| 1978 CIAU University Cup | |
| Venues: | Jean-Louis Lévesque Arena, Moncton, New Brunswick |
| Winners: | Alberta Golden Bears |
| Count: | 4 |
| Second: | Toronto Varsity Blues |
| Dates: | March 16–19 |
| Games: | 7 |
| Num Teams: | 6 |
| Award Title: | MVP |
| Award: | Kevin Primeau (Alberta) |
| Prev Season: | 1977 |
| Next Season: | 1979 |
The 1978 CIAU Men's University Cup Hockey Tournament (16th annual) was held at the Jean-Louis Lévesque Arena in Moncton, New Brunswick. The Moncton Aigles Bleus served as tournament host.
Note: * denotes overtime period(s)
Note: * denotes overtime period(s)
Note: * denotes overtime period(s)
Note: * denotes overtime period(s)
Note: * denotes overtime period(s)
The tournament continued the policy of inviting two teams from the conference that served as host. However, as a change from previous seasons, rather than give the hosting conference byes into the semifinal round, all entrants into the tournament were placed into two round-robin groups. The six teams were sorted by a committee prior to the tournament and arranged so that the two AUAA teams would be in opposite brackets.
In the round-robin groups, the teams that finished with the best record would advance to the championship game. If there was a tie for the best record, the first tie-breaker was goal differential. If there was a tie in goal differential, the teams would play sudden death overtime for the advantage.
| Team | Qualification | Record | Appearance | Last | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West: Canada West Champion | 22–5–0 | 11th | 1977 | ||
| Quebec: QUAA Champion | 17–6–0 | 3rd | 1977 | ||
| Atlantic: Host | 11–11–0 | 2nd | 1976 | ||
| Plains: GPAC Champion | 19–7–0 | 1st | Never | ||
| Atlantic: AUAA Champion | 18–6–3 | 6th | 1976 | ||
| Ontario: OUAA Champion | 22–1–1 | 12th | 1977 |
Note: * denotes overtime period(s)
Note: round-robin games were played on consecutive days March 16–18[1]