October 5, 2022
Over the past several years, esports as an organized activity has been making its way into different parts of life throughout the world. As gamers began to compete on the world stage in games like DOTA 2 and League of Legends and esports began to amass a rather large fan base, colleges and universities began to create competitive esports programs.
While esports have been played in colleges and universities for decades, only over the past ten years or so have schools begun to recognize official varsity teams at their schools. Now, many universities offer esports programs, so if you are interested in joining a team, you will have plenty of opportunities. Several universities have even started offering academic programs in which students can study esports and even earn a degree in the management aspects of the industry. While there are hundreds of esports programs in universities across North America now, some are more competitive and well established than others, and those are the programs that this article will be looking into.
The Best Overall Esports Programs
University of California Irvine
The University of California at Irvine was one of the first programs in the United States to develop a varsity esports program. UC Irvine has developed a state-of-the-art esports arena and has grown its esports program over the years. They offer scholarships in both League of Legends and Overwatch for Varsity and Junior Varsity players. Their program has managers and coaches, and even boasts a physiologist and psychologist to take care of the health of their players.
Boise State University
Source: Boise State
Boise State has one of the best competitive esports programs in North America. Their program is holistic, and they have a state-of-the-art esports arena where they also train students to be a part of the production aspects of esports. The program not only trains players, but they teach students to shoutcast, broadcast, and generally run esports events. The teams themselves consistently rank highly in the national NACE tournaments in Overwatch and Madden. The school also supports a Rocket League team and a League of Legends team. While its teams are highly competitive, it’s also known for having a holistic program that succeeds in engaging students in many different ways.
Miami University
Miami University of Ohio has an incredible esports program, as well as an esports arena that is open access to all of its students. If you are a gamer but do not plan on competing on a varsity or junior varsity team, you can still take advantage of the state-of-the-art esports space at the university. The university’s varsity esports program was named the best collegiate program of 2022 and fields teams in League of Legends, Overwatch, Valorant, Hearthstone, and others. If you are looking for a highly competitive program, Miami is a great option.
Canadian Collegiate Esports League
Recently, twelve Canadian universities organized and created an esports league called the Canadian Collegiate Esports League. While this is a relatively new endeavor, if you live in Canada and are interested in esports, you may want to check out one of the following universities: University of Victoria, University of Regina, Lethbridge College, University of Lethbridge, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, University of Winnipeg, Simon Fraser University, York University, University of Manitoba, McGill University, University of Windsor or MacEwan University.
Schools Offering the Most Funding in Esports Scholarships
Ohio State University
Ohio State is known for its traditional sports programs so it is no surprise that they put a lot of pride in their esports program and offering support to players in order to attract the best. Ohio State University offers an incredible overall esports program. While its teams are competitive, it also provides a great scholarship program that provides up to $12,000 per player for Overwatch, League of Legends, and Rocket League.
Robert Morris University
Rober Morris University is often considered the first-ever North American university to create a varsity esports program. Currently, it offers its players up to nearly $20,000 to compete in Rocket League, CS:GO, Overwatch, and a few other titles. In addition, the university is making a name for itself in the esports space by attracting some of the top esports talents with its generous scholarship offerings.
Arcadia University
Arcadia University in Pennsylvania offers the most scholarship money of any university in the United States. While more and more schools are beginning to provide more financial aid for esports participants, Arcadia was one of the first to offer up to $25,000 per player. Arcadia has esports teams in League of Legends, Hearthstone, Overwatch, and Rocket League. If one of these is your esport of choice, you should definitely check out Arcadia.
Universities with the Best Academic Esports Programs
Shenandoah University
Shenandoah offers what is likely the most robust academic esports program in the country, offering an undergraduate degree in esports management and two graduate degrees in the area. For those who do not want to fully commit to a career in the esports industry, the university also offers a minor degree program. Shenandoah University also offers an incredible internship program that works to match its esports students with well-known companies in the industry to give students a headstart start they need.
Miami University
If you are interested in a program with more flexibility, check out Miami University’s graduate certificate program in esports which is held fully online. Even better, the program takes place completely through Twitch. The certificate program is part-time, requiring a time commitment of only 18 hours per week. If you are already a working professional looking to break into the industry, this program may be perfect for you.
Durham College
Source: Durham College
In addition to its varsity esports team, Durham College in Oshawa, Canada, boasts a graduate certificate program in esports business management. You may be considered for the program even if you do not have an undergraduate degree, as long as you have experience in the industry. This very holistic program teaches its students to run esports events, manage projects, handle esports organization finances, sell esports products, and much more.
Final thoughts
As you can see, there are many different options for students looking to compete in or learn about esports at a university level. Whether you are looking to compete for the best teams, finance your collegiate education, or get a degree in esports, there are plenty of options in North America. The number of these programs is growing all the time. It is important to keep in mind that while most colleges with academic programs typically also have varsity teams, the reverse is not always true. So if you are interested in both playing and studying, choose your program carefully.