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 awards worth .