We are going to look at the financial support available to athletes from different universities. Especially when following a sports career, it can be difficult to fund both studies and athletic pursuits. Therefore, many universities offer talented and promising student-athletes financial aid through scholarships. In this article, we are going to be looking at Brunel University London.
About
Brunel University London was named after Isambard Kingdom Brunel, a civil engineer, who famously constructed Bristol’s iconic suspension bridge. The University has tried to continue in Isambard’s footsteps by creating an organisation that uses teaching, research, and entrepreneurial approaches, to give students all that they need to be successful.
The university consists of 13,000 students and is based in Uxbridge. The campus has many establishments for students to explore. They range from shops to nightclubs, resulting in a thriving student atmosphere. The university has invested over 300 million into improving its campus and this has been used to improve teaching, sports and social facilities.
There are a number of clubs and societies for students to join. Whether you’re looking to star in the next big theatre production, or maybe just interested in sports, the university has something for everyone. There is also plenty of options for students to explore the capital and visit sights like the London eye and big Ben. The heart of London is only a 45-minute underground train away.
Facilities
Brunel is ranked number 15 in the sports science rankings and this is partially due to their excellent facilities that can all be located on their campus. Included are:
- Bouldering facilities
- Gyms
- Climbing walls
- Squash and tennis courts
- Basketball/netball/volleyball
- Dance and fitness studio
- Artificial football/hockey/lacrosse pitches
- Grass football/rugby/lacrosse pitches
- Athletics track and field facility.
Scholarships
The university offers three varying levels of scholarship:
Gold – athletes participating in major international competitions at senior level.
Silver – athletes participating at junior international level or equivalent.
Bronze – athletes participating at a national level.
Priority of scholarship funding goes towards athletes competing in Athletics, Basketball, Netball, Rugby, and Futsal. Do not worry however if your sport is not on the priority list. The university will still offer to fund students competing at a high level in their sport.
Once students’ athletes have qualified for one of the scholarships, they will receive several benefits. The first being a cash award of up to £3000 per academic year. They will receive help with sports accommodation, located near to the university’s sports facilities (which is also free to scholarship members) There will be physical and mental help with things like free physiotherapy and sports psychology. Finally, they will receive a sports scholarship. There is no doubt that Brunel University financially looks out for its students’ athletes.
For student-athletes involved in an individual sport, as well as the scholarship, will receive a £200 bursary. There will also be opportunities to gain additional money based on performance in BUCS competitions. For example, in athletics students will receive £1000 for gold, £750 for silver, and £350 for bronze. These cash rewards are capped at £3000 per academic year.
To find out more, please follow the link: https://www.brunel.ac.uk/life/sport/student-sport/scholarships
