Ealing Trailfinders (ETF) & Brunel University of London Rugby Academy Scholarship

Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club and the Trailfinders Rugby Academy are fully committed to discovering and developing the most promising and aspirational players to support their journey towards professional rugby through education.This rugby scholarship programme has been developed in conjunction with Brunel University of London, allowing you to gain a degree to set you up for the rest of your life academically, as well as pursuing a professional rugby career with a full-time rugby programme.

Award details

This scholarship is open to Home and International fee-paying students applying for Foundation or Undergraduate courses at Brunel University of London.

Students entering a Foundation course at Brunel or a course with Brunel Pathway College (BPC) in 2026/7, will be considered for a scholarship in the foundation year, however, payment of the scholarship will commence when they progress to Brunel in Year 1/ FHEQ Level 4. ETF will be responsible for the scholarship and corresponding payment of tuition fee’s for awarded students in Year 0/ Foundation year.

Value: Two values are available a 100% tuition fee waiver or a 50% tuition fee waiver. The ‘Rugby Scholarship Allocation Panel’ will select the appropriate award type.In all cases the scholarship fee waiver will be applied directly to tuition fees for each level of study, for a maximum of 3 years subject to normal progression criteria having been met (additional fee reductions may be made during a repeating year to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis). No payment will be made in the placement year.

How many: An agreed number of scholarships are available in each academic year.

ETF may offer a separate Bursary or other funding to those applicants not awarded a Scholarship. Bursaries will be assessed by ETF on a case by case basis and if awarded paid by ETF directly.

By accepting the scholarship, the applicant is agreeing to:

• Be bound by the terms and conditions set out in their scholarship contract with Ealing Trailfinders Professional Rugby Management. All applicants will be sent a copy of this contract during the application process.

• Become a Student Ambassador for the rugby program and their relevant college. As a Student Ambassador, applicants may be requested to participate in various activities to help promote the Rugby program, University and the College.

• Be available for all required rugby activities at Brunel University of London and EalingTrailfinders RFC.

Brunel University of London will share your enrolment status, your academic progression status for continuing students and the award of an Ealing Trailfinders Brunel University of London Rugby Academy scholarship with Ealing Trailfinders Professional Rugby Management for each year of enrolment at Brunel University of London.

Data pertaining to bursary holders such as: progression rates, degree attainment, degree completion,and graduate outcomes may also be analysed in order to understand the effectiveness of bursaries and scholarships. This data may also be linked to other data already held by the University for the purpose of better understanding the impact of bursaries and scholarships on under-represented groups. 

Eligibility

To be considered for a scholarship applicants must:

• Hold an offer of a place on a full time Undergraduate course at Brunel. This includes offers made through UCAS Extra and UCAS Clearing. Clearing applicants with a Home fee status must ensure they inform the Student Loans Company (SLC) at the earliest opportunity that they are attending Brunel University of London.

• Make Brunel their Firm choice by the date the Scholarship Allocation Panel makes their awards in late August (i.e. applicant must have met all offer conditions and firmly accepted the place).

• Complete the application process, as listed above.

• Commence the course in the upcoming academic year 2026/27 (applicants for deferred entry will be considered for a scholarship in the year they start their course and not in the year of their course application).

Those not eligible for this scholarship:

• Applicants holding offers for deferred entry.

• The Ealing Trailfinders Scholarship is not available to Postgraduate Taught (MA, MSc) applicants, in the Masters year of a MMath, Meng or MDes) or for Postgraduate Research applicants (i.e. PhD and MPhil).

• Applicants applying to Brunel for a distance learning and online learning course.

• Applicants applying for the MBBS Brunel Medical School course.