All those long nights staying up till 2 am to play video games can finally pay off...literally. Being an avid gamer in this day and age is now worth more than just fun and games - there are quite a few scholarships for gamers who are looking to pay for college! Esports have entered the collegiate sports arena, where students can land Esports scholarships and get paid to play.
Esports has been around for nearly two decades, but is fairly new in the collegiate arena. There are more than thirty U.S. colleges and universities that offer scholarships for gamers, and the University of Utah is one of the larger sports schools to offer scholarships for video gaming. Its varsity Esports team competes at the popular and high-profile League of Legends competition. The university currently offers players partial video game scholarships, with the future goal of offering full video game scholarships to its gaming team. The University of California-Irvine similarly recruits students on partial video game scholarships and have even built a gaming arena for gamers and its school's 10-player team. Robert Morris University was the first college in the U.S. to offer video gaming scholarships, where students can earn up to $19,000 a year in gaming scholarships. Robert Morris University Esports athletes also don team uniforms and post-game meals, just like any other collegiate sports team.
Although many Esports teams are co-ed, the many of the gamers are men. Stephens College joined the National Association of Collegiate Esports, which is home to over 31 video game scholarship-sponsored Esports programs and it is the first women's college to sponsor a varsity team and offer video game scholarships for women. The roster allows for up to twelve female gamers, all of who receive partial video game scholarships.
If you're looking to play competitively at the collegiate level and earn a college scholarship while doing so, there are plenty of video game scholarships with many more to come as popularity increases at the collegiate level. Here's a comprehensive list of scholarships for gamers:
In order to apply for the Gamers Helping Gamers scholarship, applicants must be U.S. students - either matriculating high school or undergraduate students. A personal statement addressing select questions will be required, along with the application. For more information or to apply, please visit the scholarship provider's website. [...] More
Indiana Tech is taking its electronic sports initiative to a new level in the fall as it will launch a varsity eSports program and begin offering students scholarships to compete in League of Legends and Hearthstone. Twenty-five to 35 scholarships will be made available to current or prospective students. To learn more about Indiana Tech's eSports scholarship program, contact the eSport [...] More
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
The eSports Club at Maryville University provides a competitive, yet friendly online gaming environment. Players hone their skills with the help of some of the best players in the country and receive assistance in preparation for the professional leagues from Maryville staff. Each game features one varsity team and JV teams. There is no cap on the number of teams, but 10-12 teams for each game [...] More
Southwest Baptist University is one of the select colleges and universities in the nation to offer Esports as a varsity athletics program, with scholarships available for gamers. The university provides video gaming based on performance/merit and range anywhere from $500 to $10,000. Students must have a minimum 2.5 GPA to apply. Southwest Baptist's League of Legends team practices for about 25 [...] More
Stephens College is a member of the National Association of Collegiate eSports (NACE), and it is also the first varsity collegiate all women's eSports team and scholarships. To learn more about recruitment, tryouts, and the admissions process, contact the Stephens College Admissions Office. Scholarships will be available to eligible candidates. For more information, please visit the scholarship [...] More
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
University of California - Irvine eSports recruits some of the best gamers around the world and offers them scholarships to compete for "Eater Nation." UCI hopes that participating in eSports will allow students to engage in various aspects within the gaming world - game development, graphic design, marketing, and video production, etc. If you are interested in learning more about the program or [...] More
The University of Utah sponsors a varsity eSports program, with players who compete in the League of Legends Collegiate League. All students who participate on the eSports varsity team will receive partial scholarships; the plan is to grow the program to the point where the university can offer full scholarships to 35 students. If you are interested in joining the University of Utah's eSports [...] More
Colleges and universities nationwide are continuing to cut ties to John Schnatter, the founder of Papa John's Pizza, after he used a racial slur to describe black people. Even after resigning and issuing an apology, Schnatter accused the board for not "doing any investigation" and acting solely on "rumor and innuendo." [...]
The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Friday that Marquette University wrongfully suspended a political science professor after he criticized a graduate student over a discussion on gay marriage. It also ordered the university to reinstate him and pay damages immediately. The court's 4-2 decision in favor of professor John McAdams determined that Marquette violated McAdams' academic freedom as defined in his contract. [...]
Google is headed back to college and it's bringing an IT Professional Certificate program to more than 25 community colleges to train graduates for the roughly 150,000 "well-paying jobs currently open in IT" in the United States. Over the course of the eight-month program, students will learn to manage and solve problems with computer systems and servers. [...]
