ALBAWABA - The University of Silicon Valley recently made headlines after news circulated that the institute is offering a $15,000 scholarship for Minecraft players who have completed all 115 in-game achievements.
According to the university's official website, "All achievements must be verifiable through official public profiles, APIs, or clear screenshots from the applicant’s account. Screenshots must include character name, account ID, and visible completion indicators. If an API or public verification tool is unavailable, the University may request video evidence or live screen verification."
Minecraft players can now get a scholarship, but there's an exception
The university stressed that "Achievements earned via modded, private, or emulated servers are not eligible."
Minecraft is only a small fraction of the other games eligible for a scholarship, including soulslikes such as the Dark Souls Trilogy and Elden Ring, survival games like Terraria and No Man's Sky, and roguelikes/roguelites such as Dead Cells and Hades, MMORPs like World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV.
It's important to note that the games and achievements are split into two tiers, "Legendary Tier" and "Mastery Tier."
For example, the University of Silicon Valley also offers scholarships for completionists and trophy hunters who hit specific achievements on PlayStation, Xbox, Steam, and the Nintendo Switch.
Legendary Tier
- PlayStation: 10+ Platinum Trophies (3 Ultra-Rare <1%)
- Xbox: 100,000+ Gamerscore with 10 titles 90% completion
- Steam: 5 Perfect Games (100% achievements, avg global <5%)
Mastery Tier
- PlayStation: 5 Platinum Trophies
- Xbox: 50,000+ Gamerscore with 5 titles 80% completion
- Steam: 3 Perfect Games (100% achievements)
- Nintendo Switch: Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — 100% map & shrine completion
