A First in Türkiye from Bahçeşehir University: Esports Scholarship

The esports wave, which is influencing the whole world more every day, is also finding a response in academic life. The "esports scholarship," the first examples of which we began to see last year in the USA, Norway and Sweden, is being launched in Türkiye for the first time by Bahçeşehir University. Esports players who are successful in the League of Legends Türkiye Championship and Promotion leagues organized by Riot Games Türkiye will be able to win scholarships of up to 100 percent from Bahçeşehir University. Young people who want to advance in esports will also receive academic and professional support through joint internship and certificate programs provided by the two institutions.

Bahçeşehir University offers new opportunities to university students who dream of a different career path. Having launched Türkiye's first esports scholarship, Bahçeşehir University is preparing to bring a new perspective to esports in the near future through the career planning models and certificate programs highlighted within the framework of its cooperation with Riot Games.

TÜRKİYE'S FIRST ACADEMIC ESPORTS SCHOLARSHIP FROM BAHÇEŞEHİR UNIVERSITY

Under Türkiye's first esports scholarship from Bahçeşehir University, successful players competing in the Championship and Promotion Leagues run by Riot Games will be able to win scholarships of up to 100 percent, worth up to TL 40,000, from Bahçeşehir University. In addition, applications from Twitch streamers, tournament referees and organizers, social media specialists and content managers in the esports ecosystem are also planned to be evaluated for scholarships to be awarded through "APPLY BAU."

Bahçeşehir University Chairman of the Board of Trustees Enver Yücel said: "The world is now focusing on the jobs and products created by the new generation we call the digital generation. The esports industry has also become one of the indispensables of this digital generation. As Bahçeşehir University, we see esports as one of the many sports we support. Accordingly, I am happy to announce that, starting from the 2017-18 academic year, we will award athletic scholarships to talented players in order to bring this new area of interest of young people into professional and academic spheres. Through our activities, we will become one of the leading universities in the world and do our best to ensure that Türkiye has a say in this field in the world arena. As BAU, by creating esports-specific training, internship and certificate programs not available at other institutions together with Riot Games, the industry leader, we will provide academic and professional support to young people who want to advance in esports. Training talented human resources for the ecosystem of the new world is our top priority."

Hasan Çolakoğlu, Director of Emerging Markets at Riot Games,said in his assessment: "At Riot Games, our most important focus is our players. Throughout our ecosystem, we take great care to ensure the presence of communities that act in line with sporting ethics, and on this occasion we sincerely offer all our support to the esports initiatives of academic institutions. Our professional league, which we call the League of Legends Türkiye Championship League and which includes clubs such as Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray, continues. However, we value the player and competitive potential of universities just as much. We believe that with the esports scholarship it will provide, Bahçeşehir University is making a truly encouraging individual investment in the esports players of the future. This is a milestone initiative, both as a first in Türkiye and in terms of training new esports players who will succeed in the international arena in the future and represent Türkiye successfully at global events."

Riot Games Türkiye Country Manager Bora Koçyiğit , commenting on Türkiye's first esports scholarship, said: "No matter how successful an esports player you are, building a career abroad on your own is not easy at all. Being part of a team or an academy is an important advantage in achieving this. It is very valuable that academies provide this support professionally in this process. Bahçeşehir University's support for esports through an academic club, scholarships and an institutional focus is a factor that will shape the future of esports in Türkiye. For a major academic institution with campuses in many parts of the world to contribute so sincerely to the esports world and be 'part of it' is undoubtedly an important development for us at Riot Games as well."
 
A STRONGER ESPORTS CAREER WITH INTERNSHIP AND CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS

Riot Games and Bahçeşehir University also provide academic and professional support to young people who want to advance in esports through the joint internship and certificate programs they will launch in the new term. Students to be selected jointly by the two institutions will take their first steps into professional life at the Riot Games office 3 days a week for at least one academic term. Through this experience, students will also gain academic credit equivalent to two courses and one summer internship.

Standing out with its certificate programs, the Bahçeşehir University esports ecosystem is preparing to launch shoutcaster and announcer-diction training, tournament refereeing and management, esports business management, and coaching-management training and certificate programs next year. The content and operation of the training programs to be held at Bahçeşehir University's continuing education centers and faculties will also be determined jointly by the two institutions. In addition, online certification programs are among the innovations planned for the new academic term.