There are over thirty U.S. colleges and universities that offer scholarships for esports. The University of Utah offers scholarships for video gaming. If your team sport is video games, you may qualify for an esports scholarship. Esports scholarships are merit-based awards for people who play electronic sports. Like other sports, esports players compete with other teams. While on a virtual playing field, they have coaches, teammates and spectators.
This takes a high level of skill that many varsity programs seek. Above all since the global esports market raked in 1.1 billion in 2020 according to research by Newzoo. As a result, many colleges award scholarships to field esports teams. These tend to be for gamers who excel in specific games.
Different Types of Esports Games
According to the Next College Student Athlete (NCSA), there are gaming scholarships for a wide range of popular titles.
Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA): League of Legends (LoL), Defense of the Ancients (DOTA) 2, Heroes of the Storm, Smite
First person shooter: Overwatch, Fortnite, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), Paladins
Collectible card game: Hearthstone
Real-time strategy: StarCraft II
Sports games: Rocket League, FIFA, Madden
Fighting games: Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat
How Do I Get an Esports Scholarship?
To score an esports scholarship you may need to meet two sets of criteria. The first criteria to meet is gaming and the second are academics like your GPA and test scores. About talent, the first thing to do is to wow college esports coaches and recruiters. Many gamers do this by creating an esports highlight video with clips from their best game. They may also need to “try out” for a team. There are also academic standards to meet. These vary by college and tend to may mean having certain SAT/ACT scores and a GPA of 2.5 or higher. You should also compete in many live tournaments and research esports collegiate programs that offer scholarships.
Why Consider Applying for a Scholarship?
An esports scholarship may be useful if your goal is to pursue a four year degree. Scholarships may be a better option than borrowing more student loans. It could make college more affordable for you and your family. Many awards are partial and pay between $500 to $8,000 per year. But others may offer a full tuition or full ride scholarship.
A full ride scholarship may be worth $17,237 at a public college. That’s the total cost of tuition, fees, room and board according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Once you graduate, there are many possible paths to pursue. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Esports marketing managers tend to need a bachelor’s degree, so this may be a potential career path.
List of Esports Scholarships
Check out our list of esports scholarships below. We have 81 awards worth $398K.
Becker College, Team Genji and Helix eSports have launched the nation’s first path-to-pro Apex Legends esports scholarship program. Top performing gamers who newly apply, and are admitted, to Becker College will then be eligible to receive a one-time $5,000 scholarship to the school.
Southwestern College, a 4-year private college located in Winfield, Kansas, offers annual renewable grants of up to $5,000 for membership as a “participant” or a “competitor.” Grant recipients are required to maintain a 2.0 GPA. Participants attend all eSports activities. Click to learn more and apply today!
The Esports Club at Maryville University provides both a competitive and friendly online gaming environment. Players hone their skills with the help of some of the best players in the country. Players on competitive rosters also get help to prep for the professional leagues from Maryville staff.
Harrisburg University’s Esports varsity team is HU Storm. The team won ESPN’s inaugural Collegiate Esports Championship in May 2019—became the first college esports program to award full ride scholarships to its entire 16-player roster in 2018.
UCI Esports has received a $50,000 endowment to fund an annual scholarship for students involved in gaming and esports. The endowment, which will sit for perpetuity in an investment account and accrue 4-5% annually, ensures one qualified student per year an award-$2,000 and $2,500.
The National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) will offer $16 million in scholarships through NACE partner schools. NACE and Skillshot announced that the Spring 2020 collegiate competition includes both Fortnite and CS:GO with an invitational finals to take place at MomoCon in Atlanta, May 23rd, 2020.
Stephens College is a member of the National Association of Collegiate eSports (NACE), which includes 90 percent of varsity collegiate esports in the country. The six-player team competes in the team-based FPS “Overwatch,” which features diverse and strong female characters.
KWU’s esports scholarships range between $5,000-$20,000. The KWU esports team has its own room, equipped with state of the art PCs and gaming amenities. The team competes in four games, primarily in League of Legends, Overwatch, Rocket League, and Hearthstone.
