College is expensive, and tuition rates are rising year by year. Lots of students turn to academic or sports-based scholarships to help cover the cost, and over the past few years, some students are even getting scholarships through online gaming. It’s no surprise that the rapidly growing videogame space is making its way into academic institutions, given that esports are expected to be a $1.5 billion market by 2020.

That means that, just as many people ritualistically sink into their couch for Sunday football, more and more fans are going to be logging onto various sites — like twitch, the massively popular streaming service bought by Amazon in 2014 for $1.1 billion — to watch their favorite players compete in games like Fortnite or DOTA. According to the New York Times, “Over the past two years, the National Association of Collegiate Esports, which is engaged with 98 varsity programs across the United States and Canada, has helped to facilitate $16 million in scholarships, according to the executive director, Michael Brooks.”

An esports tournament

Those lucky students who qualify for these video game scholarships earn money towards tuition by joining an esports team at their prospective school. For example, at Robert Morris University Illinois, there are currently 80 students on the esports team, 70 of which are receiving some scholarship money. At the University of California Irvine, there are 23 students on esports scholarships, and the team is only expected to grow in coming years. Brooks says that he expects esports to grow at an extremely rapid pace, “Certainly within five years I hope to see varsity esports be a common sight on college campuses across North America.”

Other scholarships available for video game fanatics focus more on the intention to study game design in college. For example, NYU offers $24,000 in partnership with the Evo gaming tournament to a student, “who best demonstrates an active participation in the fighting game community, an interest in game design with a focus on innovating in the field of competitive games, and a legitimate financial need.”

So how do you go about receiving an esports scholarship? Brooks told Forbes that students earn esports scholarships just as they would earn a more traditional sports scholarship, “based off of three characteristics; academics, merit, and athletic. Our member institutions award esports scholarships (which we would relate to athletic scholarships) based off a number of different traits including; player skill, academics, ability to communicate, available positions open on the team, etc.” So next time you start to tell off your child for playing too many video games, consider the possibility that they may just be helping pay their college tuition.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

string(4043) "
College is expensive, and tuition rates are rising year by year. Lots of students turn to academic or sports-based scholarships to help cover the cost, and over the past few years, some students are even getting scholarships through online gaming. It's no surprise that the rapidly growing videogame space is making its way into academic institutions, given that esports are expected to be a $1.5 billion market by 2020.
That means that, just as many people ritualistically sink into their couch for Sunday football, more and more fans are going to be logging onto various sites — like twitch, the massively popular streaming service bought by Amazon in 2014 for $1.1 billion — to watch their favorite players compete in games like Fortnite or DOTA. According to the New York Times, "Over the past two years, the National Association of Collegiate Esports, which is engaged with 98 varsity programs across the United States and Canada, has helped to facilitate $16 million in scholarships, according to the executive director, Michael Brooks."
An esports tournament
Those lucky students who qualify for these video game scholarships earn money towards tuition by joining an esports team at their prospective school. For example, at Robert Morris University Illinois, there are currently 80 students on the esports team, 70 of which are receiving some scholarship money. At the University of California Irvine, there are 23 students on esports scholarships, and the team is only expected to grow in coming years. Brooks says that he expects esports to grow at an extremely rapid pace, "Certainly within five years I hope to see varsity esports be a common sight on college campuses across North America."
Other scholarships available for video game fanatics focus more on the intention to study game design in college. For example, NYU offers $24,000 in partnership with the Evo gaming tournament to a student, "who best demonstrates an active participation in the fighting game community, an interest in game design with a focus on innovating in the field of competitive games, and a legitimate financial need."
So how do you go about receiving an esports scholarship? Brooks told Forbes that students earn esports scholarships just as they would earn a more traditional sports scholarship, "based off of three characteristics; academics, merit, and athletic. Our member institutions award esports scholarships (which we would relate to athletic scholarships) based off a number of different traits including; player skill, academics, ability to communicate, available positions open on the team, etc." So next time you start to tell off your child for playing too many video games, consider the possibility that they may just be helping pay their college tuition.
 (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 
"

Kim Kardashian is arguably the most famous woman on the face of the earth. Whether you love her or hate her, there’s no denying the significant imprint she’s left on our culture. While many celebrities shine bright and then burn out, Kim K elbowed her way to superstardom in  2007, when Keeping up with The

You Lose $20K Each Year Just For Being a Mom You may not know this, but there was a time when smoking was considered “liberated” behavior for women. There was a cigarette company Virginia Slims that was created specifically to attract female smokers during the bad old 1970s. The slogan was “You’ve come a long

Experts agree: it’s time to clean your workspace for your most creative era yet Spring cleaning is overrated. In the Spring, I want to go-go-go! Not get bogged down in the minutiae of tidying. But once I get started, I’m one of those people who can’t stop decluttering. So I carve out designated days for

Financial transparency is hot. Not talking about money is the new dating ick. For years, we’ve been taught not to talk about money. At all. Not at work, for fear of being punished by our employers. With friends, for fear of being braggy. And definitely not on dates — up there with politics, religion, and

The Momager May Be Worth More Than You Think… Kris Jenner is a pop culture icon for many reasons. While you may have watched her meteoric rise to fame on Keeping Up with the Kardashians — which originally debuted on E! — she’s actually been a fascinating figure in the public eye for ages.  As

In the 1980s movie Little Shop of Horrors, the protagonist Audrey fantasizes about owning a house of her very own. She doesn’t ask for much: just a simple one-storey place with a washer, dryer, and bedding will do.  And while this moment in the film is intended to satirize the American Dream by underlining how

Moment of Truth: From the instant I first heard the word “Klarna,” my spending habits went completely kablooie. Like the “Buy Now, Pay Later” services Afterpay, Sezzle, and Zip Co, Klarna has been a death sentence for my wallet.  I guess I have some mild comfort in knowing I’m not the only one who’s gone

The Kar-Jenner family is loaded thanks to their business prowess (and fierce momager, Kris Jenner.) Kim Kardashian said it best when she lamented that it “seems like nobody wants to work these days,” but these sisters never have a day off. And that’s why the topic of Kylie Jenner’s net worth is so intriguing.  But

Taylor Swift is a megastar singer-songwriter known for her narrative songwriting, catchy pop tunes, and versatility across genres like country, pop, and indie folk. She breaks every music record with ease, partially thanks to her die-hard Swiftie fans who follow her with vigor and buy out every single show. And with Taylor Swift’s net worth

Traditional weddings can be incredibly stressful, not to mention super pricey – many newlyweds couldn’t buy a house with that money. What’s supposed to be the happiest day of your life can often feel like an endless quest for absolute perfection – almost as if the ceremony doesn’t come off flawlessly, the marriage itself will