NSE names Vita Student as headline partner

National Student Esports (NSE), the official body of UK university esports, has announced Vita Student as its headline partner for 2026.

In addition to supporting the British University Esports Championship, the student accommodation provider will help enhance NSE’s offering throughout the year, including more content and competitive opportunities.

Since 2018, NSE has been a key figure in the British esports industry, providing growth opportunities for UK students and operating one of the country’s most active grassroots gaming communities.

Its current strategic partners include British Universities and Colleges Sports (BUCS), gaming charity SpecialEffect and instant noodle brand Pot Noodle.

NSE’s most significant recurring project is the British University Esports Championship, which takes place throughout every academic year. This tournament allows students and teams representing different UK universities to compete across popular esports titles such as Counter-Strike, League of Legends, Rocket League and VALORANT.

At the end of each cycle, the university with the most points on the leaderboard is crowned ‘Esports University of the Year’. 

The spring season of the Championship launched in February. Earlier this year, NSE also announced Tom Dore, Vice Chair of the Global Esports Federation, as its new Managing Director.

Vita Student is a real estate company founded in 2011, which provides living experiences for students across the UK and Spain.

According to NSE’s official press release from today, Vita Student and the UK university esports body share a common mission on ‘creating meaningful, community-driven experiences for students.’

“The opportunities this partnership brings are significant,” commented Tom Dore, Managing Director at NSE.

“Based on our shared values and focus on young people, working with Vita Student as our headline partner for both NSE and the British University Esports Championship allows us to invest further into our competitions, improve the experience for our players, and continue building a sustainable pathway for student esports.”