Canadian Interuniversity Sport - Athletic Funding

Athletic Funding

The CIS member institutions offer athletic scholarships; subject to minimum academic requirements. The athletic scholarships are capped and may not exceed the value of the tuition and compulsory fees for the student-athlete. Universities also may provide additional non-athletic awards including academic scholarships and needs-based grants for athletes in addition to this cap, provided the additional awards do not include athletic criteria. In 2008/2009 one in two CIS athletes was receiving an athletic scholarship.

Increasingly, CIS schools are offering booster-support programs, where alumni, parents and/or corporations can donate money to a targeted fund especially designed to off-set a student-athlete's tuition and living costs. The University of Windsor has an Adopt-A-Lancer program, for example. The CIS has no regulations regarding how much each school can provide to teams through private support. The Université Laval's Rouge et Or football team, winner of the last 4 of 8 Vanier Cups, is so successful fund raising, the team trains in Florida during the spring.

Canadian Hockey League teams offer financial support for their graduates - who attend school within two years of playing major junior - who choose to play for a CIS school after graduating from major junior hockey. Hockey players who play in the CHL are ineligible for NCAA athletic scholarships, although many attend a CHL training camp. However, they can only stay a max of 48 hours and can not dress in any games.