U Sports announces major rule change to Canadian collegiate athlete eligibility
For decades, Canadian collegiate athletes who wanted to transfer schools faced a steep price: they had to sit out an entire year (popularly known as “red-shirting). On Tuesday, that changed.
In a press release, U Sports, the national governing body for university sports in Canada, announced new transfer rules that will allow student-athletes in their first or second academic year to transfer schools without penalty. The new policies will take effect in the 2026-2027 season.
Previously, non-graduating student-athletes who transferred were required to sit out for 365 days from their last competition, unless they were making forward academic progress or competing in sports such as swimming, cross-country, or track and field, which already had exemptions.
In cross-country and track and field, athletes were permitted to transfer without penalty after one year of U Sports competition. The new rules go a step further, extending that flexibility to all sports for athletes early in their academic careers.
“This is an important step forward for U Sports and for our student-athletes. The landscape of post-secondary sport is evolving, and our role is to ensure our policies reflect the needs of those we serve,” said U Sports CEO Pierre Arsenault in a press release.
The updated policy also covers athletes transferring from outside Canada. A student-athlete moving from an NCAA or NAIA institution to a U Sports program will now be eligible to compete immediately, provided specific transfer conditions are met.
“By us providing a more responsive system for student-athletes at the start of their academic careers, we are empowering them to find their best program fit—both in the classroom and in competition,” Arsenault added. “We believe this decision puts student-athletes first, which is exactly where they belong.”
This marks a major shift for Canadian collegiate sports, especially in light of the recent House v. NCAA settlement in the U.S., which places new limits on how many athletes American NCAA programs can roster each year. As a result, Canadian student-athletes (whether based in Canada or the U.S.) who are cut or choose to leave an NCAA program may now transfer to a U Sports school and compete immediately the following season, without penalty.
