Elite gamers can earn a $15,000 college scholarship

Students who have dedicated their time and effort to mastering some of the world's most difficult video games may now be eligible for a $15,000 college scholarship through the University of Silicon Valley.

The University of Silicon Valley, or USV, is offering a unique opportunity for prospective students in the form of its Max Achievement Scholarship. This is a merit-based program that rewards exceptional gaming accomplishments with awards of up to $15,000 USD per year.

Unlike most university scholarships that recognize academic, artistic, or athletic achievements, the Max Achievement scholarship is made for those who show incredible dedication and skill by mastering their favorite video games. All that time you spent grinding in Dark Souls might be worth a lot more than just a platinum trophy!

USV Scholarship Rewards High-Level Gaming Mastery

The scholarship isn't for your average gamer. It rewards those who have completed some of gaming's most demanding accomplishments, many of which require hundreds of hours of persistence, dedication, and precision. The scholarship has two levels to it:

• The Legendary Tier: Offers awards of up to $5,000 per academic term, totaling up to $15,000 per year.
• The Mastery Tier: Offers awards of up to $2500 per academic term for significant gaming achievements.

So your gaming skills can be recognized by higher-education officials and they can really pay off. But these awards aren't offered for just any game. The University of Silicon Valley has composed a list of over 50 games that they consider to have some of the most challenging tasks in gaming. This list includes games like Valheim, Stardew Valley, Elden Ring, Bloodborne, Dark Souls, Sekiro, Hades, Minecraft, and more.

Earning such a prestigious scholarship requires much more of you than just playing the game

. Most requirements call for 100% completion, platinum trophies, or leveling up your skills as much as possible. There is more information on the USV website that outlines all of these elite achievements, but some examples include defeating all 9 bosses and a completing major architectural build in Valheim, getting the Perfection achievement in Stardew Valley, 100% completing Ori and the Will of the Wisps, 100% unlocking the map and completing all shrines in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and getting the platinum trophy plus all achievements in Elden Ring.

In addition to these epic examples of gaming, applying for the scholarship also requires a 500-750 word essay explaining how pursuing difficult gaming achievements helped you to develop essential and important life skills such as collaborative thinking, reflex mastery, strategic adaptability, and resource management.

Many of the qualities honed by completing such complex challenges can be applied to a wide variety of different careers, such as cybersecurity, game development, and even careers that exist outside the gaming sphere completely. The University of Silicon Valley commented on their Max Achievement scholarship, stating that "The Max Achievement scholarship honors students who have demonstrated exceptional persistence, systems thinking, and creative problem-solving even in digital worlds. " The university adds that "these are the same cognitive skills that fuel innovation, entrepreneurship, and polymathic excellence. If you've earned it in-game, it can count toward your future."

There will be 10-15 Max Achievement scholarships awarded each year, so get grinding! And if your game of choice isn't on the list, don't worry! Aspiring gamers can document their own achievements and send them in with proof of their feats' rarity to be reviewed.