Philippines now has an esports scholarship program

MANILA, Philippines — AcadArena, the country's premiere campus esports program, has partnered with telecommunication giant Globe Telecom for the country's first esports scholarship.

Announced last September 20, the Esports Merit Scholarship is linked with AcadArena's Alliance Program, is a support system for esports students organizations among different universities and colleges in the country.

Dennis Christian Dominguez, Head of Games and Esports at Globe Telecom, cited how the education sector has been affected greatly by the pandemic and how many schools are turning to esports to answer the lack of co-curricular activities for this academic year.

“This is Globe’s way to make that transition smoother and more holistic.” Dominquez said.

The Esports Merit Scholarship has three types. The Competitive Merit Scholarship that covers 25-100% tuition of any active student from the roster of an Alliance Student Organization. The Leadership merit Scholarship that also covers 25-100% tuition of any support staff of the Alliance member schools. And lastly, the Family Good Game Grant that is a Php25,000 to Php50,000 grant for families of players with good character who qualified in any official tournament of the AcadArena.

Ariane Lim, Co-Founder and Director of Student Programs at AcadArena said that they did not want to attach the scholarship to a singular game title but wanted to be more relevant to a student's lifestyle.

“There was a lot to balance." stated Lim in the announcement of the scholarship. "We wanted to find a system that aligned with our ‘not just play’ core value."

More details about the application process and eligibility will be released within the year. Interested school partners may reach out to AcadArena via their website.