College is a transformative time, preparing students for the challenges of life beyond the classroom.

The journey to the Olympic Games is a dream for many athletes, and US colleges are increasingly recognised as a premier pathway to achieving this pinnacle of athletic success. With a rich history of producing Olympic champions, the US collegiate system offers unparalleled benefits that shape athletes for elite competition.

The inaugural event will see over 4000 participants and spectators converge on the Gold Coast July  27-August 3, 2024, to compete across six sports: AFL, basketball, hockey, netball, softball and  swimming.   Looking to create more opportunities for students to take part in competitive sport, the...

We have all felt the frustration of having a ‘bad game.’ It seems hard to transfer all of the training we do into competition. You’re probably pretty good at eating the right foods and warming up our muscles before a game, but what are you doing to prepare mentally?

This is so unbelievably exciting for these players, playing on such an esteemed course against the best in the US. For our 5 SPUSA student-athletes, we know that they will represent themselves, their families and their country with class.

Have You Been Invited to a USA College Scholarship Come & Try Day? If the answer to this question is YES, this blog provides a word of caution.

Navigating the collegiate athletic landscape is a daunting task, especially for international student-athletes who are not only adapting to a new culture but also contending with the stringent eligibility requirements of the NCAA.

Graduating from Iona University in New York, Conor Byrne has recently completed his own US College pathway. It was at Iona where Conor received his BBA in Business Analytics & Information Systems, a Graduate Certificate in the MBA program, and represented the school captaining the Rugby team. Growing up...

For the first time, the College Board is switching the SAT and PSAT from a written to a digital format. Our partners at Revolution Prep are ready to support students and their families through this transition by offering a digital SAT experience

Gaining mental toughness is the key to thriving as a student-athlete! Here’s How: Confidence According to financial guru Robert Kiyosaki, “Confidence comes from discipline and training.” Having confidence means believing in yourself. It’s knowing deep down that you will reach your goals. True confidence also...

Study & Play USA is delighted to announce an exciting partnership with global recruitment company Robert Walters Group. The partnership is designed to provide support to ‘in college’ student-athletes to best prepare themselves for their careers beyond their four year college experience. Study & Play...

For many prospective student-athletes, a lot of unnecessary stress, pressure and anticipation can build in the lead up to National Signing Day. Below we explore the significance of National Signing Day break down some of the biggest misconceptions. National Signing Day occurs each year in...

In this episode, Study & Play USA Director Chris Bates gains invaluable insights and pearls of wisdom from Kuol Jongoor, a highly impressive young man about to set out on his US college basketball journey. You can feel the passion in Kuol’s voice in this...

US College coaches wear many hats. Most importantly, they assume the role of coach, mentor, recruiter, and manager. However, what they are not is a replacement for your primary/technical coach at home. Joining a college team for many athletes can invoke a concern that they...

In The Huddle Podcast | SEASON 3 | EPISODE 6 In this episode, Study and Play Director Chris is joined by Australian born UCLA Rugby Coach Harry Bennett. They discuss the power of rugby as a connector and network tool for student-athletes. FULL TRANSCRIPT Chris Bates...

Transitioning to a new country and a new athletic environment is challenging for any student-athlete. Homesickness is common in the first semester while trying to adjust to a new normal. This can be especially compounded by not securing a position within the team’s starting line-up....

One of the biggest myths regarding the US college pathway is that it’s only for student-athletes who do not want to play their sport professionally. Despite often being the advice to Australia’s top junior athletes, the “don’t go to college if you want to go...

Social media is a powerful tool. It has transformed the way we communicate, interact, do business, and receive news. College recruiting is no different and if used appropriately, social media can be leveraged by students to enhance their visibility and opportunities. However, it is important...

When it comes to the US college pathway, scholarships are the first topic that everyone wants to know about. Ironically, it also a topic that attracts many misconceptions. It is important to note from the outset that full scholarships are extremely rare and only around...

For our November blog we wanted to take a different approach to give our readers a deeper insight into our passionate and dedicated team. Read below to see our responses to a series of fun and personal questions: If you could attend college in any...

Adopted in 2021, NIL has become the latest NCAA policy that is changing the game for college student-athletes. Not to be confused with the acronym NLI – the contract signed between a student-athlete and their college – NIL refers to a new policy that enables...

One of the most important hats that a college coach wears is that of recruiter. It is their job to attract and recruit the best talent. To do so, oftentimes coaches will attempt to entice as many players as possible to attend their recruiting/talent ID...

When most people think of college sports, football, basketball, and baseball are among the first to come to mind. Understandably so, given that these are among the biggest revenue generating college sports that attract audiences almost as large as major professional leagues. However, the fastest-growing...

You have been chatting with coaches and the topic of scholarship comes up… now what? How can you best maximise your scholarship opportunities? Depending on the division, you may have already discussed athletic scholarship and academic scholarship with the coach. However, there are other less...

One of the most unique and exciting aspects of the US college experience is being part of a campus community. The majority of students, both domestic and international, live on campus in residence halls, which provides for a very vibrant campus culture. However, there are...

Pictured: Clancy, Study and Play USA Student-athlete at Yale February and March in Australia is rowing ‘regatta season’ for high school athletes. It marks the culmination of months of early pre-dawn morning sessions on the water, training camps and painstaking erg sessions.  It’s also the...

The end of the year is an exciting time for our Year 12 student-athletes. High school graduation marks the close of one journey and brings excitement for the start of another. With the early signing period beginning in November, many students find themselves signing their...

What are the Living Arrangements? Our son often asks us whether he could go to college in the USA to study and play one day. The answer of course is ‘yes’! As he asks this question, in response we as parents instinctively ask ourselves our...

Regardless of a student’s year level, the period between October and Christmas is a critical one. Not only can it set you up well as an athlete and a student for the coming year, it can also create an edge for prospective student-athletes in the...

Did you know that it’s possible to be halfway through your degree in the US without knowing what your degree is? Sounds crazy, right? Let’s explore how this is possible, along with other little – known facts about the US university system. Fact #1 –...

As our 2021 recruits make the 15,000km journey to what will become their new home for the next four years, we feel it is timely to share some advice around how to best settle into your new surroundings once you arrive in the US. In...

By Chris Bates Amongst the doom and gloom of 2020, some of us were presented with an amazing opportunity for reflection out of a situation which forced us all to gain a new perspective. Many friends of Study & Play USA reported spending so much...

By all indications, student-athletes are among the most prepared for life after college. Armed with a strong sense of independence, problem-solving skills, and a global network of personal and professional connections, they are very well-equipped to excel in the ‘real-world’ after graduation. These hallmarks of...

There are plenty of questions that student-athletes will ask themselves when choosing the most suitable USA University to attend. You could probably think of the obvious ones: Will I like the climate? Am I good enough? Will I improve in my sport? How much will...

Young golfers all over the world find themselves inspired and dreaming of one day taking the drive down Magnolia Lane to tee it up against the best players in the world in pursuit of the prized green jacket. An important consideration for golfers aspiring to...

It’s a subject or scenario all athletes and parents of athletes would rather avoid. But it’s also one of the most common questions asked of our team at Study & Play USA. What if I get injured when on scholarship in the USA? Let’s unpack...

College recruiting is a marathon process, spanning a number of months and, in some cases, years. It is therefore essential that a recruit is able to sustain the interest of a college coach over a long period of time. The most successful recruits who secure...

By Chris Bates The word ‘junior’ conjures up different ideas for different people. Some may see the word and assume that by being junior, this may mean inferior; some may view something junior as being lesser, or in some cases they may link the word...

Written by Ellen Chambers My US college experience was nothing short of life-changing and if given the opportunity, I’d re-live it ten times over. Looking back, I can offer the following reflections on what I gained from my experience as a student-athlete on the golf...

A rowing race is one of the most physically demanding and rewarding in the world of sport. It’s also generally understood that an American education is among the best in the world.

Where do I start? Well, perhaps I should start by sharing that, such was the positive impact of my experience that, on my final plane trip back to Australia after graduation, I made a decision that one day I was going to help other families navigate the process so that...

Here at Study & Play USA, you might have seen that we have recently launched our very own podcast, ‘In The Huddle’. In The Huddle was created to give students, parents, coaches, and athletes, an inside look at the journey through US college sport and...

Some student-athletes start planning as early as Year 8 but do not start the official application process until the commencement of year 11 (recommended).

What do you envision when you hear the word ‘student-athlete’? Law student and long-jump champion Kendall Spencer suspects that the average response to that question might not do student-athletes justice. Having been told, like many other athletes, to stick to what he’s good at, Spencer...

What is mental toughness? “Mental toughness is the ability to respond well to doubts, worries, concerns and circumstances that make it more difficult to succeed, or excel at a task or towards an objective or a performance outcome that you set out to achieve.” The term...

Baseball has been one of the greatest American pastimes since it’s origins in Ohio in 1869. While the sport has taken hold of fans and athletes all over the world, there is nowhere better to play than in the good old U.S. of A. College...

Have you dreamed of going to university in the United States? Has your secondary school swim career been motivated by a swimming scholarship to a top college in the US? Leaving home for university is one of the most momentous occasions in a teen’s life,...

Anxiety, stress and the general feeling of being out of control is now commonplace among many of us as we remain unsure of what our new world will look like when we come out of social distancing.

Internationally, golf ranks high up there with many of the world’s leading sports. In fact, its popularity continues to rise.

At Study & Play USA we work with hundreds of students to assist them have the journey of a lifetime combining their sport and studies in the USA. We work together as a family to make sure the experience as amazing as it can be....

You may hear the term ‘student athlete’ thrown around when it comes to discussing USA Colleges and scholarships. Essentially – students who accepted into a US College to study and also represent a sporting team are known as a ‘student athletes’. Being the most diverse...

This is a question you might be asking yourself as you start to look to the future, and what an exciting question it is! Yet, exciting as it is, it can also be a little daunting. You start to doubt leaving home? Or if you...

Let’s face it, sometimes keeping all your grades up can be a challenge. From training, to attending class, to meeting friends, to grocery shopping – we are very busy people! Often, we find that school work can be pushed aside for many other activities. However,...

When our students make the trip over to America to begin their adventure of a life time, some of the funniest things we hear revolve around food! Let’s face it the Americans use some words which really aren’t in our vocabulary, for example, ‘erbs….cilantro…tootsie rolls?...

So, the time has come! You’re all set to head off to the US and you’re excited about what lies ahead. New friends, new adventures and a brand-new culture await you, but first, you must pack that suitcase! We can all be guilty of over...

Jonathan Condon Uni: UPennStart Date: August 2018Sport: Rowing What are you most looking forward to about going to College? I’m most looking forward to embracing the American culture and lifestyle. One of the most important things to me with studying abroad, is to live in...

Everyone loves America! With its amazing history, culture and people it’s not hard to see why the United States is one of the most visited places in the world. From the bright lights of New York to the picturesque mountains of Colorado…there really is something...

Isabelle Robinson Uni: Wayne StateStart Date: August 2018Sport: Rugby What are you most looking forward to about going to College? I am most looking forward to meeting my room mates, making new friends and meeting the girls in the rugby team. I am also looking...

We love what we do, and we love who we work with – but many do ask, why should we choose Study and Play USA?Read on to find out why US college coaches and families across the globe recommend us to look after your US...

Have you been offered a US college scholarship or would you like to apply for one, but are not sure what course to take? The US college scholarship program is a great pathway to further academic studies and careers. Knowing what future career you want...

Are you one of many young Australian athletes who wants to continue to develop in the sport that has been a big part of your life for many years? Do you feel you need to choose between study and your sporting dreams? Are you a...

We chat to Micheal Zhang, who’s dream is to train and study in the US! We get some great advice on how he balances sport and study as well as some time management tips that keep him on top of his game.  As a student...

Are you one of many young Australian tennis players who wants to pursue a tennis career, but feel you need to choose between study and tennis? Imagine returning from the USA aged 21 with a universally recognised degree behind you, having saved money over the...

Every year, thousands of young women take their skills onto the softball diamond and turn them into a US college scholarship. And the good news is that US coaches like to recruit out of Australia given our reputation as a strong performing softball nation, our excellent...

by Chris Bates, Founder of UTR Events Australia and Study & Play USA Mark down the 20th January 2019 as perhaps what could prove to be a landmark day for the way tennis is played in Australia. And I am not simply referring to Ashleigh...

In recent times there has been great debate in North America around the college sports system and the ‘exploitation’ of student athletes to raise revenue for the universities. In Australia, there is no such thing as a free university education via an athletic scholarship. Meaning,...

Every year, more and more Australian athletes are attempting to play college sports in the United States. There are hundreds of US athletic scholarships available to Australian student athletes every year, but actually being offered one of these scholarships can be a long and difficult...

“No other country in the world offers the facilities, opportunities, and support that the US college sport system provides.” – Hugh Clarke, Pepperdine University. It’s true. If you want to train like a professional athlete in your chosen field AND obtain a degree whilst living...

Mar 1, 2018 – Denver, CO: The Rugger’s Edge and Study & Play USA are proud to continue their partnership for 2018. “As the popularity of studying and playing rugby in the U.S. continues to grow, working with a company like Study and Play USA was...

You’ve heard of the Ivy League Universities, right? As a refresher, The Ivy League is a group of eight historic, distinguished colleges and universities in the East of the USA, known for their ivy-covered brick buildings. The members of the Ivy League are Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Princeton, and...

The final whistle blows and just like that, USA Rugby ticks another box along the way to being considered a ‘rugby nation’- a legitimate global force in the game they play in heaven. This month’s World Rugby 7s’ Championships had the USA written all over...