RIT Esports will offer scholarships beginning in fall 2025, including 20 annual $2000 awards for new students and performance-based scholarships for select current players.

Benjamin Feldstein, a fifth-year MBA student and recipient of a performance-based scholarship, has long advocated for these recent changes to Esports. Now president of the organization, Feldstein helped make the scholarships a reality with support from other leaders in the organization and RIT’s administration — including previous Esports president Sam Burgoyne, Esports director Chad Weeden and RIT Provost Prabu David.

Why Scholarships Matter
The scholarships are heavily focused on the organization’s operations and fostering valuable experiences on the production side. RIT is one of the first universities in the nation to offer benefits for operations work alongside competitive play. Feldstein and the organization’s leadership emphasized bringing in applicants with previous experience in esports and operations.

“We narrowed it down by seeing what specific achievements you’ve done. For example, starting your esports club from the ground up and helping out with operations and production,” Feldstein stated.

RIT’s strong environment for game design and video games has also enhanced the growing Esports ecosystem on campus. While the substantial time and efforts committed by team members may be discounted by some as simply “playing video games,” there is a belief from organizational leadership that these awards will validate the effort put in by students.

“[These awards] allow for the validation of students who have put that work in and shows that the efforts that these students are putting in means something,” Feldstein said.

Burgoyne, the group’s previous president and a recently graduated game design and development student, also reflected on RIT’s culture as a primary driver of the scholarships and continued growth.

“RIT is a nerd school at heart. Everybody has their thing that they nerd out about, and people aren’t afraid to be themselves and with that, the provost and administration, I think, recognizes that this is a part of our culture at the school,” Burgoyne said.

Burgoyne also shared that many applicants express interest in esports on the Common App. The data has been key in gaining administrative support and building momentum, especially as the club pushed for scholarships and took steps to operate at a professional level. As more scholarship recipients join the program each year, the club’s membership is expected to continue growing.

Growth in the field of esports also owes itself to being one of the most inclusive forms of competition. A lack of physicality seen in other games allows for competitors to largely participate on equal footing. The existence of co-ed teams at RIT and other universities could also potentially reduce an ongoing stigma regarding women’s participation in esports, creating even more unrealized potential for the team and activity.

Reflecting on his own experience, Feldstein emphasized how the RIT Esports community has been deeply impactful in helping him form close friendships. This personal connection, he said, continues to drive a commitment to seeing the program grow. The group’s growth manifested itself as validation upon meeting prospective scholarship recipients and understanding the reality of an initiative finally being put into practice.

Future Aspirations
Burgoyne is excited to see more people getting involved in larger-scale esports projects and events, especially as scholarship recipients begin contributing to operations. He emphasized recent efforts to make the club more accessible and inclusive. Removing previous skill caps and connecting through events, aiming to support both top-level competitors and reaching students interested in learning and joining the esports community were especially important. Like Feldstein, he reflected fondly on his experience with the team and its initiatives.

“I’ve made so many great friends from [RIT Esports] and was fortunate enough to be a part of one of the best teams in the nation and be able to earn a bunch of different accomplishments on the gaming side. For the club as a whole, I’m super proud of making the teams more accessible,” Burgoyne said.

With new jerseys, new scholarships and increasing interest in the field, RIT Esports aims to continue its ascent in developing a more complete experience for gamers on campus.

“We’re always, always, always happy to have more people on board. If there’s any work you’ve done within esports, we will welcome you with open arms, and I’m excited to see where that goes,” Feldstein said. “Don’t be surprised when RIT becomes one of the best esports programs in the nation.”