Gaming + Esports Scholarships
Get paid to play! These organizations provide grants and scholarships for those seeking a professional degree or certificate in gaming. You’ll also find scholarship assistance and recruitment info for competitive esports. Visit the websites below to learn about getting your spot on a team.
AIGA Worldstudio Scholarships benefit underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students who are studying photography, illustration, and design disciplines in colleges and universities in the United States. Students must be U.S. citizens or be pursuing a degree in one of the following disciplines: graphic design, illustration, interactive design, or photography
Apex Hosting awards $2,000 Minecraft Scholarships through drawings held each August. Applicants must write a short essay that addresses how Minecraft can be a positive influence on their education and career development.
Black Collegiate Gaming Association partners with PlayStation Career Pathways Program to offer scholarships to African-American or women of color currently enrolled full-time in college. Applicants must be pursuing a career in Gaming & Esports.
The Entertainment Software Association Foundation has three scholarship funds, all providing support for women and minority students who aspire to work in the video game industry while encouraging diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM). The funds include the Computer and Video Game Arts and Sciences Scholars, the LGBTQ+ Service Scholars (co-awarded with Gay Gaming Professionals), and Esports Scholars.
Foot Locker Scholar Athletes fund offers twenty $20,000 scholarships to athletes (include esports players) who demonstrate good sportsmanship and strong moral character, display academic excellence, demonstrate passion and commitment to empowering their communities, and are confident and enthusiastic leaders. Scholarships go to college students in their first year who attend a 4-year institution.
The Game Audio Network Guild Scholars Program provides select highly motivated and high-achieving full-time music and sound design or audio programming students who have a passion for interactive audio with free event passes to professional conferences in the video game or audio industries.
The IGDA Scholars Program awards are for promising students in game development and related disciplines. The program draws on a panel of industry experts to select a group of students who are considered the “best and brightest”. These Scholars get the opportunity to attend one of the many conferences that the program operates at, where they receive a complimentary pass, exclusive meeting opportunities, one-on-one mentoring from an industry veteran and tours of studios local to the event.
The Eric Dybsand AI Scholarship offers all of the benefits of the IGDA Scholars program, studio tours, VIP opportunities and so forth. In addition, scholars also receive mentoring from a range of AI professionals; attend the AI Programmers Dinner as an honored guest; and are featured during the annual AI Summit at GDC.
The purpose of the INTO THE AM Gaming Scholarship is to help propel a driven student to succeed in the rapidly expanding gaming industry. Applicants must demonstrate passion for video games and the industry.
The LazarBeam Big Brain Scholarship provides support for an aspiring creator to help a high school student pursue a college degree in gaming content creation, as evidenced by an eFuse portfolio.
General Scholarships
Looking for general academic scholarships? There are plenty of other resources to support your journey toward a gaming or esports career.