The class of 2025 have now graduated from Kai Cenat’s “Streamer University.”
Last week, 120 students—handpicked from more than a million applicants—attended the University of Akron for a four-day live-in boot camp. Of course, the whole thing was streamed by Cenat as well as attendees.
Cenat, who has 17.3 million Twitch followers and ranked No. 24 on Forbes’s list of the top-earning creators in 2024, with estimated earnings of $8.5 million, first announced his plans in February, explaining how he wants to help streamers both big and small learn from his success.
Cenat introduced each of the inaugural class from behind his principal’s desk during an hour-long meet-and-greet video, available to watch on YouTube. Enrollment was free, with food and accommodations on the college campus covered. Each student was also given a T-Mobile phone to livestream the entire experience.
They did not disappoint. Content was streamed across nearly 1,000 different Twitch channels with over 719,000 peak concurrent viewers and over 27 million total hours of watch time, per Twitch Tracker.
In addition to snippets from inside the classrooms, other viral clips show students skipping class, trashing dorm rooms, and fighting with water guns (which ended with one student being hospitalized).
Follower boosts for grads
Despite some bad behavior, many students reported major follower growth from attending the university.
“Before and after streamer uni,” one participant posted on X. According to screenshots, her average number of views rose from below 100 to nearing 10,000. “I still think I’m dreaming,” she wrote.
While livestreaming their experiences, students were also enrolled in lessons taught by “professors,” aka popular influencers. The curriculum covered “Defense Against Hating” and “Internet Beef,” among other subjects. During the grand finale awards ceremony, rapper Drake made a surprise appearance with a virtual message for both students and faculty.
“Year one is officially in the books. Congratulations,” Drake said from behind a desk. “To be able to organize this incredible academia event . . . is something that has never been done before. Show love to your dean, the one and only Kai Cenat.”
Cenat’s success has apparently not gone unnoticed by other streaming giants. During a recent Twitch stream filmed from his office, Cenat hinted that major streaming services had all expressed an interest in bringing “Streamer University” to their platforms.
However, the 23-year-old emphasized the importance of maintaining creative autonomy.
“With an idea like this so original, you gotta keep it where it’s at,” he said. “I want y’all to learn something, bro. Y’all channels, and who you are as a person. This y’all idea, this is your guy’s stuff. Treat your platform as you would treat other platforms.”
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