First person in UK to receive an esports scholarship from Roehampton University is a high elo League of Legends player

Last year the University of Roehampton began offering esports scholarships – the first of their kind in the UK.
The London university said it would award scholarships worth £1,500 a year to support up to ten students on any of its courses at any level, whether undergraduate or postgraduate.
Now it’s announced the first student who has been granted an esports scholarship.
Julia Cwierz – a Diamond League of Legends player who has played in the NUEL and is studying law – announced the news on Twitter:

I am thrilled to be the first person in the UK to have been granted a Roehampton eSports scholarship!

ESports is a form of competition using video games and it is a significant factor in the video game industry which is actively developed. #RoehamptonUniversity #eSports pic.twitter.com/uyeXSlF9pT
— Julia Cwierz (@JuliaCwierz) January 11, 2019

Esports News UK asked Julia about receiving the scholarship and if it’s her ambition to become a pro gamer or pursue another career in esports.
She told us: “The award is given to students who demonstrate aptitude in esports as well as high academic results. It’s very new at the moment and has a financial reward which can be used for gaming expenses such as training and computer set up. At the moment I’m a diamond player but hopefully with the scholarship this will improve!
“For me, esports and video games are my hobbies. I study Law in hopes of becoming a solicitor. Being a professional esports player sounds amazing but it’s not my goal.
“The scholarship indeed helps a lot if someone plans on becoming a professional gamer. However it’s also open to those who simply want to improve themselves.”
Students applying for the scholarship are require to ‘demonstrate aptitude in the field’ and display their commitment to esports alongside successful academic progression.
Roehampton University also has an esports society and a gaming gaming room, allowing students to create content and livestreams on the likes of Twitch and YouTube.
The deadline to apply for an esports scholarship at the university this year was January 15th. However, Roehampton has now opened a second round of applications with a deadline of March 31st.
 

“The scholarship indeed helps a lot if someone plans on becoming a professional gamer. However it’s also open to those who simply want to improve themselves.”

 
Liam Hurley, director of strategy and communications at the university, said: “At Roehampton, we have a strong emphasis on helping our students develop the confidence, knowledge and skills the need for a successful graduate career, and we provide a wide range of opportunities for them to develop their interests beyond their course of study.
“Engaging our students in esports, and in associated activities such as streaming and the creation of original creative content, helps provide them with the skills – teamwork, creativity and confidence – they need to do well in whatever career they choose.”
More and more universities are getting involved with esports in the UK. Last year Staffordshire University became the first in the UK to offer a degree in esports, and many others are following suit.
Last week, a consortium including ESL UK, The University of York and others was awarded £4m in government funding to create new “immersive audience experiences” for esports fans, including experimenting with VR, AR, AI and 4K technologies.

Dom Sacco

Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.

As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.