What is the scholarship that awards students for playing games? Roehampton’s esports scheme puts gaming on the university balance sheet
Roehampton University’s esports scholarship is challenging traditional ideas about student funding by offering financial support to students who excel in competitive gaming while maintaining academic progress. The initiative comes as concerns over university costs intensify, highlighting a wider issue: many students remain unaware of scholarships and bursaries that could ease financial pressure…
The University of Roehampton in the UK has introduced an esports scholarship for students who excel in competitive gaming while maintaining satisfactory academic progress. This novel scholarship comes at a time when the cost of attending university is a significant burden for many students and their families. The esports scholarship aims to recognise the growing popularity of competitive gaming among students and provide financial assistance to those who demonstrate exceptional skill in the field.
In the past, millions of pounds in scholarships and bursary support went unclaimed each year because students were unaware of the financial assistance they were eligible for. Roehampton's esports scholarship is one of the more unconventional examples of the funding available to students today. Gaming has evolved from a casual pastime to a serious competitive activity with structured tournaments, professional-level performance, and career opportunities.
Roehampton offers the scholarship to both undergraduate and postgraduate students who can showcase their gaming abilities while meeting academic requirements. Scholars are expected to participate in weekly university competitions and represent the university at external events. The scholarship is not merely awarded to regular video game players but to those who meet minimum rankings in major competitive games and have a substantial following on streaming platforms like Twitch.
The scholarship amount has grown from £1,500 to £2,000 as the university's esports team has performed well and gained popularity. This increase highlights the growing significance of esports in higher education. The esports scholarship at Roehampton aims to balance the demands of competitive gaming and academics by requiring scholars to maintain academic progress, ensuring that gaming excellence does not come at the expense of education.
The esports scholarship also sheds light on the broader issue of students missing out on financial support they are entitled to. Many students have a limited understanding of the various types of assistance available, focusing only on loans, grants, or traditional academic scholarships. Roehampton's esports scholarship demonstrates that students should explore all legitimate sources of financial support before assuming that loans and family contributions are their only options.
Written by urgent.news from Times of India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
