UC Irvine to Offer Scholarship for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Players

David Gill August 8, 2019 4:56 PM EST

UC Irvine will offer a scholarship for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate players during the 2019-2020 school year.

The University of California, Irvine has announced a pilot scholarship for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate during their 2019-2020 school year. This has been made possible thanks to a $50,000 donation from Street Media, which publishes LA Weekly and Irvine Weekly.

“Smash has historically been an incredibly significant game at The Association of Gamers at UCI, with our community always brimming with passion, hosting tournament after tournament,” said Brandi Moy, a senior at UCI and the president of TAG. “It’s extremely exciting that our students can now receive official support and pursue their competitive dreams through these scholarships.”

In order for players to compete in tournaments, they have to practice 10 to 15 hours a week, maintain a 2.0 GPA, and follow the code of conduct. Additionally, while there’s no official coach for the team, UCI Esports will coordinate travel, social media, equipment needs, and set up practice times.

Players will be selected by UCI Esports and the TAG Smash Ultimate Club. Any current student at UCI is eligible to try out in October in their Esports Arena. Additionally, over $6,000 will be offered to the top six players in the team and to help cover costs.

“The ‘Smash’ community at UCI is one of the biggest and most passionate gaming clubs on campus,” says Mark Deppe, director of Esports at UCI. “We are fortunate to be able to offer scholarships to League of Legends and Overwatch players. When a donor emerged with a desire to support one of his favorite games, we knew this was something we had to pursue to create more opprotunities for the ‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate‘ student gaming community.”

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now on Nintendo Switch.

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