| 1979 CIAU University Cup | |
| Venues: | Loyola Arena, Montreal, Quebec |
| Winners: | Alberta Golden Bears |
| Count: | 5 |
| Second: | Dalhousie Tigers |
| Dates: | March 15–18 |
| Games: | 7 |
| Num Teams: | 6 |
| Award Title: | MVP |
| Award: | Dave Hindmarch (Alberta) |
| Prev Season: | 1978 |
| Next Season: | 1980 |
The 1979 CIAU Men's University Cup Hockey Tournament (17th annual) was held at the Loyola Arena in Montreal, Quebec. The Concordia Stingers 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 format was unchanged from the year before. As tournament host, the QUAA received two bids to the tournament. The six teams were sorted by a committee prior to the tournament and arranged so that the two QUAA 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 | 12th | 1978 | ||
| Quebec: QUAA Champion / Host | 23–2–0 | 4th | 1978 | ||
| Atlantic: AUAA Champion | 17–8–0 | 1st | Never | ||
| Ontario: OUAA Champion | 13–4–3 | 2nd | 1976 | ||
| Quebec: QUAA Runner-Up | 13–10–3 | 1st | Never | ||
| Plains: GPAC Champion | 20–4–0 | 2nd | 1978 |
Note: * denotes overtime period(s)
Note: round-robin games were played on consecutive days March 15–17[1]