Academic calendar
Summer 2026 runs Jun 15, 2026 – Aug 5, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Summer 2026Relevant now
- August Intersession 2026
- Fall Pre-College Art & Design Experience (PCADE) 2026 (Online)
- Fall 2026
Campus language
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Showing 59 of 59 terms
1
- 1080 Bush
- The Leonardo da Vinci Apartments, a large co-ed residence hall for students over 21.
- 180 Cafe
- The cafe and eatery located in the 180 New Montgomery building.
6
- 601
- 601 Eddy, a residence hall often housing upperclassmen and international students.
- 620
- 620 Sutter, a primary freshman residence hall.
- 620 Café
- The main dining facility located on the second floor of 620 Sutter Street.
- 620 Sutter
- A major campus hub housing a residence hall and the primary student dining cafe.
A
- AAU
- The standard acronym for Academy of Art University.
- AIAS
- American Institute of Architecture Students, a student-run organization for architecture majors.
- AIGA
- The student chapter of the Professional Association for Design.
- Art U
- The most common shorthand name used by students and athletes for the university.
- ArtU
- The most common shorthand and nickname for Academy of Art University.
- ArtU
- The official brand for the university's athletic teams, the Urban Knights.
- ArtU Dining
- The collective term for the university's meal plan and food service operations.
- Auguste Rodin
- A residence hall located at 1055 Pine St.
B
- BtFR
- Beyond the Front Row, the official student club for the School of Fashion.
C
- Cafe 620
- The main dining hall located within the 620 Sutter residence.
- Cafe 625
- The dining facility located at the 625 Polk Street building.
- Cafe Dix
- The dining hall located on the lower level of the 180 New Montgomery building.
- CGS
- Clara Gil Stephens, a residence hall on Post Street.
- Clara Bow
- The residence hall located at 810 Hyde Street, often housing film students.
- Clara Gil Stephens
- A residence hall located at 620 Post Street, often shortened to 'Clara' or 'CGS'.
- CSSA
- Chinese Student & Scholars Association, an organization promoting cultural activities for Chinese students.
D
- Dining Cash
- Funds included in meal plans that can be used at the 620 Café and campus Fresh Vending machines.
- Dior
- Cafe Dior, the dining location situated within the 625 Polk Street building.
F
- Fresh Vending
- Automated machines located in buildings like 466 Townsend that offer grab-and-go meals like salads and sandwiches.
I
- I-House
- International House, a residence hall on Bush Street.
- IAD
- Interior Architecture & Design club, a professional interest group for students in that major.
- iCafe
- The dining facility located at the International House (I-House).
K
- Knight Kash
- The official campus currency used by students to purchase food at cafes, kiosks, and vending machines.
- Knight's
- Knight's Cafe, the main dining facility located at 180 New Montgomery.
- Knight's Cafe
- The main dining facility located at 601 Eddy.
L
- LdV
- Leonardo da Vinci Apartments, a large student residence located at 1080 Bush St.
M
- Midpoint
- A high-stakes portfolio review class and milestone that students must pass to advance in their degree program.
N
- NCAA
- Refers to the Urban Knights athletic programs competing in Division II.
- NOMAS
- National Organization of Minority Architecture Students, focused on diversity in the architecture field.
R
- Rodin
- Auguste Rodin, a residence hall on Pine Street.
S
- SIGGRAPH
- The student chapter for computer graphics and interactive techniques.
- Spring Show
- The massive annual end-of-year exhibition where graduating students showcase their work to industry recruiters.
- Star Hall
- The residence hall and dining facility located at 620 Sutter Street.
T
- The 180 Cafe
- The dining area located within the 180 New Montgomery building.
- The 79 Cafe
- The dining area located within the 79 New Montgomery building.
- The Academy
- Common shorthand used by students and staff to refer to the university.
- The Art Cafe
- The cafe located at 79 New Montgomery, popular for quick meals between classes.
- The Cannery
- A historic building at 2801 Leavenworth St that houses both academic facilities and student dorms.
- The Cannery Cafe
- The dining location situated at the Cannery building near Fisherman's Wharf.
- The City
- How students refer to San Francisco, as the campus is integrated directly into the city streets.
- The Clara
- Clara Stephens Hall, a residence hall located at 607 Hudson Street.
- The Commodore
- Commodore Stockton, a residence hall located in Chinatown.
- The Foundry
- A student residence located at 360 Swift Ave.
- The Grill
- The quick-service food station located inside Cafe 620.
- The Hub
- The online student portal used for checking grades, schedules, and financial accounts.
- The Lab
- General term for the high-end computer labs available to students.
- The Leonardo
- Leonardo da Vinci, a residence hall on Powell Street.
- The Rodin
- The Auguste Rodin residence hall located at 1055 Pine Street.
- The Show
- Shorthand for the annual Spring Show portfolio exhibition.
- The Shuttle
- The private bus system that is the lifeline for students moving between the city-wide campus.
U
- Urban Knights
- The official mascot and name for the university's sports teams.
- Urban Knights
- The collective name for the university's athletic teams and student body.
W
- WIA
- Women in Animation, a student chapter dedicated to supporting women in the animation industry.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- 1142 Van Ness
- The location of the university's Automobile Museum and industrial design facilities.
- 180
- 180 New Montgomery, the main administrative building and home to the Fashion department.
- 180 New Mont
- 180 New Montgomery, the main administrative building housing Fashion and Photography.
- 180 New Montgomery
- The primary academic hub and home to many design departments and the ArtU Miniature Painting Club.
- 180 NM
- 180 New Montgomery, a major classroom building.
- 466
- 466 Townsend, the main hub for Animation and Game Development departments.
- 466 Townsend
- The building housing industrial design, graphic design, and advertising departments.
- 601
- 601 Townsend Street, the primary hub for Animation, VFX, and Game Development.
- 601 Brannan
- A key academic building in the SoMa district housing various art and design labs.
- 601 Eddy
- The main administrative hub and student services center.
- 601 Townsend
- The building housing graphic design, illustration, and advertising departments.
- 620_caf
- 620 Café
- 625
- 625 Polk St, an academic building housing the iCafe and various studios.
- 625 Polk
- Building housing the School of Communications and Media Technologies.
- 79
- 79 New Montgomery, the primary building for Photography and Motion Pictures & Television.
- 79 New Mont
- 79 New Montgomery, the building housing Graphic Design and Advertising.
- 79 New Montgomery
- The administrative headquarters of the university, housing admissions and the president's office.
- 79 NM
- 79 New Montgomery, the main building for many majors and administrative offices.
- 860 Sutter
- The specific campus location where students must go to obtain or replace their ArtU ID cards.
- ArtCard
- The essential student ID card used for building access, meal plans, and boarding the shuttle.
- ArtU Card
- The official student ID card used for building access, shuttles, and meal plans.
- ArtU ID
- The mandatory student identification card used for building access, shuttle boarding, and dining.
- Brightspace
- The online Learning Management System (LMS) used for course materials, grades, and online classes.
- cafe_rodin
- Cafe Rodin
- California Hall
- The historic building at 625 Polk Street that serves as the home for the School of Fashion.
- Courtesy Shuttle
- The private, free bus system that transports students between residence halls and academic buildings.
- Double-tap
- The practice of scanning the ArtCard twice—once to enter a building and once to exit, or when boarding shuttles.
- Flag-Stop
- A designated street corner (like Bush and Kearny) where shuttles will stop only if a student is visible and waiting.
- fresh_vending_machine_466_townsend
- Fresh Vending Machine - 466 Townsend
- fresh_vending_machine_620_sutter
- Fresh Vending Machine - 620 Sutter
- ID Access
- The requirement to tap a student ID card to unlock building doors and operate elevators.
- ID Badge
- The mandatory student identification card required to board any campus shuttle or enter university buildings.
- Jerrold
- 2225 Jerrold, the Industrial Design department building located in the Bayview area.
- Knight Kash
- Practical local currency loaded onto student IDs for use at campus dining spots and vending machines.
- Late Start
- A common convention for studio classes that may have specific lab hours or staggered start times.
- LMS
- The Learning Management System (Canvas) where online and hybrid course materials are hosted.
- Morgan Auditorium
- The university's historic performance and event space located at 491 Post Street.
- Muni
- The San Francisco public transit system, frequently used by students when shuttles are full.
- Post
- 680 Post Street, a building used for various academic departments and housing.
- Route A/B/C
- The letter-coded designations for the various shuttle bus lines running through the city.
- Shuttle App
- The real-time tracking application students use to see the location of campus buses.
- Shuttle Routes
- The lettered (A, B, C) or numbered transit lines that navigate the university's scattered urban campus.
- Spring Show
- The massive year-end event where students showcase their portfolios to industry recruiters.
- StarRez
- The online portal used by students to manage housing applications, room assignments, and meal plans.
- The Cannery
- 2801 Leavenworth St, home to the fashion and film departments at Fisherman's Wharf.
- The Foundry
- A specialized facility located at 360 Swift Ave used for industrial design and large-scale projects.
- The Hub
- The online student portal for grades, registration, and financial aid.
- The Shuttle
- The free bus system that transports students between the university's many buildings across San Francisco.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Summer 2026 runs Jun 15, 2026 – Aug 5, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 59 approved campus terms and 48 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.