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Video Game Design Scholarships

There are highly-skilled gamers and then there are the people that work behind the scenes (who could also be great gamers); putting their creativity to work and creating legendary video games, like Call of Duty and League of Legends.

You don't have to be an expert gamer to design video games. While colleges and universities offer scholarships for gamers on a competitive basis, other schools and organizations offer video game design scholarships to students with a love for interactive gaming and who are interested in a career in the video game industry. For instance, The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences offers three video game scholarship programs to those interested in the video game and interactive media industry, including disciplines in game development, art, animation, programming, game design, sound design, engineering, law, marketing, or business administration.

If you are dreaming about a career in the video game industry, there are plenty of video game design scholarships with many more to come as popularity increases at the collegiate level. Here's a comprehensive list of video game design scholarships:

Electronic Arts/William J. Byron Endowed Fund for Student Support

  • Application Deadline: 3/1/2018
  • Amount: Varies
  • The Electronic Arts/William J. Byron Endowed Fund for Student Support is available to current students from diverse ethnic and gender backgrounds who are enrolled in interactive media with an emphasis in games at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. For more information or to apply, please visit the scholarship provider's website. [...] More

ESA Foundation Scholarship Program for Minority Students

  • Application Deadline: 5/4/2018
  • Amount: $3,000
  • The ESA Foundation scholarships are offered for full-time undergraduate study at accredited four-year colleges and universities in the USA. Up to 30 scholarships of $3,000 each will be awarded annually, 15 to graduating high school seniors and 15 to current college students. Women and minority students are eligible to apply, so long as they are U.S. citizens and have a minimum 2.75 GPA. Students [...] More

ESA Foundation Scholarship Program for Women

  • Application Deadline: 5/4/2018
  • Amount: $3,000
  • The ESA Foundation scholarships are offered for full-time undergraduate study at accredited four-year colleges and universities in the USA. Up to 30 scholarships of $3,000 each will be awarded annually, 15 to graduating high school seniors and 15 to current college students. Women and minority students are eligible to apply, so long as they are U.S. citizens and have a minimum 2.75 GPA. Students [...] More

Karrlin Field Memorial Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: Varies
  • Amount: $1,000
  • Women pursuing an education in computer game development and design at the University of Advancing Technology in Tempe, Arizona (UAT) are eligible. The Karrlin Field Memorial Scholarship will award $1,000 towards tuition and other expenses to one student each semester. Students must have a minimum 3.0 GPA, show financial need and demonstrate the academic and creative qualifications needed to [...] More

Microsoft Imagine Cup code.FTW! Global Competition

  • Application Deadline: 5/31/2018
  • Amount: $100,000
  • Incredible, world-changing software innovations often come from students. Social networks, music services, photo apps, games, gadgets, and robotics - the list goes on. We're looking for the next big thing and we know students like you are going to make it. Imagine Cup, Microsoft's premier international competition for young developers, is your chance to show off your biggest, boldest software [...] More

Randy Pausch Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: 6/30/2018
  • Amount: $2,500
  • The Randy Pausch Scholarship was established to support students who are pursuing careers specializing in the development of interactive entertainment. Possible career paths for Randy Pausch applicants include (but are not limited to) art, animation, programming, engineering, game direction, game design, sound design, and music composition. Students must have a minimum 3.3 GPA and be a full-time [...] More

Support Creativity Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: 5/1/2018
  • Amount: $1,000
  • Design something creative that illustrates your passion for your specific creative field. This can be done in absolutely any medium (drawing, painting, animation, digital media, film, etc.) Submit an essay that explains this piece of work. Also, make sure to express why you should receive this scholarship and any financial hardship that you may be going through. It can be as long as you want and [...] More

The NYU Game Center EVO Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: Varies
  • Amount: $24,000
  • The NYU Game Center has partnered with the Evo tournament to create a scholarship to study game design at New York University. The Evo Scholarship is awarded annually to an applicant who best demonstrates an active participation in the fighting game community, an interest in game design with a focus on innovating in the field of competitive games, and a legitimate financial need. Prospective [...] More

Worldstudio AIGA Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: 5/1/2018
  • Amount: $6,000
  • Worldstudio AIGA Scholarships benefit minority and economically disadvantaged students who are studying art and design disciplines in colleges and universities in the United States. Students must be U.S. citizens or be in possession of a green card, pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in one of the following disciplines: fine art, graphic design, illustration, interactive design, or [...] More

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Last Reviewed: September 2017

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