Ranking · 2026–27
Best colleges for esports
The best colleges for esports in 2026–27, by our default weighting, are University of California, Irvine, Northwest State Community College and Thomas College. Change the weights below to rank by what matters to you.
Ranked programs
- 1 University of California, Irvine Irvine, CA · Varsity · Four-year Up to $6,000 · net price $14,251 · grad rate 87%76
- 2 Northwest State Community College Archbold, OH · Varsity · Two-year Full tuition · net price $13,555 · grad rate 46%71
- 3 Thomas College Waterville, ME · Varsity · Four-year Up to $10,000 · net price $18,885 · grad rate 54%70
- 4 69
- 5 West Virginia Wesleyan College Buckhannon, WV · Varsity · Four-year Up to $6,000 · net price $18,083 · grad rate 57%67
- 6 Manchester University North Manchester, IN · Varsity · Four-year Up to $6,000 · net price $18,805 · grad rate 46%65
- 7 The University of Akron Akron, OH · Varsity · Four-year Up to $2,500 · net price $13,946 · grad rate 52%65
- 8 Ohio Wesleyan University Delaware, OH · Varsity · Four-year Up to $5,000 · net price $20,897 · grad rate 59%64
- 9 William Jewell College Liberty, MO · Varsity · Four-year Up to $3,500 · net price $17,562 · grad rate 68%63
- 10 Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI · Varsity · Four-year Aid offered · amount varies · net price $8,624 · grad rate 47%62
- 11 Kettering University Flint, MI · Varsity · Four-year Up to $5,000 · net price $34,660 · grad rate 71%62
- 12 University of North Texas at Dallas Dallas, TX · Varsity · Four-year Up to $500 · net price $6,420 · grad rate 42%62
- 13 Messiah University Mechanicsburg, PA · Varsity · Four-year Up to $5,000 · net price $26,502 · grad rate 75%61
- 14 Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY · Varsity · Four-year Up to $2,000 · net price $34,906 · grad rate 70%60
- 15 University of Mississippi University, MS · Varsity · Four-year Aid offered · amount varies · net price $13,314 · grad rate 72%60
- 16 Emporia State University Emporia, KS · Varsity · Four-year Up to $2,000 · net price $16,261 · grad rate 56%59
- 17 Hutchinson Community College Hutchinson, KS · Varsity · Two-year Aid offered · amount varies · net price $6,727 · grad rate 53%59
- 18 Kishwaukee College Malta, IL · Varsity · Two-year Aid offered · amount varies · net price $4,574 · grad rate 45%59
- 19 Maryville University St. Louis, MO · Varsity · Four-year Up to $2,000 · net price $22,066 · grad rate 66%59
- 20 Minnesota State University, Mankato Mankato, MN · Varsity · Four-year Up to $2,000 · net price $19,139 · grad rate 54%59
- 21 Spoon River College Canton, IL · Varsity · Two-year Aid offered · amount varies · net price $3,415 · grad rate 42%58
- 22 Carl Sandburg College Galesburg, IL · Varsity · Two-year Aid offered · amount varies · net price $3,662 · grad rate 50%57
- 23 The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX · Varsity · Four-year Aid offered · amount varies · net price $18,267 · grad rate 76%57
- 24 Fresno Pacific University Fresno, CA · Varsity · Four-year Aid offered · amount varies · net price $13,630 · grad rate 50%56
- 25 Marshalltown Community College Marshalltown, IA · Varsity · Two-year Aid offered · amount varies · net price $8,059 · grad rate 42%56
- 26 Stevenson University Owings Mills, MD · Varsity · Four-year Up to $2,000 · net price $26,505 · grad rate 68%56
- 27 Truman State University Kirksville, MO · Varsity · Four-year Aid offered · amount varies · net price $12,780 · grad rate 69%56
- 28 Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY · Varsity · Four-year Aid offered · amount varies · net price $10,990 · grad rate 56%56
- 29 Eastern Wyoming College Torrington, WY · Varsity · Two-year Aid offered · amount varies · net price $4,764 · grad rate 52%55
- 30 Wichita State University Wichita, KS · Varsity · Four-year Aid offered · amount varies · net price $13,194 · grad rate 51%55
- 31 Concordia University Texas Austin, TX · Varsity · Four-year Up to $250 · net price $23,131 · grad rate 45%54
- 32 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI · Varsity · Four-year Aid offered · amount varies · net price $19,680 · grad rate 81%54
- 33 St. Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN · Varsity · Four-year Aid offered · amount varies · net price $13,529 · grad rate 40%54
- 34 Winthrop University Rock Hill, SC · Varsity · Four-year Aid offered · amount varies · net price $15,343 · grad rate 57%54
- 35 Brazosport College Lake Jackson, TX · Varsity · Two-year Aid terms not published · net price $4,732 · grad rate 56%53
- 36 College of Southern Idaho Twin Falls, ID · Varsity · Two-year Aid offered · amount varies · net price $6,095 · grad rate 33%53
- 37 Cowley College Arkansas City, KS · Varsity · Two-year Aid offered · amount varies · net price $7,175 · grad rate 45%53
- 38 University of Oklahoma Norman, OK · Club · Four-year Aid offered · amount varies · net price $15,300 · grad rate 75%53
- 39 Columbus State University Columbus, GA · Varsity · Four-year Aid offered · amount varies · net price $13,115 · grad rate 42%52
- 40 Pearl River Community College Poplarville, MS · Varsity · Two-year Aid offered · amount varies · net price $6,532 · grad rate 37%52
- 41 Saint Francis University Loretto, PA · Varsity · Four-year Aid offered · amount varies · net price $23,526 · grad rate 74%52
- 42 Texas A&M International University Laredo, TX · Varsity · Four-year Aid terms not published · net price $3,637 · grad rate 46%52
- 43 University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI · Varsity · Four-year Aid terms not published · net price $13,138 · grad rate 93%52
- 44 University of North Texas Denton, TX · Varsity · Four-year Aid offered · amount varies · net price $15,649 · grad rate 61%52
- 45 University of South Florida Tampa, FL · Varsity · Four-year Aid terms not published · net price $9,812 · grad rate 77%52
- 46 West Virginia University Morgantown, WV · Varsity · Four-year Aid offered · amount varies · net price $15,634 · grad rate 65%52
- 47 Bevill State Community College Jasper, AL · Varsity · Two-year Aid offered · amount varies · net price $5,937 · grad rate 38%51
- 48 Coastal Bend College Beeville, TX · Varsity · Two-year Aid offered · amount varies · net price $4,237 · grad rate 25%51
- 49 Idaho State University Pocatello, ID · Varsity · Four-year Aid offered · amount varies · net price $12,193 · grad rate 39%51
- 50 Northwood University Midland, MI · Varsity · Four-year Aid offered · amount varies · net price $27,232 · grad rate 63%51
Showing the top 50. Every program has its own page with sources; see the full directory.
How the ranking works
Each program gets four scores from 0 to 100, calculated only from published data. Your weights set how much each counts; the defaults are scholarship 35%, affordability 25%, outcomes 20% and program strength 20%. No college pays to be listed or ranked.
- Esports scholarship
- Full tuition scores 100. A published amount scores 50 plus up to 50 more on a scale that reaches $10,000 a year. Scholarships with no published amount score 35; no scholarship scores 0.
- Affordability
- Average net price (the yearly cost after grants, U.S. Department of Education), ranked against every program: the cheapest scores 100.
- Outcomes
- Graduation rate and median earnings 10 years after entry, each ranked against every program and averaged.
- Program strength
- Varsity programs start at 60 and clubs at 20, plus up to 25 for the number of titles fielded, 10 for a named esports facility and 5 for competing since 2019 or earlier.
Esports details come from each program's official pages (methodology); cost, graduation and earnings come from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Read how esports scholarships work before comparing offers.
Questions & answers
What is the best college for esports?
By our default weighting (scholarship 35%, affordability 25%, outcomes 20% and program strength 20%), University of California, Irvine ranks first for 2026–27, followed by Northwest State Community College and Thomas College. The best college for you depends on your game, budget and goals, so adjust the weights.
How is this ranking calculated?
Every program gets four scores from 0 to 100 from published data: its esports scholarship, affordability (net price), outcomes (graduation rate and earnings) and program strength (varsity status, titles, facility, history). The overall score is a weighted average. Nothing is paid for or editorially adjusted.
Why aren't famous esports schools at the top?
Some of the best-known teams are student-run clubs at large universities that don't offer esports scholarships, which this ranking weighs heavily by default. Lower the scholarship weight to see programs ranked mainly on outcomes and program strength.