Entry is restricted to Scottish qualified students and both male and female entrants are accepted into 4 regional academies.
Nominally, for the men, Glasgow Warriors receive the Stage 3 players of Glasgow and the West and Caledonia regions, while Edinburgh Rugby receive the Stage 3 players of the Edinburgh and Borders and East Lothian regions.
This season some of the Stage 3 players were additionally loaned out to London Scottish for their development.
London Scottish is a SRU member and a professional club playing in the 2016–17 RFU Championship.
The SRU has a partnership agreement with London Scottish for a player development pathway.