ESPORTS aND COLLEGE
Below is information pertaining to scholarships and esports programs. This is, of course, the primary goal for any esports program: enrich the college experience with financial support, diversify access to college, community, and greater opportunity. Parents and students will find the below links helpful in scouting colleges with a viable program for college esports interests.
Next College Student Athlete works with college campuses and coaches, assisting parents and students dating back to the 1980s to help connect students with college athletic opportunities. They have grown into one of the worlds largest athletics recruiting networks, incorporating esports as major sports franchises have started pouring millions into the industry and campuses nationwide. The NCSA is a source both for parents and students, helping families ease into college life consisting of academics and competitive team sports. Here, you will find information on colleges offering varsity esports programs, and scholarship information!
The National Association of Collegiate Esports is a non-profit platform providing information on esports programs and participating colleges. They have partnered with a number of other organizations, the NCSA included, to help bridge gaps in collegiate information pertaining to the how and why of esports recruitment and scholarship opportunities.
Cogswell Polytechnical College is a local, for-profit university founded in 1887 and is nestled in the heart of Silicon Valley. Their faculty boasts professionals from across major gaming and animation companies, those professionals requiring at least ten years in their respective fields before being considered for faculty positions. As a school dedicated to educating students on game design, business management, digital art, and sound design, esports goes hand-in-hand with their robust program.
University of California Irvine has worked alongside Orange County high schools to develop a framework for teaching computer science, digital citizenship, and esports for interested students. Professors support UCI’s growing esports network through community involvement and a focus on education through game design, paving the way for a curriculum and framework other schools can soon follow. Currently, UCI offers scholarships for Overwatch and League of Legends players.
ESPN, one of several athletic networks hedging bets on the success of esports at the professional level, is now a major player in the market. ESPN streams matches and reports on esports events much like any other athletic event. Below is their list of supported esports programs at the collegiate level.
The North America Scholastic Esports Federation has selected leading gaming and learning researchers from the Connected Learning Lab at the University of California, Irvine to understand the intersection between esports and STEM learning and impact on social emotional learning for high school players.
