Pathways
The choice is rarely between one school and another — it is between systems that work differently.
Canada
U SPORTS governs university athletics across the country and is organised into regional conferences. The CCAA covers college programs, which often serve as a step toward a university roster or as a route through a shorter credential.
Athletic financial awards exist in Canada, but they are structured and capped differently from American scholarships, and academic standing is tied to keeping them.
United States
The NCAA has three divisions. The upper divisions may offer athletic aid; Division III does not, relying on academic and need-based aid instead. The NAIA is a separate association with its own rules, and two-year colleges offer a transfer route for athletes who need time academically or developmentally.
The route nobody plans for
Plenty of athletes arrive on a roster by walking on after enrolling, or by transferring after a year. Both are normal; neither requires being discovered at sixteen.