This was the first university in West Virginia to establish varsity eSports and offer athletic scholarships to prospective student-athletes.
Bada Kang and Jane Chen are credited as the founders. What enabled them to do so was the popularity of Overwatch. This may be a viable option for players who dont always find themselves on the top of the leaderboard. On top of this, this institution isnt only looking to support varsity gamers; BSU also seeks casters, strategists, graphic artists, social media experts, to name a few. Meanwhile, the first few classes of esports scholars are working towards their degrees and will have the opportunity to make their career in video games. In recent years, the focus on the business side of college has overshadowed the fact that institutions want students. With scholarships ranging from $1,000-$6,000 per year, HPU was the first in the state to institute an esports program and arena. Alma, Michigan Headed by Chris Gaumond, this university is overjoyed to establish an eSports team. Ever heard of Hyperice Inc.? League of Legends, Hearthstone, and Overwatch are the current games for which this school will recruit players. Now, the school has begun to offer money through itself. 
The cost has a huge impact on your life, both pre-enrollment, and post-graduation; some people cant get into the school of their dreams because of the expensive tuition, and those that get into any college may very well be faced with a crushing reality of debt. One of the most prestigious awards in game development, honorees also receive one-on-one personalized mentorship, lectures from industry leaders, invitations to networking events, and application and portfolio reviews. Gamers who are qualified may earn scholarships valued from $1,000-$6,000 annually. In fact, video gaming as a collegiate varsity sport goes back to IT in 2015. Utahs esports program is sponsored by The Us Entertainment Arts & Engineering video gaming development program. Harrisburg University takes pride in their esports team, and believe its a way to gain professional knowledge regarding the esports industry and achieve success. As remarked here, the team can have up to twelve players, all of who[m] receive partial video game scholarships.. Tyrelle Appleton leads the program and serves as the head coach. KWU is a member of the National Association of Collegiate eSports.
Students participating in the teams are well-rounded individuals and ambassadors for the school. This included a discussion between HPU alum and radio DJ Haz-Matt and his friend Jacob, a Twitch streamer. UT Dallas launched its eSports program during the Fall semester of 2018. In case interested players are unable to attend the tournament or are underclassmen, signing up with Team Genji will qualify them for eligibility for any future esports scholarships at Becker College. Glenside, Pennsylvania August: thats when the gaming arena will be completed. Boise, Idaho Heroes of the Storm. Southwestern strives to create a place where students can compete with one another while simultaneously enjoying video games. To be eligible for the scholarship, high school juniors and seniors should register with Team Genji. Students have the chance to receive the Stephens College eSports Scholarship for Women which awards up to $2,000. Keep on reading to learn more about how you can earn scholarship dollars through your gaming skills. UCIs program is sponsored by Gamefuel, Logitech, and iBuyPower. The premiere arena has the prestige of hosting events like the EVO Championship Series (08/02/19). Coker College puts effort into incorporating gamers into its community, especially by providing them with various paths for degrees. Thus, esports scholars can learn the ins and outs of the games they compete in, as well as have the opportunity to create their own. And with the increased revenue brought in by gaming, universities will be able to afford even better amenities for its teams. UC Irvine pushes students to achieve their academic and esports ventures. Of course, in order to receiver an Esports scholarship students will need to be recruited (just like any other sport). So far, it fields teams for League of Legends and Overwatch. Arcadia University intends to have two teams per game; the titles selected are League of Legends, Hearthstone, Overwatch, and Rocket League. Like most traditional college athletes, UCI esports team members must balance academics, practice, and anything else they may have going on. Will earned his masters in education from the University of Pennsylvania and received his undergraduate degree in history from Wake Forest University. The title of choice is none other than League of Legends. That population has the promise to earn vaults-full of cash, yet the opportunity for that promise to be brought to fruition is very skewed. A representative describes the amounts vaguely: typically a couple of thousand dollars here and a couple of thousand dollars there. The institutions site gives few details other than the administration of scholarships by the department of athletics and the presence of institutional financial aid opportunities.. Colleges and universities across the nation are taking notice of the growing interest in eSportsby 2023, the eSports market is on pace to exceed $1.5 billion.
Check out this quick little article to see one of the players to receive one. The game Overwatch is what initially created the eSports team at Stephens. Video games are obviously very popular among students and in the US alone there are an estimated 164 million gamers. Each year, more schools will recognize that allocating some funds to develop an eSports program is beneficial. The growing prevalence of collegiate eSports is a great thing. Becker College emphasizes high school recruiting and believes that there is a vast amount of talent to recruit.
Its accurate to the best of our knowledge when posted. Hawaii Pacific University is a private university located in Honolulu, Hawaii. In addition to the numerous scholarships and prizes available to students with an interest in pursuing a career in video games, many colleges offer eSports athletes gaming scholarships. As you can read here, there are numerous programs offered to tailor exactly to passionate players. Gamers, like traditional athletes, also have the chance to go professional, earn sponsorships, and become rich. Thats in addition to extensive support staff. The games representation of women attracted a stronger following among women and nonbinary students. Therefore, the school found more success than it would have if the game was more aligned with the Male Fantasy. Stephens College is a doorway for gamer girls to thrive. That way, experienced players can offset the cost of their college education. Time is a crucial factor here because, over time, much more will change in collegiate eSports, and changes in scholarships will reflect that. All gamers, especially high-ranking League of Legends players, are encouraged to apply for recruitment. Finalists from the tournament will be encouraged and invited to apply to Becker College. Supported by technology giant Intel, these scholarships provide support to female students with scholarships as well as mentoring programs. UT Dallas also has a Super Smash Brothers team which won first place in the Collegiate Starleague Southern Division Conference this past May. But the KWU esports team primarily competes in League of Legends. Alma College is a member of NACE. Their esports scholarships range from $5,000-$20,000. The International 10 Dota 2 Championship in 2019 had a total prize pool of $34 million, the most of any esports tournament ever. The UCI Esports Arena was the first of its kind on any college campus. It has been competitive in the past as 200 students have tried out in the past but only 33 have made the varsity team. The arena also offers League of Legends players the premium League Unlocked experience, which unlocks all champions, 100+ skins, and bonus rewards. They have the Maryville University Esports Participation Award that awards $2,000. To register, complete and submit this form prior to camps starting. Represented Games for ESports Scholarships: League of Legends, Dota 2, CS:GO, Super Smash Brothers: Melee, Overwatch, Heroes of the Storm. Columbia, Missouri Another first, this school was the first womens college to create a varsity eSports team. The 3,500 square foot facility houses 72 top-tier iBUYPOWER computers and Logitech gear, courtesy of their sponsors. Applicants will also be required to send in their ACT/SAT scores alongside their preferred gaming roles. This is precisely what schools want to assuageif youre an excellent player but cant hope to pay the tuition, these universities (and undoubtedly more) offer scholarships to help lessen the load. Of course, it aims to expand over time. Irvine, California Now, this is a school known for its eSports program and concomitant scholarship.
Not a traditional scholarship, IGDA Foundation Scholars do not receive a monetary award, though there are a bunch of benefits to this excellent programmost notably an all-access pass to the Game Developers Conference (GDC). It will be organized and operated similarly to the other sportsa partial-scholarship model. Clubs, Student Life, and More, Is ASU a Party School? All of this will launch this Fall; at the moment, eSports is not included on the schools athletics page.
This ensures that all of our content is up-to-date, useful, accurate, and thorough. Students must be accepted into the school before being eligible to apply for the scholarship and get recruited for the team.
And scholarships are being offered, not just mentioned. Esports games include a wide array of games including Fortnight, Counter-Strike, League of Legends, Starcraft II, Madden, and more! Will Geiger is the co-founder of Scholarships360 and has a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. NEC believes esports can bring students on a path to further professional development. Stephens College is a member of the National Association of Collegiate eSports. The institution is Division II. In 2014, Robert Morris University Illinois (now known as Roosevelt University) became the first university to offer an eSports scholarship when it offered recruited League of Legends players gaming scholarships to cover up to 50% of tuition and 50% of room and board. Maryville University is a private institution located in St. Louis, Missouri. Hawaii Pacific University prides itself on the multiple scholarship opportunities they have for their esports program. As quoted here, Dr. Michael Zimmeran associate professor of computer sciencesexplained that Marquettes action shall provide a path to participate on a team and achieve all the social and leadership benefits that traditional sports offer. Today, 175 colleges and universities are members of the National Association of Collegiate ESports (NACE) and offer varsity eSports, although gaming scholarships are generally awarded for players of just a few select games: Funding for eSports scholarships, and the number of them awarded, vary from institution to institution. There are different factors students must take into consideration such as academic rigor, emphasis on esports, esports varsity team, location, financial aid, and scholarships. The University of Utah is a public university located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Located by the Aloha Tower Marketplace, the 3,000 square foot Esports Arena boasts impressive gaming rigs, VR stations, and indoor and outdoor viewing areas. An alternative-but-practically-identical form can be completed on the institutions eSports site. Maryville University has established themselves in esports as they are 3 time National Champions in League of Legends. This donation will boost the schools burgeoning program to meet the growing competitiveness of the esports industry. uses factors like GPA, standardized test scores, and extracurricular activitiessuch as participation in eSportsto estimate your chances of admission at over 600 colleges and universities.
Teenagers with burning passions for gaming who have honed their skills may be able to reduce the huge cost of a college education by doing what they love. When applying, submit all required documents to ensure a higher probability of securing a scholarship. Those went into a tuition of approximately $25,940. This is the form, on which it is explained that the amount ranges from $1,000 to $5,000 based on skill level in League of Legends and Hearthstone. League Unlocked has over 100 skins, bonus rewards for players, and unlocks all champions. Valparaiso, Indiana Knowledge of the emergence of eSports on not only a national but an international level as well has inspired this school to create its program. Scholarships available: Up to $6,000 per student player, Represented Games for ESports Scholarships: League of Legends, Overwatch. The amount offered by the scholarships isnt specified on the institutions site, nevertheless those sponsorships suggest its substantial. Learn more about the CollegeVine scholarships. Interested in learning your odds of acceptance at one of these game-friendly colleges? Students were attracted to this game as it represents strong and diverse female leads. The roster has a capacity of forty people. To be eligible for their scholarship, applicants must submit an admissions application alongside an esports scholarship in order to be considered. Now you can add competitive gaming to the list. Competing is a major focus of this institutions program, so its reasonable to expect favor given to the more ambitious players. Their esports team competes in League of Legends, Rocket League, Overwatch, and Hearthstone. The 10 Best Colleges for Gamers & ESports Scholarships, Is UCLA a Party School? One of the most notable ways schools are adapting to the rise of eSports is by creating teams and allocating scholarships to the field. Their Overwatch and League of Legends teams have played decently but they still have yet to get their big break which means that the institution is hungry for new talent that can give them that. **The amounts displayed above were provided by University staff at the time of publishing (8/5/19). That means better incentives (including scholarships) for enrollment. Here are some of the top colleges and universities that offer Esports scholarships: You can find the complete list of NACE and independent Esports colleges here. Ultimate Advanced Gameplay Tips, LoL Academy 105: Advanced Strategy & Tips, League of Legends Global Power Rankings 2020, LoL Academy 104: Leagues and Team Breakdown: LCS, LPL, LCK, LEC, Top 10 eSports Games of 2020: Biggest Prizes & Viewership, Top 10 Fortnite Players in the World (All-Time), Highest Paid eSports Players in the World, Fortnite Beginners Guide 101: How Fortnite Works, Top 10 Esports Twitch Streamers All-Time & 2020 Rankings, Top 10 Best Super Smash Bros Characters of All Time, Top 10 NBA Players in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. As youll see on the application, the school intends to add more titles to its selection such as Dota 2, CS:GO, Heroes of the Storm, Super Smash Bros: Melee, and Overwatch. As more institutions join the crowd, universities will be driven to compete for new talent.
From there on forward, players have the opportunity to improve their chances of earning the scholarship as they will be able to attend the Helix Esports Apex Legends Combine Tournament. 
