Calvin UniversityStudent Guide

Academic dates, campus language, housing, and student-life references for Calvin University. Free for students.

Private Non-Profit Liberal Arts College in Grand Rapids, MI. Operating on a semester system.

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4K+

Total Enrollment

Liberal Arts College

Institution Type

32

Housing Buildings

Student guide · Summer Semester 2026

The semester, explained for Calvin University

Dates from the active academic calendar, plus the campus language and local details students actually need. Every entry comes from DormWay's approved campus reference library.

Relevant term
Summer Semester 2026
Campus terms
32
Local details
24

Academic calendar

Summer Semester 2026 runs May 12, 2026 – Aug 27, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.

36 entries
  1. Summer 1 Accelerated Term 2026
  2. Summer 1st-Half-Semester Courses 2026
  3. Summer Semester 2026Relevant now
  4. Summer B Intensive 2026
  5. Summer C Intensive 2026
  6. Summer 2nd-Half-Semester Courses 2026
  7. Summer 2 Accelerated Term 2026
  8. Summer D Intensive 2026
  9. Fall A Intensive 2026
  10. Fall 1st-Half-Semester Courses 2026
  11. Fall 1 Accelerated Term 2026
  12. Fall Semester 2026
  13. Fall B Intensive 2026
  14. Fall C Intensive 2026
  15. Fall 2nd-Half-Semester Courses 2026
  16. Fall 2 Accelerated Term 2026
  17. Fall D Intensive 2026
  18. Winter Intensive 2027
  19. Spring A Intensive 2027
  20. Spring 1 Accelerated Term 2027
  21. Spring 1st-Half-Semester Courses 2027
  22. Spring Semester 2027
  23. Spring B Intensive 2027
  24. Spring C Intensive 2027
  25. Spring 2nd-Half-Semester Courses 2027
  26. Spring 2 Accelerated Term 2027
  27. Spring D Intensive 2027
  28. Summer A Intensive 2027
  29. Summer 1 Accelerated Term 2027
  30. Summer 1st-Half-Semester Courses 2027
  31. Summer Semester 2027
  32. Summer B Intensive 2027
  33. Summer C Intensive 2027
  34. Summer 2 Accelerated Term 2027
  35. Summer 2nd-Half-Semester Courses 2027
  36. Summer D Intensive 2027

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Campus language

Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.

32 terms

A

Airband
A massive annual lip-sync and dance competition held in the fieldhouse.

B

BB
Boer-Bennink residence hall.
BHT
Bolt-Heyns-Timmer residence hall.
BV
Beets-Veenstra residence hall.

C

Calvin Walk
A romantic or intentional walk around the campus loop, often involving a stop at the seminary pond.
Chaos Day
An annual high-energy competition between the residence halls.
Commons
The main dining hall located on the west side of campus.
CPI
Calvin Prison Initiative, a program offering degrees to incarcerated students.
CSI
Center for Student Involvement, the hub for student organizations and leadership.

D

DTR
Define The Relationship; a serious conversation between two students about the status of their romantic pairing.

J

Johnny's
Johnny's Cafe, a popular retail dining spot in the basement of the Commons.

K

KCEP
Knollcrest Campus Events Board, responsible for planning major student activities.
KE
Knollcrest East, the on-campus apartment complex for upperclassmen.
KHvR
Kalsbeek-Huizenga-van Reken residence hall.
Knollcrest
The dining hall located on the east side of campus near the dorms.

N

NV
Noordewier-VanderWerp residence hall.
NVW
Noordewier-VanderWerp Hall, a residence hall complex named after early Christian Reformed Church leaders.

P

Peet's
The Peet's Coffee location situated within the Hekman Library.

R

Ring by Spring
The cultural expectation or pressure to be engaged by the spring of senior year.
RVD
Rooks-VanDellen residence hall.

S

SA
Student Association, the student government body.
SAB
Student Activities Board, the group that plans concerts and campus events.
SAO
Student Activities Office, the administrative office that supports student organizations and events.
SASV
Students Against Sexual Violence, a student organization focused on education and advocacy.
SE
Schultze-Eldersveld residence hall.
SLC
Service-Learning Center, which coordinates volunteer and community service opportunities.

T

The Beltline
East Beltline Avenue, the major road that physically divides the campus into East and West sections.
The Bubble
The feeling of being isolated from the outside world within the tight-knit Calvin community.
The Fishbowl
The glass-walled, highly visible study area on the second floor of Hekman Library.
The Ring
Knollcrest Circle, the main loop road that encircles the central campus.

U

Upper Crust
A made-to-order sandwich and salad shop in the Commons.
Uppercrust
The Uppercrust sandwich shop located in the DeVos Communication Center.

Places and practicalities

Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.

24 details
CalvinAlert
The university's emergency notification system that sends text and email alerts to the campus community.
CFAC
Covenant Fine Arts Center, the venue for concerts and large lectures.
Chimes
The official student-run newspaper of Calvin University.
CIT
Calvin Information Technology, the help desk for tech issues.
commons_dining_hall
Commons Dining Hall
DeVos
DeVos Communication Center, located across the East Beltline.
Hekman
Hekman Library, the primary research and study building.
Hiemenga
Hiemenga Hall, the primary building for humanities and social science classes.
Interim
The three-week academic term in January where students take a single intensive course.
johnny_s_cafe
Johnny's Cafe
KnightCard
The official student ID used for building access and meal plans.
KnightGuard
The campus safety mobile app used for emergency assistance and requesting virtual escorts.
knollcrest_dining_hall
Knollcrest Dining Hall
Moodle
The learning management system where students access course syllabi and submit assignments.
NH
North Hall, primarily housing the nursing and education departments.
peet_s_coffee
Peet's Coffee
SB
The Science Building, connected to DeVries Hall.
Spoelhof
Spoelhof University Center, housing admissions and administrative offices.
The Bridge
The pedestrian overpass crossing the East Beltline that connects the two sides of campus.
The Crossing
The pedestrian bridge over the East Beltline connecting the two sides of campus.
The Rapid
The Grand Rapids public bus system; Route 6 specifically serves the Calvin campus.
uppercrust
Uppercrust
WAVE card
A discounted bus pass for The Rapid (Grand Rapids public transit) available through the Service-Learning Center.
Workday
The online portal used for class registration, student employment, and finances.

Quick answers

Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.

What academic term is relevant now?
Summer Semester 2026 runs May 12, 2026 – Aug 27, 2026.
How much campus context is included?
32 approved campus terms and 24 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.

Get to know your university

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Find a few communities to try at Calvin University

These are things we discovered from public campus sources. We are constantly looking for more.

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Interest filters
  • Major-aligned clubs, pre-professional groups, and research communities.
  • Performing arts, visual arts, student publications, film, and music.
  • Cultural orgs, identity communities, and faith-based groups.
  • Volunteer groups, civic engagement, mutual aid, and student government.
  • Outdoor clubs, intramural sports, club sports, and rec center programs.
  • Entrepreneurship, hackathon teams, makerspaces, and engineering project teams.
  • Casual hangouts, interest groups, and open events without applications.

DormWay is still mapping student communities at this campus.

We only show recommendations once we have enough public sources for Calvin University.

These are things we discovered. We are constantly looking for more.

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Recommendations are based on public campus sources. We do not endorse student organizations.

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Life in Grand Rapids for Calvin University Students

Everything you need to know about living and studying in Grand Rapids.

Timezone

Eastern Time (ET)

Median Rent

$1,200

Cost of Living Index

95

Student Population

45,000

City Transportation

Walkability

57

Bikeability

58

Public Transit

The Rapid bus system

Nearest Airports

Gerald R. Ford International Airport

Climate Averages

Climate

Humid continental

Avg Annual Temp

48°F

Avg Snowfall

75 in

Campus Operations Snapshot

Parking and Transit

Lot 1-5

surface_lot • Limited during events

Located near Van Noord Arena; Lot 5 has accessible spaces.

Lot 8

surface_lot • General visitor parking

Primary visitor lot accessible from Lake Drive.

Lot 10

surface_lot • Reduced due to construction

Portions closed for construction as of late 2024/2025.

Lot 13-20

surface_lot • Resident and overnight

Designated for resident students and overnight guests.

Upcoming Events

What's happening at Calvin University

summer campus lunches

July 28, 2026

Commons Lawn

Dorms & On-Campus Housing at Calvin University

Various dorm and housing options are available for students.

31 known dorm and housing options. The first 24 are shown below; the rest are available in the expandable list.

Bakker-Boekel Hall

Room types: double, triple

Bakker-Huizenga-Timmer Hall

Room types: double, triple

Beets-Bakker Hall (BB)

Room types: double

Beets-Bookstra Hall

Room types: double

Beets-Bultman (BB)

Room types: double

Beets-Veenstra (BV)

Room types: double

BHT Hall

Room types: double

Boer-Bennink Hall

Room types: double

Bolt-Heyns-Timmer (BHT)

Room types: double

Brandt Hall (BHT)

Room types: double

Bultman-Heerema-Timmer (BHT)

Room types: double

Bunker Interpretive Center

Capacity: 200

Room types: double occupancy

Durfee Hall

Capacity: 200

Room types: double occupancy

Hekman Hall

Capacity: 200

Room types: double occupancy

Hoogenboom Hall

Capacity: 200

Room types: double occupancy

Kalsbeek-Huizenga-van Reken (KHvR)

Room types: double

KE Apartments

Capacity: 4

Room types: apartment

KHvR Complex

Room types: double

Knollcrest East Apartments

Capacity: 300

Room types: single, double

Nieuwland-Oosterhof-Wingerd Hall (NVW)

Room types: double

Noordewier-VanderWerp (NVW)

Room types: double

North Hall

Room types: double

Northview-Westerholm (NVW)

Room types: double

Roland Van Dyk (RVD)

Room types: double

Show the remaining 7 housing options

Rooks Hall

Room types: double

Rooks-Van Dellen Hall (RVD)

Room types: double

Rooks-Van Dyke Hall

Room types: double, triple

Schultze-Eldersveld Hall

Room types: double

Soet Hall (SE)

Room types: double

Upper-Class Residence Hall Floors

Capacity: 150

Room types: single, double

VanderWerp Hall

Capacity: 200

Room types: double occupancy

Campus Details

Academic System

Semester

Control

Private Non-Profit

Email Domain

@calvinu.edu

Official Website

Visit Website →

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