As the esports industry continues to explode, more and more high school students are beginning to participate in them competitively. And since it is an industry with so much money and viewership, colleges have begun to take notice, offering scholarships to the best and brightest esports players. So if you’re a high school student who is passionate about esports, here’s what you need to know about the scholarships that are available to you:
Which schools?
For the most part, college esports have been run through outside clubs. For example, the University of Austin’s TESPA chapter is one of the most prominent collegiate organizations and has grown to over 120,000 members and alumni since its founding date in 2012. They’ve even gotten sponsorship deals with big brands like Coca-Cola.
But recently, schools have been starting up their own varsity esports programs, complete with scholarships. Miami University was the first to do this, starting its program in 2017. Other schools across the country like UC Irvine and UC Berkeley have also followed suit, and some now feature high-tech sports arenas on their campuses.
While it’s only been within the few years or so that schools have started offering scholarships for playing esports, there are many distinguished ones already on top of their games when it comes to investment and recruiting players from all over. Many colleges will look for high school students who have placed well in tournaments and have relevant experience.
A few notable schools that offer esports scholarships are:
- Ohio State University
- University of California – Irvine
- Arcadia University
- Marquette University
- University of Texas – Dallas
- University of Southern California (USC)
- University of California – Berkeley
What games?
While many different video games can be played competitively, the most popular ones for college scholarships are currently Overwatch, League of Legends, and Counter-Strike (CS:GO). These three games have the biggest player bases and viewership numbers across all levels of competition, so it’s no surprise that colleges are looking to recruit high school players who are already participating in them.
Another hot game for esports scholarships is Rocket League, which has exploded in popularity since it was added to the TESPA collegiate league back in 2016. Since then, colleges have begun recruiting players with some even offering scholarship opportunities on top of their already existing teams.
How to apply
Students will be happy to find out that the process for applying is relatively similar to applying to any other scholarship. The first step in getting a scholarship for college esports is finding out which schools offer them. And while there are quite a few colleges that have jumped on the bandwagon, it’s important to do some research to find out which ones might be a good fit for you, as some have different offerings depending on the player’s experience and skill level.
Once you’ve found a school that offers esports scholarships, it is time to start applying. Most schools have heavy ranking requirements and qualifications to even apply, so your first step is making sure you’ve set yourself up for success. After that, it’s time to start preparing applications and resumes in order to submit them by the deadlines imposed by colleges.
Good luck!
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