Eight universities are set to compete across eight tournaments staged between April and September as part of the series.

The Aon New Zealand Rowing Championships is the first event that is due to be held, with Ashburton set to play host from April 7 to 8.

This is due to be followed by the National Tertiary Badminton Championships from April 29 to 30 in Wellington.

Auckland is set to stage two events, with the National Tertiary 3x3 Championship from May 13 to 14 and the National Tertiary Volleyball Championship from July 8 to 9.

A busy second semester is also due to include four tournaments, starting with the National Tertiary Futsal Championship from August 24 to 27 in Palmerston North.

Wellington is scheduled to hold the NZ Tertiary Ultimate Championships from September 2 to 3 before Christchurch is set to host the National Tertiary Basketball Championship from September 15 to 17.

The series is expected to be wrapped up for the staging of the National Tertiary Netball Championship from September 23 to 24 in Wellington.

Points accumulated from each event will go towards the overall National Championship Shield and National Spirit Award.

The University of Auckland - Waipapa Taumata Rau are the defending champions after overcoming a strong challenge from the University of Canterbury.

Heading into the final event, University of Canterbury was leading by two points, but a gold in the National Tertiary Netball Championships in Wellington helped their Auckland rivals clinch the title.