University to Award Scholarships for Video Game Achievements

The University of Silicon Valley has launched the Max Achievement Scholarship, a program that awards financial aid based on verified in-game achievements. Eligible students can receive up to $15,000 per year for demonstrated accomplishments in a range of video games.

Awards are determined by a tier system. Mastery Tier achievements can qualify for up to $2,500 per academic term, while Legendary Tier achievements can qualify for up to $5,000 per term. The university uses a three-term academic year; a student meeting the highest tier each term could receive up to $15,000 annually. Final award amounts are set by the earned tier and an assessment of the applicant’s essay and academic readiness.

The scholarship is open to incoming first-year, transfer and graduate students who have been admitted to the University of Silicon Valley. Every submitted achievement must have been personally earned by the applicant and must be verifiable through the university’s accepted methods, which include official game profiles, platform accounts, public application programming interfaces and screenshots.

The university provides title-specific verification rules. For Genshin Impact, applicants must have completed all Archon Quests and reached Friendship Level 10 with eight characters, with verification possible via HoYoLAB entries or screenshots. For Minecraft, the university counts completion of the game’s 115-plus in-game advancements as a Legendary Tier qualification.

The scholarship covers achievements across multiple genres, including MMORPGs, live-service games, roguelikes, strategy and survival titles. Among the games listed on the university’s eligibility page are Warframe, Destiny 2, RuneScape, Final Fantasy XIV, World of Warcraft, Lost Ark, Elden Ring, Stardew Valley, Hades, Dead Cells, Civilization VI, Terraria and No Man’s Sky. Each submission is measured against tier requirements specific to the listed title.

The university’s guidance does not explicitly exclude mobile platforms; verification via official accounts and screenshots may allow cross-platform progress to qualify. Prospective applicants are advised to confirm platform eligibility and acceptable evidence with the university before applying.