More than 100 universities have been battling it out over the academic year to claim the title of Esports University of the Year – and the University of Warwick has claimed it yet again.
They topped the standings in the British University Esports Championship (BUEC) for 2021/22, which is run by UK university esports body and tournament provider National Student Esports (NSE), in partnership with British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS).
It was the fourth year in a row for Warwick, which, despite not winning every NSE final at Insomnia68 last month, performed the most consistent of all unis throughout the year. Grey Warwick also won the separate League of Legends BYOC Open at i68.
Warwick had five teams playing in the nine championship finals, the best the university has ever done in terms of team placement.
The University of Warwick topped the points table with a staggering 4,036 points, 1,000 points ahead of their total from last year when they earned 3,027 points.
Loughborough University, famous for being one of the universities that dominate the BUCS table in traditional sports, has recorded their best ever performance, placing second overall this academic year.
“I am absolutely thrilled we have held onto our number one status for another year, but this success means so much more than that. Our society has seen immense growth in the last year and our community continues to attract the very best that student esports has to offer.”
Caitlin ‘Kat’ Emery, Warwick Esports
The University of Portsmouth coming in third is also the best placement they’ve received in the last four years, with the help of their teams coming first in Overwatch, Rocket League and Smash Bros Ultimate tournaments.
Compared to last year, there were three new universities joining the top ten standings: Swansea University, University of Birmingham, and University College London.
Here’s the top ten BUEC NSE points table for 2021/22:
| Rank | University | Points |
| 1 | University of Warwick | 4,036 |
| 2 | Loughborough University | 2,075 |
| 3 | University of Portsmouth | 1,818 |
| 4 | Durham University | 1,806 |
| 5 | University College London | 1,804 |
| 6 | University of Exeter | 1,796 |
| 7 | Staffordshire University | 1,754 |
| 8 | Swansea University | 1,745 |
| 9 | University of Birmingham | 1,714 |
| 10 | University of Southampton | 1,696 |
Warwick was also named the best esports uni in England too. The standings of the Best Regional Esports Universities for Season 2021/2022 are as follows:
- Best in Scotland: Heriot-Watt University
- Best in Wales: Swansea University
- Best in Northern Ireland: Queen’s University Belfast
- Best in England: Warwick University
- Best in London: University College London
There’s more info on the 2021/22 points standings and teams on the NSE website.
As well as hosting the finals at Insomnia at the Birmingham NEC, NSE also had its own University Esports section inside the BYOC (Bring Your Own Computer) hall, including a stage for the finals to take place on, a spectator area for anyone to watch, and a dedicated NSE BYOC space for students to play all weekend.
NSE says that almost 1,000 matches are played in the BUEC each week.
NSE’s MD Alex Coulson said: “BUEC is forever growing and it’s great to see new teams and universities enter into the top five in the Championship, as well as new tournaments like Halo. Getting the student community together at Insomnia after two years of not being able to put on live events was really special, seeing everyone together and forming new bonds between universities and more opportunities to socialise was awesome to see.
“Huge congratulations are in order to the University of Warwick and Warwick Esports, they’re a testament to the university backing their esports offering and it’s good to see investment and recognition from the university themselves after the teams doing so well over the last few years.”
Alex Coulson, NSE
Last year Warwick invested heavily in a new esports centre and, recently it’s been pushing an ‘Esports Futures’ programme for 16 to 24-year-olds to level up their skills in a variety of areas.
Caitlin ‘Kat’ Emery, the current President of Warwick Esports, and the first-ever woman voted into the position, added: “I am absolutely thrilled we have held onto our number one status for another year, but this success means so much more than that. Our society has seen immense growth in the last year and our community continues to attract the very best that student esports has to offer.
“I’m so incredibly proud of how friendly and welcoming Warwick Esports is and this award is an example of where positivity and inclusivity can take you. I’m so happy to see it thrive and I can’t wait to continue this growth and secure the fifth year at the top!
“Inclusivity at Warwick Esports is at an all-time high with the introduction of The Pack, a much-needed space for like-minded women and non-binary individuals to find each other in an otherwise male-dominated field like esports. As the best within university esports, leading by example is core to Warwick Esports’ mission.”
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.
