E-Sports Scholarships

E-Sports Scholarships– Unless you are in the market of video games, chances are, you do not know how fast it is rising these days. And it might even amaze this fact: talented gamers, who compete with others online through different types of video games, can now collect hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars as prize money. And what’s crazier? They can even get scholarships to help pay for college for playing video games.

Can I win an e-sports scholarship?

In one word, “Yes”. Esports have gotten so popular that more and more schools now have esports teams. That’s right, actual varsity teams, where students compete on teams playing video games against other schools.

Now, thanks in part to the growth and popularity of “virtual sports” or esports, it’s possible to qualify for a college scholarship based on virtual or computer-related sports.

Esports scholarships are awarded for school competitions, and such schools are interested in getting the best players for that. That is where this idea of esports scholarships comes into play. For instance, Robert Morris University is taken to be the first college or university, in this case, to offer esports scholarships since 2014 and indeed the number of esports teams and scholarships has been growing fast afterward.

An esports scholarship goes toward the student once he or she has decided to accept the offer and joins an educational institution’s esports team. These will usually be some high school senior who has chanced upon winning at some video game for which those schools have a varsity team. They would be interested in contacting an esports coach of the school in pursuit of scholarship information. The last option is to try out through your school coach if you are already in college with an existing esports team and feel you can cut it.

Apart from trying out, there are also scholarships for esports to students who show skills in one or more games that fit their team’s needs. Unlike other sports, the student does not necessarily have to be based in the United States since esports is a global movement.

Mainstreamed esports video games

Call of Duty (COD)
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO)
Defense of the Ancients (DOTA)
Fortnite
Hearthstone
League of Legends (LoL)
Overwatch
Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG)
Rainbow Six Siege
Rocket League
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Some other schools and institutions give scholarships if you play other games, but the above probably is the most popular one.

How do I get an esports scholarship?

Most scholarships are awarded directly from the college you’re applying to, though a few other third-party organizations offer scholarships. Yes, so it is worth seeking out which colleges offer an esports scholarship and weighing that into all the other considerations you have to make before committing.

This, in reality, is in no way different than applying for a traditional athletic scholarship. The applicant may have to face a tryout, just like that which you would be exposed to while trying to gain a football or basketball scholarship. However, with more established Division One sports like basketball or football, the top high school players are often identified based on performance in high school, and those students will obtain recruits.

Similarly, perhaps even less frequently, coaches and their assistants or scouting/recruitment personnel may also attend the larger esports events to scout and come to a decision about which students are pretty much in the same fashion. If you’re a gamer then it should be considered as good of an opportunity as possible to participate in as many of these events as possible in hopes of getting recruited.

Of course, even if you are regarded as one of the elite esports players, you always have to fill out that Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. FAFSA is the official form you would need to get federal financial aid that includes student loans, grants, and many other forms of aid.

Even if you win that esports scholarship, you might still need more funding to complete that other expenditure. But by submitting the FAFSA you will unlock access to a wide range of financial aid, some institutional scholarships, and work-study. You should also be searching for other types of scholarships to help minimize how much you may have to borrow in student loans. And don’t forget that you can always browse our Scholarship Directory, searching by state, school year, major, and many other categories.

You are also required to file the FAFSA before either the state or school deadline for applying for financial aid. That is the deadline of the earlier one. If you fail to file your forms at set times, you will miss a few scholarships as well as grants because the form would have reached on time if you had filed it at the set deadlines.

How to find esports scholarships

If you’re an esports whiz, one way of getting a scholarship might be available right from the college you will attend. Already hundreds of schools offer esports-from the prestigious Georgia Tech to the University of Southern California.

For example, Miami University of Ohio offers scholarships specifically to varsity esports students. To learn more about it, you just need to fill out their form of interest in esports. They do not mention exactly what kinds of scholarships they have or the dollar amount that you could get.

You can recruit basically like you would to play basketball or football with a school having an esports team. You can even make a highlight reel of yourself and reach out to coaches at the schools you are applying to as a form of selling yourself.

How good do I need to be to get an esports scholarship?

Playing video games is one thing, but being one of the best is quite another. It’s a bit like shooting hoops in your backyard a few times a week versus being an All-State power forward.

Well, honestly, no one has a ranking cut-off to win an esports scholarship. It all depends on what the school or the committee for scholarship requires. Well, at least as of now. Who knows? If it grows in popularity enough, there may just be ranking cut-offs down the road.

For example, the University of California Irvine (UCI) has this listed as requirements to be on their teams:

League of Legends: Amateur or professional experience
Overwatch 2: Grandmaster 1/Top 500 with amateur or professional experience
Valorant: Radiant, amateur, or professional experience

If you know specifically which school you’d like to check out, research the website for their esports department. There, it’ll likely list what they look for in scholarship recipients. If you can’t find anything, it’s worth a shot to call up and ask. Maybe it varies per individual, rather than having a baseline standard.

Can I get a scholarship for other video games that aren’t part of esports?

There are only a few video games that have leagues and matches, so if your favorite video games are none other than Zelda’s Tears of the Kingdom or Metroid Dread, then you probably won’t be able to get an esports scholarship.

Yet other types of scholarships exist for those who intend to venture into video games after completing their education. There are even many scholarship opportunities in video game design, production, animation, and so much more.

An example is the New York University Barlovento Scholarship for Women in Games which offers a full-ride scholarship to women interested in applying for NYU’s Game Design MFA program. There are quite a few esports scholarships available for NYU students as well.

Do full-ride scholarships for esports exist?

If you are the best in the country at a specific video game, you may be able to get scholarships of very generous amounts. However, competing for a full-tuition scholarship would be much more difficult compared to a traditional sports scholarship.

For example, Caroll University offers esports scholarships of between $500 and $2,500. That would suffice to pay for a fair portion of a semester’s tuition and miscellaneous fees. So, it will take more than just good plays on your console to win this scholarship. You need to have an excellent GPA, community service proof, and demonstrated financial need.

The best way to get a full tuition scholarship for esports would be to have stellar academics and demonstrate financial need. These two components tend to work the best to maximize your scholarship potential.

You could also look for other types of scholarships that you qualify for. For example, if you’ll be majoring in engineering, you will likely want to look for engineering scholarships.

If I am already in college, can I still obtain an esports scholarship?

If you are a student currently, you can go online to your school’s esports department and see if they have tryouts. See what else you have to do to qualify for the team and see if they have any scholarship opportunities.

Is there a minimum GPA requirement to secure an esports scholarship?

Just because you qualify for an esports scholarship doesn’t mean your grades don’t matter. In most cases, they do.

Irrespective of the type of video game talent that you have, the organization or school usually has a minimum GPA requirement for the scholarship. The minimum GPA may vary, but most are at least a 2.0.

Indeed, a higher GPA is also quite helpful when qualifying for other kinds of scholarships. Even if you just happen to be a good gamer, you should care more about your grades since you will want to get as many grants and scholarships as you possibly can.

Do I need to pay for college using my esports winnings?

If you engage in competitive esports at high school, you may sock away those winnings to save up for college. Unless the prize money comes with some strings attached, you may use that money for tuition, room and board, fees, textbooks, and more. You can also use it for living expenses such as groceries and transportation.

You may also be required to pay some taxes on your winnings, state and federal. Try to put away between 20% and 30% of what you get expecting some taxes you might have to pay.

Do minority students get esports scholarships?

If you are the minority, then you may be eligible for extra scholarships that apply to your race or ethnicity specifically.

Even if you cannot find specific scholarships that you are eligible for, coming from a diverse background will help you qualify for other minority scholarships. A good background as an esports athlete can also be something that helps you stand out on any scholarship application.

Can Esports scholarships be renewed for multiple years?

Scholarships can be a one-time award or multiple years. There’s usually a cap on how long you can attend with your scholarship, but if you are an undergraduate student, it’s typically four total years.

But scholarships have stipulations, too – and if you don’t meet them, then your scholarship is revoked. Most scholarships require a minimum GPA. If your GPA falls below that number, then you could lose your scholarship.

In general, a school-based scholarship is more likely to be awarded as a multi-year grant than a private organization-based scholarship. Make sure to take that into account when you are tallying up what you will have to pay for college.

Does every school with an esports team offer scholarships?

As the sport of esports ignites across campuses, across the country, many of the most popular and well-known schools have begun to add esports teams to the roster.

But just because a school may have an esports team doesn’t mean that the school offers scholarships to those players. For example, Ohio State University: has teams in League of Legends, Overwatch, Rocket League, and Valorant. They do not, however, give scholarships to players instead, you may be eligible to receive perks such as free Ohio State gear and paid entry fees to team tournaments.

It doesn’t necessarily mean that it always will if the school doesn’t offer an esports scholarship at the moment. If you’re not joining the school next fall, then you should frequently check back if the school ever changes its policy on esports scholarships.

What are the best esports scholarships?

Esports scholarships are generally smaller than regular merit scholarships, but there are still some pretty generous scholarships – especially from competitive schools.

For instance, Hawaii Pacific University offers esports scholarships to students who might win somewhere between $1,000 to $6,000 a year for up to four years. If you are lucky, it will mean getting a total of $24,000 in scholarship funds.

To be eligible, you’ll need to apply under regular admission and also file a separate esports scholarship application. You will have to produce the standard information such as preferred games, tags, and roles.

You can also choose games that you like to play:

Valorant
Overwatch
Super Smash Bros
Rocket League
Fortnite
FIFA
2K
Madden

There are other alternative ways in which one can use in funding their college via esports.

If you are not doing so already, you can begin to stream your gameplay and, based on your niche and the size of the website’s following, earn more money on mainstream sites like Twitch or YouTube or more specific platforms like Kick or LiveSpace.

If you don’t like the thought of streaming when playing games, you can upload videos to YouTube explaining a particular aspect of your favorite game or showing off a cool move. If you gain enough subscribers and views, you’ll begin to get ad revenue.

These channels don’t make you money overnight and some of its users/creators will never see any significant profit – or any at all. However, it is one easy way to get your interests aligned and find another way to earn some cash.

If you do earn money, make sure you save tax on that money earned and if you buy new gaming gear, offset it against your earnings.

More importantly, you can stream even in college (if your esports scholarship permits it) and beyond graduation. That is another side hustle that you can have on the back burner.

Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or academic advice. Scholarship requirements, availability, and amounts may vary by institution and are subject to change. Always verify details with the respective educational institutions or scholarship providers before making any commitments. The author and publisher assume no responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, or up-to-date nature of the information provided. Additionally, any earnings or financial advice mentioned should be reviewed with a tax advisor or financial professional.