Manchester University partners with Gen.G for esports programme

Jack Stewart, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 10/10/2025

Manchester University (Indiana, USA, not UK) has joined the Practicum Abroad programme of South Korean esports organisation Gen.G Esports.

The programme allows students to study abroad for three weeks in Seoul to learn about the esports ecosystem in South Korea.

Gen.G professionals will lead the programme, which includes mentorship by industry professionals, industry “lunch-and-learns,” and professional networking.

Students will also visit competitive organisations and gaming publisher studios, all while immersing themselves in Korean culture and Korea’s esports history.

To enrol, a student must be in a 4-year US or international accredited university course from 2024/2025 or 2025/2026.

The programme costs $5450 (£4100) to sign up for, with air travel and dinner not included.

“This is our most ambitious programme since the launch of our Gen.G Practicum Abroad program,” says Arnold Hur, CEO of Gen.G.

“The students will be fully immersed in Korea with hands-on experiences to give them a 360-degree view of the esports industry.” 

There is a growing interest in esports job opportunities, with a recent study finding that a quarter of young boys in the UK want to work in esports.

Garrett Schieferstein, Director of Esports at Manchester University, added:

“We are incredibly excited to partner with such an amazing esports organisation like Gen.G to provide our students here at Manchester with an amazing opportunity to travel to Seoul and learn the esports industry from the best in the business.” 

“This travel abroad experience is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn more about esports on a global scale and experience South Korean esports/culture.”

“Travelling abroad was the best decision I made when I was an MU student. I’m proud to pass on those opportunities to our current and future students.”

UK Universities and esports in 2025

Meanwhile in the UK, university esports initiatives are continuing to grow but with expected teething pains.

Earlier this year, it was announced that a new £1.65m esports facility will open at the University of Suffolk.

However, the new undergraduate esports degree at the University of Suffolk in Ipswich only attracted six students.

Though this was not a surpirse according to he university spokesperson who said:

“We anticipated a small first cohort given the shorter time period to market the course, and few facilities for applicants to see while the building was being developed.

“The university has been establishing strong links with esport courses at feeder colleges and sixth forms and, with the industry continuing to grow, we anticipate demand for the course growing in future years.”

Jack Stewart, Senior Editor

In my seven years of esports writing, I've introuduced esports coverage to newspapers, interviewed some of the biggest names in the industry, and driven viewers mad with the puns in my YouTube scripts. I'm most proud of the latter.

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