Academic calendar
School Year 2026-2027 runs Sep 10, 2026 – Jun 24, 2027. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- School Year 2025-2026
- School Year 2026-2027Relevant now
Campus language
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Showing 43 of 43 terms
6
- 601 Brannan
- The dining facility located at the 601 Brannan Street building.
- 620 Sutter
- A residence hall and academic building located at 620 Sutter Street.
A
- AAU
- Academy of Art University, the official abbreviation for the institution.
- ARH
- Academy Resource Hotline or related student support services.
- ART U
- The shorthand name used for the university's athletic teams and school spirit.
- ARTU
- The athletic department and teams, known as the Academy of Art Urban Knights.
B
- Bancroft
- The primary dormitory for all midshipmen, often referred to simply as 'Mother B' or 'The Hall.'
- Boning
- Studying intensely or working hard on academic material.
C
- Cafe 601
- The dining area located at the 601 Brannan Street building.
- Cafe Academy
- The main dining area often found in central campus buildings like 79 New Montgomery.
- Campus Host
- Student workers who provide security and information at building entrances.
- Campus Safety
- The department responsible for security, often contacted via a dedicated 'shuttle' or 'safety' line.
D
- Dant
- The Commandant of Midshipmen, responsible for the military and professional development of the Brigade.
F
- Firstie
- A fourth-year student (senior) at the Academy.
G
- Gouge
- Study materials, notes, or 'the inside scoop' on how to pass a test or complete a task.
I
- iCafe
- The primary dining facility located at 620 Sutter Street.
- International House
- A residence hall often housing international and domestic students together.
K
- King Hall
- The central dining facility where all 4,400 midshipmen eat meals simultaneously.
M
- Montgomery Cafe
- The cafe located within the 79 New Montgomery building.
- Morning Formation
- The mandatory gathering before breakfast where accountability is taken and announcements are made.
N
- Nob Hill
- The neighborhood where many of the university's residence halls are located.
P
- Plebe
- A first-year student (freshman) at the Academy.
R
- Rack
- A midshipman's bed; 'rack time' refers to sleep.
- Rolling
- The practice of quickly passing food down the table during family-style meals.
S
- SEL
- Senior Enlisted Leader, a high-ranking non-commissioned officer assigned to each company.
- Supe
- The Superintendent of the Academy, the highest-ranking officer in charge of the institution.
T
- The Academy
- The common way students and locals refer to the Academy of Art University.
- The Cafe
- The main dining facility located at 620 Sutter St.
- The Clara
- The Clara Gilbert residence hall.
- The Clara Bow
- The Clara Bow building, a residence hall located at 1080 Bush St.
- The Commodore
- The Commodore Stockton residence hall, often referred to by its full name or simply 'Commodore'.
- The Grill
- Shorthand for the quick-service grill stations within campus dining halls.
- The Howard
- The Howard Brodie building, a residence hall located at 655 Powell St.
- The International
- The International House residence hall, a common housing option for students.
- The Leonardo
- The Leonardo da Vinci residence hall.
- The Mary Ward
- The Mary Ward Hall, a residence hall located at 800 Bush St.
- The Shuttle
- The university's private transit system, which is the primary way students move between the scattered urban buildings.
- The Sutter
- The 620 Sutter Street residence hall, frequently called 'The Sutter'.
- The Yard
- The entire campus grounds of the Academy, where midshipmen reside and train.
U
- Urban Campus
- A term used to describe the school's lack of a traditional gated campus, with buildings spread across San Francisco.
- Urban Knights
- The official mascot and nickname for the university's community and athletes.
- USNA
- United States Naval Academy.
Y
- Youngster
- A second-year student (sophomore) at the Academy.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- 180
- The 180 New Montgomery building, a major academic hub housing multiple departments.
- 180 New Montgomery
- A secondary academic building located near the main hub.
- 601
- The 601 Eddy Street building, which houses the school of Fashion.
- 601 Brannan
- A major academic building housing many of the digital arts and design labs.
- 79
- The 79 New Montgomery building, which houses the school of Animation & Visual Effects.
- 79 New Montgomery
- The main administrative and academic hub, often called '79 New Montgomery' or just 'Montgomery'.
- academy_i_middle_school_cafeteria
- Academy I Middle School Cafeteria
- Alumni Hall
- The large arena used for basketball games, concerts, and major Academy ceremonies.
- Building Hopping
- The common student experience of traveling between multiple city locations for different classes.
- Dahlgren Hall
- A multi-purpose building used for social events, ice skating, and housing the dry dock.
- ID Check
- The strict requirement to show a valid ART U ID card to enter any university building or board a shuttle.
- ID Swipe
- The requirement to swipe a student ID card to enter any university building.
- Late Start
- A common occurrence in San Francisco due to fog or transit delays, though the Academy generally follows a strict schedule.
- Liberty
- Authorized time away from the Academy grounds for midshipmen.
- Luce Hall
- The building primarily used for professional development and seamanship training.
- Mahan Hall
- The historic building housing the Academy's library and theater.
- Muni
- The San Francisco Municipal Railway, which students often use as a backup to the university shuttles.
- Shuttle App
- The real-time tracking application students must use to navigate the bus routes between buildings.
- Taps
- The signal for lights out and the end of the day, usually at 2300 (11:00 PM).
- The Blue Book
- The formal manual of regulations (Midshipman Regulations) that governs all aspects of life in the Yard.
- The Cannery
- The building at 2801 Leavenworth St, housing the fashion and fine art departments.
- The Shuttle
- The university's private transit system that connects the various buildings across San Francisco.
- Yard Card
- The official identification card used for building access, dining, and as a debit card on campus.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- School Year 2026-2027 runs Sep 10, 2026 – Jun 24, 2027.
- How much campus context is included?
- 43 approved campus terms and 23 local details are included in full.
- Are all approved campus terms included?
- Yes. The complete approved glossary is available in the scrollable, searchable campus-language section.
- Where does this guide come from?
- Calendar dates, campus terms, and local details come from DormWay's approved campus reference library.