recruitment efforts. All interested freshmen and transfer students receive the same attention as varsity student athletes and top academic scholars. For those concerned with the affordability of a private liberal arts education, Albright offers an array of merit and need based assistance to make an Albright education feasible for many.
Contact our faculty advisor & recruiting coordinator:
Dr. Christian Hamann
610-921-7740
christian@albrightrugby.com
Team website: www.albrightrugby.com
Idaho State University - Idaho State offers out of state fee waivers. The tuition at Idaho State for residents is $2200 a semester for those who have their own insurance and $2600 for those who do not have their own insurance. Idaho State is a D2 program in the Utah Rugby Union. The cost to attend ISU without the waiver is $7500 plus per semester. With a waiver you save an estimated $4800 a semester. We are looking for the serious student athlete, who wants to continue their education and rugby career. We are proud of our 85% graduation rate since 1996.
For more information interested parties can contact:
Coach Ram Eddings,
Idaho State University
P.O. Box 8345,
Pocatello, ID 83209
work 208-282-3242
home 208-232-6221
cell 208-244-1252
fax 208-282-4864
eddierans@isu.edu
James Madison University - The rugby alumni at James Madison University have recently endowed the Luis de Souza Pinto Memorial Scholarship, to benefit an international rugby player attending James Madison University. JMU rugby alumni are responsible for finding a worthy recipient for the Fall 2008 semester. The initial scholarship is estimated to be $1,000 for the first years tuition. As the endowment grows, additional scholarships with greater monetary values will be awarded. The team expects to award the first scholarship in 2008. Any individual interested in attending JMU and playing rugby is encouraged to apply, regardless of international status.
For more information:
Contact Brian Rainey
madisonrugby@gmail.com
Visit the team website at www.madisonrugby.com
New Mexico University - Entering freshman who are Under 19 All Stars (men and women) in their region and hold high academic marks can qualify for an AMIGO Scholarship which allows one to pay in-state tuition of $3,500 per year. This represents a $7,000 savings over the out-of-state tuition rates.
Palmer Chiropractic College - The Palmer College Scholarship Program offers both partial and full Rugby scholarships ranging from 25%-100% of tuition. School fees are approximately $21,000 per year. All first team players will recieve at least a 50% scholarship. 6-7 will recieve a 75% scholarship. And one or two players will recieve full, 100%, scholarships. The scholarship applies year round and so is not specific to the rugby season. Also, students may receive an additional $2,100 towards tuition fees from working in the school gym.
Please direct all enquiries to:
James O'Malley
o_malleyjames@hotmail.com
Phone: (563) 579-4463
or visit www.palmer.eduw3.palmer.edu/rugby
Penn State University - There is a $1000 scholarship for high school players that come to Penn State to play rugby. There is also admissions assistance available.
Contact:
Peter Steinberg
410 BAB
University Park, PA 16802
814-883-5732
pete@psurugby.org
Team websites: www.clubs.psu.edu/up/mensrugby
www.clubs.psu.edu/up/womensrugby
St. Bonaventure University - The rugby alumni at St. Bonaventure University have recently endowed the Robert Peraza Memorial Scholarship, in memory of a Bonaventure player who died in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. SBU rugby alumni are responsible for finding a worthy recipient for the Fall 2007 semester. As the endowment grows, additional scholarships with greater monetary values will be awarded. This is a needs-based scholarship; we want to find high school rugby players who normally would not have the opportunity to attend St. Bonaventure University due to financial need. The amount we award is based on how much we can raise but it will be renewable to the same student for 4 years. As the scholarship grows, we will have more flexibility to the amount we award and the number of students we award it to. St. Bonaventure is the first Catholic University in the U.S. to endow a scholarship for rugby players.
For more information:
Contact Paul Fordiani
fordianip@comcast.net
By phone at 410.837.0908
Texas A&M University - After 39 years of prestigious rugby and numerous National Championships and playoff runs, this Division I Collegiate powerhouse now offers partial scholarships for in-state and out-of-state rugby players. Qualifying players from out-of-state may now attend Texas A&M for the in-state tuition rate.
Contact:
Texas A&M RFC Head Coach Craig Coates
(979) 571-2784
For more info visit www.aggierugby.com
Truman State University - The Truman Alumni Award is given to entering freshmen (1-3) that come to Truman with previous high school Rugby experience and promise to be leaders on the team. Each award is up to $500 and is paid in two installments - at the end of the fall and spring seasons. The award is for the freshman year only. It is expected that the recipient(s) will be contributing members of the team, attending practices and games.
To find out more information:
Visit http://rugby.truman.edu/men or http://rugby.truman.edu/men/PDF/AlumniAward-Application.PDF
Or contact:
Coach Bill Sexton
1405 East Meadow Lane
Kirksville, MO 63501
660-626-2324
rugby@truman.edu
University of Stony Brook - Partial scholarships are available for both Men's and Women's teams.
Dan Yarusso
Office: (631) 632-6454
Cell: (631) 872-6042
Email: coach@stonybrookrugby.org
Website: HowlandGrowl.Com
Wake Forest University - The Wake Forest University men’s rugby team provides Wake Forest students with the opportunity to play highly competitive intercollegiate athletics while pursuing an education at one of the nation’s elite academic institutions. The team is committed to furthering the reputation of Wake Forest University through the achievement of success, both on the rugby field and off, and the team prides itself on fostering camaraderie and respect among team members.
The team maintains a roster of approximately 35 players, as well as a dedicated coaching staff consisting of four experienced coaches along with two athletic trainers who run the team’s strength and conditioning sessions. Additionally, the team has a partnership with the Wake Forest Sports Medicine Department through which the players have full and immediate access to top-notch medical care.
Wake recently completed a very successful first season in Collegiate Division II, having moved up from Division III. After finishing 3-1 in league play with its sole loss coming to East Carolina, Wake advanced to the USA Rugby South Playoffs where they defeated Middle Tennessee State in the Quarterfinals and then defeated Georgia Tech in the Semifinals, before losing for a second time to East Carolina, 19-10, in the South Championship Game. Wake fully expects to contend for a Division II national title in the next five years.
High school rugby players interested in continuing their rugby careers at Wake Forest should contact:
Patrick Kane
Director of Men’s Rugby
336.671.4600
pmkane78@aol.com
Head Coach
925.323.7069
Additionally, there are ways to earn collegiate credits and play rugby at the same time. These opportunities include:
Summer Sports Program at Macquarie University in Australia - Michigan State University, in partnership with Macquarie University, offers a unique educational opportunity for college student athletes. This program is arranged through the Office of Study Abroad (OSA).
Rugby Study Abroad (http://www.studyabroad-cis.com/rugby.html) - This program provides opportunities for American students to spend one or two semesters studying in Wellington, New Zealand and playing with a local club.
Middle Tennessee State University - MTSU offers the following classes in Rugby: PHED 131001 Beginning Rugby; PHED 131002 Intermediate Rugby; For further information, please contact Anthony Neely, Adjunct Professor, PO Box 96, MTSU, Murfreesboro, TN 37132; phone 615-812-1754; aneely@mtsu.edu.
University of Illinois at Chicago - The University of Illinois at Chicago offers a full credit course in Rugby union football.
Tuesday, April 29
NCAA Scholarship Opportunities
While USA Rugby is able to provide the public with the list of institutions that offer NCAA women's rugby, to find out more about scholarship availability, the process is strictly between the prospective student-athlete and the institution.
Exact scholarship amounts and offer information cannot be provided by USA Rugby. Please contact the listed institutions on our NCAA Teams page for information on scholarship opportunities and visit the NCAA webpage for recruiting to find out more about the student-athlete process.
http://www2.ncaa.org/portal/legislation_and_governance/eligibility_and_recruiting/