College esports in the United States

College esports in the United States is played by teams of amateur student-athletes at American universities and colleges. In the late 2000s, schools began forming esports clubs to play video games in self-organized collegiate tournaments. The first officially recognized varsity esports program was created at Robert Morris University Illinois in 2014.

While there are thousands of schools that participate in collegiate esports competitions, in 2018, there were at least 73 college varsity esports programs, and by 2019 over 130 college varsity programs. College esports is often viewed as a starting path for gamers that aspire to go professional.

Riot Games Collegiate League of Legends In 2016, the North American Collegiate Championship (NACC) became the University League of Legends (uLoL) Campus Series, run by CSL, after IvyLoL and NACL stopped functioning and many of their staff were hired as Riot Games employees to orchestrate their collegiate activities. In the Fall of 2017, Riot Games announced that it would rebrand again as College League of Legends and switch official partners from CSL to Battlefy. In May 2019, Riot Games announced the formation of the Riot Scholastic Association of America (RSAA) as the governing body for collegiate and high school esports for League of Legends.

Esports Collegiate Conference The Esports Collegiate Conference was created on June 10, 2020, by member institutions of the Mid-American Conference, to facilitate esports competitions.

National Association of Collegiate Esports The National Association of Collegiate Esports, otherwise known as NACE or NAC Esports, was founded in 2016. As of 2021, its membership includes over 170 colligate organizations. The organization offers competition in Rocket League, League of Legends, Overwatch, and other titles.

List of colleges and universities with esports teams +Colleges and universities with esports teamsSchoolLocationAlbion CollegeMichiganAlbright CollegePennsylvaniaAnderson University (IN)IndianaAquinas CollegeMichiganArcadia UniversityPennsylvaniaAshland UniversityOhioAverett UniversityVirginiaBall State UniversityIndianaBarry UniversityFloridaBarton Community CollegeKansasBellevue UniversityNebraskaBemidji State UniversityMinnesotaBenedictine University at MesaArizonaBethel CollegeIndianaBoise State UniversityIdahoBowling Green State UniversityOhioBrescia UniversityKentuckyBryant & Stratton CollegeVirginiaCalifornia State University, East BayCaliforniaCalifornia State University, Dominguez HillsCaliforniaCampbellsville UniversityKentuckyCentral Methodist UniversityMissouriCentral Michigan UniversityMichiganCentralia CollegeWashingtonCentre CollegeKentuckyCincinnati Christian UniversityOhioCoker CollegeSouth CarolinaCollege of St. JosephVermontColorado CollegeColoradoColumbia CollegeMissouriColumbia CollegeSouth CarolinaConcordia University (Nebraska)NebraskaConcordia University (Texas)TexasCottey CollegeMissouriCrowder CollegeMissouriCulver-Stockton CollegeMissouriCumberland UniversityTennesseeDaemen CollegeNew YorkDavenport UniversityMichiganDefiance CollegeOhioDeSales UniversityPennsylvaniaDickinson State UniversityNorth DakotaDigiPen Institute of TechnologyWashingtonEastern Michigan UniversityMichiganECPI UniversityVirginiaEmbry Riddle Aeronautical UniversityArizonaEndicott CollegeMassachusettsFairfield UniversityConnecticutFerris State UniversityMichiganFull Sail UniversityFloridaFontbonne UniversityMissouriFlorida Southern CollegeFloridaFlorida State UniversityFloridaGeorge Fox UniversityOregonGeorge Mason UniversityVirginiaGeorgia Southern UniversityGeorgiaGeorgia State UniversityGeorgiaGrand Valley State UniversityMichiganGrand View UniversityIowaHarrisburg UniversityPennsylvaniaHawkeye Community CollegeIowaHenderson State UniversityArkansasIllinois CollegeIllinoisIllinois Wesleyan UniversityIllinoisImmaculata UniversityPennsylvaniaIndiana Institute of TechnologyIndianaIndiana Wesleyan UniversityIndianaJuniata CollegePennsylvaniaKansas Wesleyan UniversityKansasKean UniversityNew JerseyKent State UniversityOhioKettering UniversityMichiganKing UniversityTennesseeKing's CollegePennsylvaniaKutztown University of PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaLackawanna CollegePennsylvaniaLambton CollegeOntarioLawrence Technological UniversityMichiganLebanon Valley CollegePennsylvaniaLees-McRae CollegeNorth CarolinaLindenwood UniversityMissouriLourdes UniversityOhioLycoming CollegePennsylvaniaMarietta CollegeOhioMaryville UniversityMissouriMarywood UniversityPennsylvaniaMcPherson CollegeKansasMcMurry UniversityTexasMenlo CollegeCaliforniaMessiah UniversityPennsylvaniaMiami UniversityOhioMichigan Technological UniversityMichiganMichigan State UniversityMichiganMidland UniversityNebraskaMidway UniversityKentuckyMinnesota State University, MankatoMinnesotaMissouri Baptist UniversityMissouriMissouri Valley CollegeMissouriMonroe CollegeNew YorkMount Aloysius CollegePennsylvaniaMorningside CollegeIowaNeumann UniversityPennsylvaniaNew Jersey Institute of TechnologyNew JerseyNew Mexico Institute of Mining and TechnologyNew MexicoNew Mexico State UniversityNew MexicoNiagara UniversityNew YorkUniversity of North AlabamaAlabamaNortheastern UniversityMassachusettsNorthern Essex Community CollegeMassachusettsNorthern Virginia Community CollegeVirginiaNorthwest Christian UniversityOregonNorthwest State Community CollegeOhioNorthwood UniversityMichiganNorwich UniversityVermontOakland UniversityMichiganOhio UniversityOhioOhio Northern UniversityOhioOklahoma City UniversityOklahomaOregon Institute of TechnologyOregonOregon State UniversityOregonPennsylvania College of Art & DesignPennsylvaniaPennsylvania College of TechnologyPennsylvaniaPennsylvania State UniversityPennsylvaniaPoint Park UniversityPennsylvaniaPratt Community CollegeKansasPrincipia CollegeIllinoisRandolph-Macon CollegeVirginiaRobert Morris University IllinoisIllinoisRobert Morris UniversityPennsylvaniaRochester Institute of TechnologyNew YorkRowan UniversityNew JerseyRutgers UniversityNew JerseySacred Heart UniversityConnecticutSchreiner UniversityTexasSeton Hill UniversityPennsylvaniaShenandoah UniversityVirginiaSimpson CollegeIowaSt. Louis College of PharmacyMissouriSouth Dakota School of Mines & TechnologySouth DakotaSouthern Nazarene UniversityOklahomaSouthern Virginia UniversityVirginiaSouthwestern CollegeKansasSouthwest Baptist UniversityMissouriSt. Ambrose UniversityIowaSt. Clair CollegeOntarioSt. Cloud State UniversityMinnesotaSt. Francis UniversityPennsylvaniaSt. John's University (New York City)New YorkSt. Mary's UniversityTexasSt. Thomas Aquinas CollegeNew YorkSt. Thomas UniversityFloridaStephens CollegeMissouriStockton UniversityNew JerseyStevenson UniversityMarylandSyracuse UniversityNew YorkSUNY CantonNew YorkSussex County Community CollegeNew JerseyTemple UniversityPennsylvaniaTennessee Technological UniversityTennesseeTexas A&M University-San AntonioTexasTexas Wesleyan UniversityTexasThomas CollegeMaineTiffin UniversityOhioTrine UniversityIndianaUnited States Air Force AcademyColoradoUniversity of Alaska, AnchorageAlaskaUniversity at AlbanyNew YorkUniversity of AkronOhioUniversity of ArizonaArizonaUniversity at BuffaloNew YorkUniversity of California-BerkeleyCaliforniaUniversity of California-IrvineCaliforniaUniversity of Central OklahomaOklahomaUniversity of Colorado BoulderColoradoUniversity of DelawareDelawareUniversity of Illinois, Urbana-ChampaignIllinoisUniversity of JamestownNorth DakotaUniversity of KentuckyKentuckyUniversity of LouisvilleKentuckyUniversity of Maryland, Baltimore CountyMarylandUniversity of MissouriMissouriUniversity of MontanaMontanaUniversity of New HavenConnecticutUniversity of New MexicoNew MexicoUniversity of North DakotaNorth DakotaUniversity of North TexasTexasUniversity of OregonOregonUniversity of OklahomaOklahomaUniversity of PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaUniversity of PikevilleKentuckyUniversity of ProvidenceMontanaUniversity of RedlandsCaliforniaUniversity of Southern CaliforniaCaliforniaUniversity of South Carolina-SumterSouth CarolinaUniversity of St. Thomas (Texas)TexasUniversity of Tennessee at ChattanoogaTennesseeUniversity of Texas at DallasTexasUniversity of UtahUtahUniversity of WashingtonWashingtonUniversity of Wisconsin-River FallsWisconsinUniversity of Wisconsin-Stevens PointWisconsinUtah Tech UniversityUtahValparaiso UniversityIndianaWake Forest UniversityNorth CarolinaWarner Pacific UniversityOregonWartburg CollegeIowaWest Virginia UniversityWest VirginiaWest Virginia University Institute of TechnologyWest VirginiaWest Virginia Wesleyan CollegeWest VirginiaWestern Kentucky UniversityKentuckyWichita State UniversityKansasWilkes UniversityPennsylvaniaWilson CollegePennsylvaniaWilliam & MaryVirginiaWinthrop UniversitySouth CarolinaYavapai CollegeArizonaYork County Community CollegeMaine

References

External links National Association of Collegiate Esports Esports Collegiate Conference