This university would pay you up to $15,000 depending on your gaming skills

The academic world is changing by leaps and bounds, and the age-old debate over whether video games are a waste of time is officially a thing of the past. While it’s now common to see universities with esports teams or degree programs focused entirely on software development, Silicon Valley University (USV) has decided to break the mold. The university has gone viral worldwide after announcing its new “Max Achievement Scholarship” program, which awards thousands of dollars to students who demonstrate truly legendary gaming skills.

Unlike traditional financial aid programs based on grade point averages or athletic ability in conventional sports, this program directly rewards the hours spent and achievements unlocked in a wide range of digital games, from MMORPGs like Final Fantasy XIV and Old School RuneScape to challenging roguelikes like Hades and Risk of Rain 2, and even building and survival games like Minecraft.

How does this gaming performance scholarship program work? What happens if I have achievements or trophies in other games?

To qualify for these university scholarships, the main requirement is to provide verifiable proof of having earned specific trophies or achievements in specific video games. Silicon Valley University has divided the scholarship into two performance categories based on the complexity of the challenge:

• Mastery Level: Provides selected students with financial support of up to $2,500 per academic term.
• Legendary Level: Designed for the industry’s most complex and demanding feats, providing up to $5,000 per term.

Given that the institution’s academic calendar consists of three terms per year, the top players in the PC and console gaming community could secure a scholarship of up to $15,000 per year to fund their higher education.

The examples of requirements published by the USV make it clear that the admissions committee does not take these challenges lightly. To validate mastery of Old School RuneScape, students must prove they have earned the coveted Max Cape—a cape awarded only after raising all 24 skills available in the game to the maximum level of 99. Meanwhile, in the world of Final Fantasy XIV, applicants for the legendary level must demonstrate that they have raised all 20 combat jobs and all 8 crafting and gathering jobs to level 100.

If the video game in which a student has invested hundreds of hours is not listed in the official documents on the USV website, the program guidelines stipulate that students may propose their own title of choice. The only mandatory requirement is to submit technical documentation proving that the achievement has an overall completion rate of less than 5% on official platforms, along with a detailed explanation of the logical processes and motor coordination involved in completing it. A specialized scholarship committee evaluates each application on a case-by-case basis.

This school year marks the debut of the Max Achievement Scholarship, which initially aims to benefit a select group of 10 to 15 students during the 2026–2027 academic year. University officials noted that future expansion of the budget for this gaming scholarship program and the addition of new eligible video games will depend directly on the number and technical proficiency of applicants, as well as on the overall success demonstrated by scholarship recipients in their respective professional careers.

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