Dell has announced plans to back a new gaming league for universities.

The vendor will establish a set of private servers, and will organise tournaments and offer hardware discounts for college students and faculty members.

Registration for the College Gaming League will be open to all university students, and will serve as an amateur counterpart to the newly-formed professional Championship Gaming Series.

Dell will organise individual tournaments along with a national championship for school teams.

Special 'play with a pro' nights will allow students to compete with professional gamers.

The league will also serve as a feeder programme for the professional circuit. The top college players will be flown out for a combined tournament and entry into the Championship Series draft.

"We are very excited to partner with Dell on the College Gaming League," said Championship Gaming Series chief executive and commissioner Andy Reif.

"Together, we will reach hundreds of campuses in the US and engage a huge number of students to find out which schools have the top players and which have a chance to join Championship Gaming Series as professional gamers."