Midland University Esports Scholarships Free Room & Board Deadlines Varies
Midland University, a private liberal arts college in Nebraska, launched its esports program in the 2016-2017 academic year. It offers free room and board to accepted applicants. Selection is based on the coachs recommendation. Applicants can apply online for admission and fill out FAFSA form upon being accepted. For more information on the esports program, you can contact the esports head coach Ben Nabity .
What Happens After You Get A Scholarship
You still have to go to class. You still have to study. You still have to maintain a particular GPA set out by the school and its typically a respectable grade .
You are also going to have a set practice schedule and mandatory games for scrims and tournaments. Youre going to have to commit to practice aspects outside of playing the game itself, like strategizing with your team and watching competitor demos. It is also my hope that youll have physical fitness requirements too, and if you dont, commit to it on your own time.
You will also receive some of the perks that varsity teams receive like meals, private training facilities and having a fan base.
How Esport Scholarships Began
In 2014, Robert Morris University made headlines around the world by being the first institution of its kind to bring esports into its athletic program. This is when esports, at least in the US, became a varsity sport.
Robert Morris University created its own League of Legends team in 2014. Although schools technically had college esports teams, what marked this as the beginning was Robert Morris Universitys designation of their LoL team being a varsity sports team.
After Robert Morris University created their varsity esports team, and after many considered it to be a mere publicity stunt for a small school, the year 2015 saw the University of Pikeville in Kentucky create their own varsity esports team.
Yep, the beginning saw two small, mostly unheard of schools, create their own varsity esports teams. But if you do a bit of research on collegiate basketball, you may find a similar story. Nowadays, many consider March Madness to be better entertainment than the NBA.
Fast forward a bit and in the spring of 2016,;University of California Irvine became the first public university to create an official esports program. By September 2016 the UCI Esports Arena, sponsored by iBUYPOWER, was opened. It has since gained additional sponsorship.
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Train Like You Have Something To Prove
The truth is, there are many more qualified and talented gamers than there are scholarships available. In time, as more schools adopt eSports as a varsity sport, there will undoubtedly be more scholarship opportunities. But for now, the competition for scholarships is extremely high. So how can you set yourself apart from the crowd? The answer is to dedicate yourself to developing your craft and become increasingly regimen about training and practice. Unlike, football, basketball, or any other organized sport, people around the world are competing in eSports related competition 24/7 with the sole purpose of becoming the best. The truth is, you are not the only person wanting to get your school paid for by playing competitive video games, so you will need to make a big commitment to do more than your competition is willing to do.
Keep in mind that eSports is a sport, and if you want to be the best you will need to treat competitive;gaming as you would any other sport. Training can include the following:
- Setting aside multiple hours a day for dedicated practice sessions.
- Watching replays on your performance and developing in-game strategies.
- Making sure you receive adequate physical training and proper nutrition.
- Consistently competing against higher-ranked competition.
Digipen Institute Of Technology
DigiPen Institute of Technology is very welcoming of gamers, offering not just a great game dev program, but also encouraging students at the institute to play student-made games, and facilitating clubs that encourage the playing of games in general.
Its worth keeping an eye on DigiPen to see how their varsity esports plans develop and unfold.
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How Do You Apply For An Esports Scholarship
Students entering colleges will be pleased to know that the process isnt all that different from applying for any other scholarship. Most require a player to be accepted to the university before awarding any scholarship money and reccomend a student focus on their studies before worrying about the esports potential.
What Kinds Of Universities Offer Esports Scholarships
All kinds of colleges offer esports scholarships, ranging from massive public institutions to smaller regional schools. Here are some of the colleges that currently offer esports scholarships to incoming students:
- University of California Irvine
- University of Texas at Dallas
- Hawaii Pacific University
- UCS, University of Southern California
- University of California, Berkely
Esports scholarships are becoming more common around the world as colleges start to appreciate their ability to foster teamwork, cooperation, and everything else physical sports can, making now a great time to go, or go back to, college.
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Lourdes University Esports Scholarships Amounts Varies Deadline Varies
Lourdes University, a private liberal arts school in northwest Ohio, announced the addition of esports to its Gray Wolves collegiate program in January 2017. Lourdes is the first in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference to offer aneSports scholarship program. Lourdes looks for talented video gamers who have competed nationally and internationally in the high school and/or collegiate arena. For more information, you can contact Cory Cahill whos in charge of the esports program.
Note: Since Lourdes is a Catholic and Franciscan University, its eSports student-athletes will not participate in any video gaming programs that feature first-person shooting.
Which Esports College Is Best
Colleges depend on individuals and this will vary depending on what a prospective student is looking for. There are different factors students must take into consideration such as academic rigor, emphasis on esports, esports varsity team, location, financial aid, and scholarships. After assessing these factors, applicants can make a better decision on what they feel is the best fit for them. No esports college is considered the “best” but rather what a student wants to get out of their college experience.
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Are Esport Scholarships A Good Idea For You
You might be thinking youre better off to invest your time and energy into esports and;only esports. After all, if youre going to be pro, why do you need to go to college as well?
The truth is, esports careers can be short-lived. Some say the average pro career is less than 2 years for LoL. CS:GO and other FPS pros seem to last a little longer, but its still rare to find someone approaching 30 years of age.
Whatever the actual average is for a professional career in esports, most will agree its;short. Dont be disheartened, the average career for an NFL running back is barely over 3 years.
Another factor to consider is the practicality of you actually becoming an esports pro. There are said to be over 80 million people who play LoL. Out of the 80 million LoL players, only a few hundred are pro, and out of the few hundred pros, only the;top players are making what can be argued as;good money.
The odds of going pro in esports are slim and even if you make it, you wont last long. You need to have a plan B and an esports scholarship is a great opportunity.;Not only will you get to compete;on a varsity team, but you will be setting yourself up for life after esports.
Different Types Of Esports Games
According to the Next College Student Athlete , there are gaming scholarships for a wide range of popular titles.
- Multiplayer online battle arena : League of Legends , Defense of the Ancients 2, Heroes of the Storm, Smite
- First person shooter: Overwatch, Fortnite, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive , PlayerUnknowns Battlegrounds , Paladins
- Collectible card game: Hearthstone
- Sports games: Rocket League, FIFA, Madden
- Fighting games: Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat
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Create Hours And Hours Of Vods
VODs are commonly known as Videos on Demand, which allow gamers to record their live streaming gameplay. In terms of getting an eSports scholarship, VODs are a fantastic way to showcase to schools your in-game persona and how you interact with teammates and competition. Ultimately, schools also want to know the type of person they are getting when they bring you on board to represent the college or university in eSports competitions.
Online competitive gaming is notorious for having some interesting in-game personalities, so schools are beginning to focus heavily on bringing in players who have good character, particularly during competitions. Perhaps even more importantly, VODs provide your highlight tape of some of your best moves and victories. Your VODs can even be a testimonial of the lessons you have learned in defeat, and how you applied those lessons to not to make the same mistake again.
How Much Money Can I Get With An Esports Scholarship
- Partial scholarships;cover a percentage of tuition costs but not room and board or other expenses.
- Full-tuition scholarships;cover the costs of tuition but not room and board or other expenses.
- Full-ride scholarships;cover all costs of associated with attending the school.
Esports scholarships are awarded on a school-by-school basis. The majority are partial and range from $500 to $8,000 per year. Several universities are beginning to offer full-tuition, and even full-ride scholarships. Many of these partial esports scholarships can be combined with merit and academic scholarships to help reduce the overall costs of tuition.
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Ap Study: Nearly 90% Of Esports Scholarships Going To Men
Colleges and universities rushing to invest in the booming arena of varsity esports are overwhelmingly committing opportunities and scholarships to male players, according to data collected by The Associated Press.
Male gamers held 90.4% of roster spots and received 88.5% of scholarship funds in a sample of 27 public American schools surveyed by the AP during this school year. The glaring gender disparity exists even though 41% of U.S. gamers are female, according to the Entertainment Software Association, and in a realm where unlike traditional sports there are no physical barriers separating male and female competitors.
Its tremendously sad and tremendously not surprising, said Grace Collins, an expert on gaming, education and gender.
The AP requested roster and scholarship data from 56 public U.S. schools identified among the 192 participants in the National Association of Collegiate Esports, relying largely on public records requests.
Several schools responded that although their programs compete at the varsity level, they had not been sanctioned varsity status by the school. Their roster data was often incomplete, and those programs were held out of the sample. A handful of other schools either denied the APs request or did not respond to repeated messages.
List Of Schools That Offer Esports Scholarships
Most eSports scholarships are partial tuition, ranging from several hundred to several thousand dollars a year. There are some full tuition eSports scholarships, but these are very rare. Below are the schools that offer gaming scholarships, along with the state theyre in, their NACE division, and the scholarship amount. You can click on the schools name to get more information on its eSports program.;
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Are College Gaming Scholarships Popular
If you are looking for a gaming scholarship, many colleges offer them. You are likely need excellent player skills. Though other criteria like grades and financial need may be part of the decision process. Varsity scholarships for gaming have been around since 2014. But many more colleges in the U.S. are embracing competitive video gaming. In fact, a growing number of schools are providing video game scholarships.
Ashland University offers $4,000 scholarships as a way to expand their eSports program. Eligible applicants need to be active on Fortnite. Also, other games like League of Legends and Overwatch provide awards to serious gamers.
Other times, the game developers provide esports scholarships. For example, to date TESPA gamers received over $3.3M in scholarships & prizing. They often do this to reward players and teams in their esports programs.
Another provider is the National Association of Collegiate eSports. The NACE reports giving $15 million in eSports scholarships and aid. As of January 2018, over 94% of all varsity esports programs in the U.S. are members of NACE.
How Do Gamers Get Esports Scholarships
Before you toss your textbooks and start missing classes to get more gaming practice in, keep in mind, esports scholarships are;still scholarships and follow the same process as any collegiate varsity sports scholarship.
First and foremost, you will need to get accepted into a college or university the traditional way. That is, you need to apply, send in your high school transcripts and any necessary references, complete the application , pass on the necessary tests like the ACT or SAT.
After being accepted, you will likely have to complete a recruitment form. UCIs recruitment form can be viewed here. UCI states that you must be at least a Master level for LoL or Grandmaster for Overwatch to even be considered.
Depending on your skill level and the school, youll be given normal or priority status. Priority status often means youll be meeting with coaches and current team members early so they can better feel you out as youve already stood out from the crowd.
After all of this, tryouts begin. Tryouts typically happen at the beginning or shortly before the beginning of a school year and you may be required to fill out a tryout application . Tryouts will often be live so that coaches can see how you play during competition. I would strongly advise getting a feel for live LAN competition at a local tournament near you before this kind of tryout.
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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. One of the most notable ways schools are adapting to the rise of eSports is by creating teams and allocating scholarships to the field.;
Interested in an eSports scholarship? Keep reading to learn about the ways you can turn your interest in video games into money for college.;
Robert Morris University Gaming Scholarships Up To 50% Tuition Room And Board Deadline Varies
RMU, a non-profit private university based in Chicago, was the first university in the country to offer gaming scholarships in the 2014 fall semester. Applicants must fill out a recruitment interest form to start the process. You can choose from the following games: League of Legends, Overwatch, Hearthstone, CS:GO, Heroes of the Storm, and Smash Brothers.
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Hens College Esports Scholarship For Women Amount Varies Deadline Varies
Stephens College, a womens college in Columbus, Missouri, is the home of the first varsity collegiate all womens esports team, which began in the fall of 2017 and is supported by scholarships. To join the team, applicants must meet certain criteria. Applicants are required to submit an application to the Stephens esports PC Overwatch team, application to Stephens along with test scores and transcripts, and completed FAFSA form. Partial scholarships will be awarded to eligible candidates.
Research The Actual Degree Program You Want
This tip may seem like the white elephant of all the tips, but this is the most underlooked aspect of getting an eSports scholarship. When you get an eSports scholarship you should be excited as you achieved a major accomplishment in your competitive gaming career! However, dont fall so in love with the idea of receiving a scholarship that you forget about the actual degree program you are going after and how it will benefit you after college.
Take the time to research the degree offering of each school and make sure the program aligns with your potential career aspirations. Tuition at most colleges and universities is expensive so try to maximize the value of the eSports scholarship by picking a major that you could see yourself working in the event you dont become a full-time;professional gamer.
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What Can We Do
Something else very important happened shortly after we published that blog post back in 2017: Missouris Stephens College became the first ever womens college to host a varsity esports team. The sudden popularity of the game Overwatch allowed Stephens College to more deeply participate in the world of academic esports. Overwatchs positive representations of women has allowed it to grow a stronger following among women and nonbinary students. This greater interest allowed the school to field a more competitive team than if it had focused on a title that exclusively catered to male audiences.
We have run into the same struggles as we have worked to start the first ever varsity esports program at the all-girls high school where I work, Hathaway Brown. How do you encourage young high school girls to participate in an activity that typically excludes them as an audience? One that will likely put them face-to-face with online harassment because of their gender?
We are attempting to solve this by focusing on supporting titles that are low cost or free to play, that already have more diverse audiences and importantly we have decided to focus on playing a collection of games as a triathlon instead of a single game during each esports tournament.