Across the country, many students have started to think about post-high school plans, whether it be heading off to college or beginning work. Still, those attending a four year university struggle when it comes to choosing their major.

In recent years, Esports has become extremely popular. Universities have taken notice of this and a lot of US colleges are jumping on board the Esports train.

By the end of 2018, there were about 63 institutions that opened an Esports major. Organizations like the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE), the largest US college Esports organization, formed in 2016 and provides a wonderful platform for college students to join Esports.

“I think offering Esports in college is a really good thing. As more and more students, especially high school students, enjoy playing Esports, having this as their major can help them improve their skills and prepare them well for a potential future career,” said Xinyuan Xiu (‘20).

Miami University of Ohio is a school in Division I athletics and is the first top-tier US university to launch a varsity Esports program. Their varsity Overwatch team has already made 1st place in NACE Overwatch Tournament in the 2017 season.

NACE provides students the opportunity to compete against other colleges through different types of tournaments. It also allows them to participate in tournaments from different organizations such as Collegiate Star League, TESPA, uLOL, and more.

“This is a wonderful decision to have Esports as a official major and program in college. Students can learn the things they love to do during their college life. They can participate in a lots of competitions and tournaments as well as learn the useful and important knowledge in what they want to do. Also, having this as a college official program can help students make a good future career plan,” said Yihan Yang (‘21).

UC Irvine’s Esports program and UCI Esports Arena was opened in 2016, becoming the first public university to create an official Esports program that’s now regarded as one of the best in the world. UCI puts lots of focus on entertainment, including hosting local tournaments for both recreational and competitive players in the program. Additionally, it has successful game-related research, which can help the player improve their skills. In recent, the program began to provide scholarships to their League of Legends players.

Want to know more information about the college that have Esports program? Check this out