Image courtesy of Helena Kristiansson/ESL Flickr

Ashish also claims that he plans to renew the scholarship opportunity next year sometime in March. KontrolFreek is not the only institution to begin offering eSports scholarships.

University of California, Irvine, plans to offer $5,600 scholarships for 10 top student gamers this coming fall. They also claim to be the first public university to offer scholarships for eSports team members who will represent the school in eSports competitions with other colleges.

Image courtesy of Helena Kristiansson/ESL Flickr

Mark Deppe, the acting director of UCI’s eSports program had the following to say about the program:

Instead of relying on taxes, the program will try to get all its funding from corporate sponsors and will charge students who will use the campus’ new gaming room. Deppe also predicts a boost for campus life and recruitment due to the university’s new program.