By Owen Kitzan – Sports Editor

USports has announced that beginning in 2024-25, they will be changing their outdated scholarship rules. Previously, incoming first-year student-athletes were obligated to meet certain requirements in order to qualify for an athletic scholarship. Once the announced changes are implemented, athletes seeking athletic scholarships will no longer be required to maintain an 80% average in their final year of pre-university schooling. As of next season, athletes are simply required to be accepted and enrolled at a university and be a member of a sports team to receive an entrance scholarship.

This change is intended to make USports athletics more accessible to young athletes across Canada while tearing down long existing barriers. This change ensures that if an athlete has the grades to attend a university, they will automatically become eligible for athletic scholarships. A large number of student-athletes depend on athletic scholarships, as they cover the athlete’s tuition and other mandatory fees, removing some of the financial burden associated with attending a university. Athletic scholarships also provide great assistance to athletes who cannot work during the year due to the large time commitment of their sport. Additionally, it grants a degree of relief to athletes who are working hard to maintain a specified average to be eligible for their scholarship benefits. 

Another change that USports announced was that scholarships will have a set minimum distribution between the men’s and women’s teams. Starting next year, universities will be required to allocate at least 45 per cent of scholarships to women’s teams and 45 per cent to men’s teams, leaving 10 per cent left over to use at their discretion. This is designed to ensure that USports continues to become more inclusive and develops all sports equally. This helps to boost and expand the opportunities in women’s sports and bridge the gap in coverage in comparison to men’s sports.

Hopefully, the new mandates will prove to be beneficial in the long run for USports and young athletes across the country. This is a major change and a step in the right direction to grow women’s sports and build more publicity surrounding Canadian university athletics. It will be something to keep an eye on in the coming years.