University Offers Scholarships Up to $15,000 for Rare Achievements in Video Games

Related reads: Official Launch Trailer for Viking Frontiers Silicon Valley University has garnered widespread interest thanks to an unconventional scholarship program that awards students thousands of dollars for proving their excellence in video games. While some universities offer programs for esports or game development, the university launched a program named the Max Achievement Scholarship, which provides students with financial support based on their achievements within games. More on this topic: Official Gameplay Reveal of Toto's Journey The list of eligible games includes a variety of titles such as Final Fantasy XIV, Old School RuneScape, Hades, Risk of Rain 2, and Minecraft, among many others. To qualify for the scholarship, students must demonstrate that they have met specific achievements within two different tiers: Mastery and Legendary. The Mastery level grants up to $2,500 each semester, while the Legendary level offers up to $5,000 per semester, with the university operating on a three-semester academic year, meaning the total scholarship value can reach $15,000 annually. For example, players of Old School RuneScape can qualify by obtaining the Max Cape, which requires leveling all twenty-four skills to level 99. In Final Fantasy XIV, the Legendary level requires leveling all twenty combat jobs as well as the eight crafting and gathering jobs to level 100. The university believes this scholarship rewards the same qualities that lead to academic excellence, such as discipline, strategic problem-solving, and the pursuit of mastery, emphasizing that excellence is excellence, whether achieved through programming, art, design, or even virtual worlds. The university also clarified that students may submit achievements from games not listed, as long as they provide evidence that the achievement's attainment rate is less than 5% of the total players, along with an explanation of the skills required to achieve it, with the scholarship committee evaluating each application independently. The academic year 2026-2027 marks the first implementation of this program, aiming to award 10 to 15 students in its initial phase, with potential for future expansion based on applicant quality and initiative success. Related reads: Announcement of Scream Operator: Haunted House Manager for PC.