The Best Esports Scholarships with Upcoming Deadlines in 2024

Esports Scholarships for Gamers

Did you know that you can get college esports scholarships for playing video games?

It’s true! Skilled League of Legends players, Overwatch enthusiasts, and other gamers can be recruited into varsity esports programs for collegiate esports and receive esports scholarships.

As professional esports gain traction among viewers, more U.S. colleges are treating varsity esports like traditional athletics and awarding esports student-athletes with athletic benefits—including gaming scholarships. Indeed, the video game industry has been growing rapidly in the last few years, with the number of viewers who watch esports expected to grow to 640.8 million by the end of 2025.

While collegiate esports is still much newer than traditional sports programs, giving esports athletes the same scholarship perks as traditional scholar athletes makes a lot of sense since excelling in esports requires many similar skills to traditional sports. 

For example, competitive gamers need strong reflexes, strategic thinking, and outstanding teamwork to excel in their sport, not to mention hundreds of hours of practice. Fine motor skills, mental fortitude, and creativity are also essential to performing well as a gamer.

Over 170 U.S. colleges and universities now have official esports teams, and many offer partial esports scholarships, full-tuition scholarships, and even full rides for their rosters. Bold.org also offers a $1,000 scholarship for student-gamers interested in attending William Pace University.

Here, Bold.org has compiled all the information you need about getting recruited onto an esports team and earning scholarship money for playing video games, including a list of the top 10 U.S. college esports programs.

Check out our other blog posts for more information on college scholarships, financial aid, and athletic scholarships. Create a free bold.org profile to access our scholarship search engine to find more scholarship opportunities.

What Games Can You Get Scholarships For?

Varsity esports teams exist for many different kinds of video games. You can be recruited to play most games for which a competitive gaming league exists.

Some of the most popular games for college esports include multiplayer online battle arena games like League of Legends and Defense of the Ancients (DOTA). These games suit collegiate Esports well because they require strong teamwork and communication.

You can also be recruited to play real-time strategy games like Starcraft or World of Warcraft and first-person shooter games such as Fortnite and Overwatch.

Other common games for college programs are Super Smash Brothers, Rocket League, Rainbow Six: Siege, and Hearthstone.

The games offered by each college vary depending on the size and age of their program. Make sure to research what games you can play for esports scholarships at your school of choice.

How To Get Recruited as an Esports Athlete

The best way to win an esports scholarship is to be recruited onto a varsity esports team. You can increase your chances of being recruited by maintaining a strong high school GPA, improving your gaming skills, and contacting college esports coaches.

Here are a few additional tips for maximizing your chances of winning esports scholarships:

1. Maintain a stellar high school GPA to meet the academic requirements for varsity esports teams.
2. Excelling in academics will also ensure you are a more attractive, well-rounded candidate for coaches and recruiters.
3. Stream on Twitch: Stream and record your gaming so that you have a record of your best plays to show to coaches and recruiters.
4. Compete and play against other gamers to add highlights to your resume.
5. Contact college esports coaches: Send an introductory email to the coaches who work with varsity gamers at your college of choice.
6. This is a great way to network and get your name out there as a gamer. Be sure to send coaches an esports highlight video to give them a sense of your technique and thinking.

How To Make an Esports Highlight Video

An Esports highlight video is a short, 1 to 2-minute video that showcases some of your best gameplay and evidences your reflexes, mental fortitude, and creativity when playing video games. You can use an Esports highlight video to boost your resume or portfolio and send the video to coaches and recruiters.

• Catch the viewer's attention in the first minute of the video by including four or five of your best plays that best represent your gaming skills
• Include your contact info in the video and description so interested coaches and recruiters can reach out.
• Publish the video on Twitch, YouTube, or your Next College Student Athlete (NCSA) recruiting profile. Be sure to also include your video on your LinkedIn profile and in any college applications that allow you to include a personal portfolio or attach footage of an extracurricular activity.

What to Expect During College Esports Tryouts

  to learn about gamers’ thinking processes, coaching staff vet them by watching them on television or Twitch streams and reviewing their highlight videos. Once the coaching teams have found an ideal prospect, they will invite them to come to campus to try it out.

During the tryouts, coaches seek effective in-game communication, teamplay, and a positive and team-oriented attitude. Focus on strengthening these skills before you attend tryouts.

Some colleges also have open-enrollment tryouts that you can sign up for on their esports website as a high school student interested in attending their school. Keep following up after completing a training session and continue communicating with the coaches and recruiters if you want to participate in a program.

What Colleges in the United States Offer Esports Scholarships

Over 170 colleges in the United States now have established esports teams, and many of these schools offer esports scholarships to their players in the form of partial and full esports scholarships. Bold.org has compiled a list of the Top 10 Collegiate Esports Programs in the United States.

In addition to esports scholarships, many of these schools also offer educational opportunities for players through mentorship and networking, internships, and bachelor's degrees in game design and game development. Students can also be involved with esports as casual players or members of the news, social media, and broadcasting teams.

University of California Irvine (UC Irvine) - Irvine, CA

UC Irvine was one of the first public universities to create an official esports program. UCI Esports launched in 2016 and currently hosts varsity teams for League of Legends, Overwatch, and Valorant.

Varsity scholar-athletes on the five-member League of Legends team earn up to $6,000 in scholarship money, and the five junior-varsity members earn up to $1,000. Scholarships are also available for many of the other varsity and junior varsity gaming teams, and UCI Esports offers other gaming scholarships for student gamers on campus, including a $2500 Pokimane Scholarship.

University of Texas, Dallas - Dallas, TX

UT Dallas's Esports program launched in 2018 and currently has varsity teams for League of Legends, Rocket League, Valorant, Overwatch 2, and Smash Ultimate. Varsity players receive athletic scholarships, priority class registration, and varsity athlete gear, in addition to other benefits.

Dallas's Super Smash Brothers team took home its second national championship in 2021, beating Michigan State University to bring home the Collegiate Starleague Smash Ultimate National Championships title. The Overwatch team also ranked in the top 8 that year, and the Rocket League team finished in the top 6.

Miami University - Oxford, OH

Miami University's varsity esports program launched in 2016 and offers varsity teams for seven different video games: Hearthstone, League of Legends, NBA2K, Overwatch, Rocket League, Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Valorant.

Junior varsity teams also exist for Hearthstone, Rocket League, and Halo. State-of-the-art practice and tournament spaces are available for players to use, including a varsity-exclusive location called The Thunder Room in the King library. All students can reserve another tournament room for show matches or competitions.

Miami University students also have the opportunity to mentor younger students who aspire to compete in collegiate esports gaming during a week-long training boot camp during the summer. Mentors teach students about in-game teamwork, communication, and strategy, as well as building healthy habits like taking stretch breaks and incorporating physical activity.

Hawaii Pacific University - Honolulu, HI

Hawaii Pacific University's esports program began as a club of 12 students who played League of Legends and organized practices and scrimmages against other teams in the mainland United States. Now, esports at Hawaii Pacific has expanded to offer esports scholarships to League of Legends and Overwatch players who compete for the school at open and invitational tournaments and the Peach Belt Conference.

A 3,000-square-foot Esports Arena in downtown Honolulu's historic Aloha Marketplace is equipped with state-of-the-art gaming PCs, virtual reality stations, and indoor and outdoor viewing areas.

Concordia University Texas - Austin, TX

Concordia University varsity esports placed first in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference in 2021 and third in 2022. The program offers up to 10 $2,000 scholarships for players that are recruited to play on their varsity teams.

Esports scholarships are based on game history, ranking, and performance during esports tryouts. Players can try out for a spot on a varsity team regardless of rank and skill level, and varsity teams exist for Overwatch, League of Legends, Smash Ultimate, Rocket League, and Valorant.

University of Utah - Salt Lake City, Utah

The University of Utah began offering esports programs in 2017 and is one of the largest United States universities to have an esports program. Teams represented include League of Legends, Overwatch, Rocket League, and Hearthstone.

The program is sponsored by Rockstar Energy Drinks and Mountain Dew, allowing the University of Utah to provide generous esports scholarships to its players.

Full Sail University - Winter Park, Florida

Full Sail Armada - Full Sail's collegiate esports team - offers a robust roundup of varsity esports programs for many games that do not have teams at other universities, including Rainbow Six: Siege, Halo Infinite, Call of Duty, and Smite.

Full Sail's impressive Orlando Health Fortress is the largest collegiate esports arena in the United States, with the capacity to seat 500 viewers, 10 million pixels of LED wall, and a concert-level PA system.

In 2022, Full Sail hosted the largest North American youth esports tournament. Two full Sail students received $5,000 each in scholarship money for their creative contributions to the event.

Full Sail also offers a Game Business and Esports Bachelor of Science degree, both online and in-person.

University of Southern California - Los Angeles, CA

USC Trojan Esports hosts both casual and competitive games for players of all levels. The program hosts frequent student-wide tournaments to foster community and fun among the student body, including an Among Us Tournament and Overwatch Competition in 2021.

Additionally, the Women in Esports interview series publishes interviews with women-identifying students at USC who are involved with Trojan Esports. Varsity and club esports teams are offered for League of Legends, Smash Ultimate, Overwatch, Hearthstone, and Rocket League.

University of California, Berkeley - Berkeley, CA

University of California, Berkeley is one of the oldest collegiate esports programs, having won their first national title in 2009. The program currently offers 14 different games for Division 1 and 6 other games for Division 2.

Varsity gamers and new gamers alike can use the Cal Esports Community Center, which is equipped with 55 PCs, a Twitch broadcasting center, and other amenities. Furthermore, the Women in Gaming initiative allows women-identifying students to play more games at Berkeley, furthering gender equity in a male-dominated industry.

Frequently Asked Questions About Esports Scholarships

Does the NCAA recognize esports?

According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, Esports is not a sport. In 2019, the NCAA unanimously decided against bringing Esports under its purview. Perhaps that view will change over time. Contrarily, the US recognizes Esports as a sport and has since 2013.

Is Esports a college major?

The demand for people with specialized training is growing as Esports continues to gain traction in the educational, private, and public sectors. Esports degrees are cutting-edge, difficult, and at the forefront of new advancements in academic programming. This means many majors related to Esports, ranging from management, video game design, and Esports marketing. 

Now that you've learned how to win a scholarship by playing video games, you're ready to begin polishing your gameplay and trying out for esports teams! Read our latest blog posts, How to Apply for Scholarships in High School and How to Qualify for Financial Aid, for more information on graduating college debt-free.