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UC Irvine Announces Scholarship Program

Riot·3/29/2016, 7:44:19 PM·3 votes·44,971 views

Today, the University of California, Irvine announced that it will be launching a full-scale esports scholarship program this Fall - a first of its kind for a public research university.  Additionally, with Riot’s support, the school’s administration has approved the construction of a 3,500 square-foot esports arena equipped with 80 high-end gaming PCs open to all UC Irvine students!

Riot has followed the University of California, Irvine’s student-run gaming community as it’s grown from a few members to one of the largest in North America. The students and administration at UCI approached us with the idea of creating a permanent home for gamers on campus and we were eager to help them in any way possible.

We’re excited for the future of UCI’s gaming community and we hope that this will inspire similar programs at colleges and universities across North America. If you’re a school administrator at a college or university in the U.S. and Canada interested in working with Riot Games to incorporate gaming into your student life programs, we’d love to hear from you! Please contact us at [email protected]. 

206 Comments

EXasinez3/30/2016, 10:45:18 PM73 votes

Just imagine this: When league esports is growing big as other sports, probably every college will offer scholarship program. In high school there will be varsities competing each other. There will be a NCAA national league of legends tournament, everyone would create a bracket to predict the tournament outcome. Because there are way too many league players want to go pro, there will be lcs draft. Just imagine:"With the first pick of 2016 lcs draft, Team Liquid select..." Just imagine, when the esport franchise grow as big as NBA franchise, would every esport team have there own Arena? Would there be thousands of fans wearing the same colored shirt, cheering for their home team in lcs playoffs? Would there be full coverage of lcs playoff on national tv? Mark my words, all this thing is going to be reality in next 40 years. If after 40 years this DO become reality, just find this post, find this comment, and upvote this, and call me a prophet. If all this imagination will not become reality, there will be a live stream featuring cutting my dick off. Mark my words.

ObamaJuice3/30/2016, 8:01:23 PM40 votes

So that's why I got declined from this school last week... Maybe if I hit challenger they will reconsider me.

Seethslayer3/30/2016, 8:52:58 PM9 votes

I now know where to go to college

Builey3/30/2016, 6:13:13 PM8 votes

Is that boxbox?

MAD JAV3/30/2016, 6:48:39 PM6 votes

what a fuckin joke

Luffy D Monkey3/30/2016, 8:20:28 PM5 votes

who know perhaps games can help the younger generations all be friends and stop discrimination. perhaps im a bit 2 naive

DumbDeafAndBlind3/30/2016, 11:51:19 PM3 votes

Does anyone else see that they are playing on the old summoners rift?

neonstrobelights3/31/2016, 12:28:17 AM3 votes

sadlife... got rejected :( it was my #1 too.... well, here's to another reason to transfer to uci in 2 years!