Athletics · April 30, 2026
Esports Moves to Varsity Status with Scholarships Starting Next Fall
The formerly club-run program joins Ironclad Athletics, with its first scholarship offers going out this recruiting cycle.
Ironclad Athletics has elevated esports from a student club to a varsity program, with a dedicated coaching staff, a renovated practice arena in the Fieldhouse annex, and the university’s first esports scholarships available beginning next fall.
The program will field competitive rosters in three titles to start, chosen based on where the existing club team had the strongest regional results. Academic eligibility and time-demand rules mirror every other varsity sport at the Division III level.
“Our players have been beating teams from schools with real budgets for three years on borrowed equipment. It was time to actually fund them.”
— director of athletics
The move follows a two-year feasibility study by a joint committee of athletics, computing faculty, and student government. Club-level teams in other titles will continue to operate through the Esports Club.
Contact: Office of University Communications, news@uwporterfalls.edu
Fictional information
UW–Porter Falls is a work of parody. Every person, program, statistic and event described here is invented; nothing on this page reports a real institution.