The Canadian Interuniversity Sport women's ice hockey is the highest level of play at the university level under the auspices of the CIS. Women's ice hockey has been played in the CIS since the 1997-98 season, following a long stint of teams only competing in the OUA. There are 30 teams, all of which are based in Canada, that are divided into four conferences that are eligible to compete for the year-end championship. As these players compete at the university level, they are obligated to follow the rule of standard eligibility of five years. This competition is considered as the second level in the pyramid of Canadian Women's hockey, below the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) and the Western Women's Hockey League (WWHL).