In what is perhaps another testament to how big the game has become, the University of California Irvine has announced a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate scholarship program for the 2019-2020 academic year.

The scholarship was made possible through a $50,000 donation the owners of the publishing company Street Media, whose CEO is apparently a big gaming fan. The scholarship students will be chosen by the university’s Esports program and TAG Smash Ultimate Club. The top six players will be offered $6,000 each, with the rest of the funds covering additional costs.

Those selected will be expected to practice the game for 10-15 hours a week and maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0. Although the team will not have a traditional coach, staff will be on hand to “coordinate practice times, travel, social media, equipment needs and competitions”.

Regarding this new scholarship, Mark Deppe, director of UCI Esports, had this to say:

“The ‘Smash’ community at UCI is one of the biggest and most passionate gaming clubs on campus. 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 opportunities for the ‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’ student gaming community.”

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