Academic calendar
Fall 2026 runs Sep 8, 2026 – Dec 23, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Summer 2026 Full Term
- Summer 2026 Session II
- Fall 2026Relevant now
- Spring 2027
- Summer 2027 Session I
- Summer 2027 Full Term
- Summer 2027 Session II
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 52 of 52 terms
B
- Birch
- The Birch Food Court, the primary cafeteria and largest dining area on the North Vancouver campus.
- Birch Caf
- The main campus cafeteria and dining hall located in the Birch Building.
- Blues
- The collective name for the university's varsity athletic teams.
- BOSA
- Commonly used to refer to the Bosa Centre for Film and Animation or its programs.
- Bosa Cafe
- The smaller food service outlet located within the Bosa Centre for Film and Animation.
- Bosa Grind
- The nickname for the steep, uphill walkway connecting the south end of campus to the Bosa Building.
C
- Cap
- The ubiquitous shorthand name for Capilano University used by the student body.
- CapU
- The official brand shorthand used by students and staff alike.
- CBPS
- Capilano Business and Professional Society, an umbrella organization for business-related student groups.
- CCAA
- Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association, the national governing body for CapU's varsity sports.
- CDC
- Career Development Centre, offering job search and career planning resources.
- CFA
- Capilano Faculty Association, the union representing the university's instructors.
- CIE
- Centre for International Experience, which provides support for international students.
- Cinema Cafe
- The cafe located within the Bosa Centre for Film and Animation.
- Crap College
- A derogatory nickname for the university used by some students to express frustration with food quality or facilities.
- CSU
- Capilano Students' Union, the primary representative body for students.
- CSU Lounge
- The Capilano Students' Union lounge in the Maple Building, often used as a space for student-led food events and hanging out.
- CTE
- Centre for Teaching Excellence, which provides academic support and resources.
- CUE
- Capilano University English, often used in course listings and departmental shorthand.
- CUPE
- Canadian Union of Public Employees, the union representing many staff members at the university.
- Cypress
- One of the three specific housing buildings within the CapU Residence complex.
- Cypress, Seymour, and Grouse
- The names of the three individual buildings within the CapU Residence complex.
D
- Dollarton
- Common shorthand for the CapU Residence, referring to its location away from the main campus.
F
- Fir Kiosk
- The small food and coffee service stand located in the Fir Building.
G
- Good Earth
- The coffee shop located on the main floor of the Library (Arbutus Building).
- Gross Hall
- A derogatory nickname for Grouse Hall, used by students to describe the poor condition of the residence showers and facilities.
- Grouse
- One of the three specific housing buildings within the CapU Residence complex.
I
- IDEA
- Refers to the IDEA School of Design, often used to describe the program or its specific student cohort.
- ILMP
- International Leadership & Mentorship Program, a peer-mentorship initiative for international students.
J
- Jay
- The official mascot of the Capilano Blues, a Steller's Jay.
K
- KSA
- Kinesiology Student Association, a prominent student-led academic group.
M
- Market Cafe
- The dining kiosk located within the Library building.
- MOPA
- Motion Picture Arts, commonly used to refer to the film program and its associated student community.
O
- Off-campus dorms
- A common way students refer to the university's main residences (Grouse, Cypress, and Seymour Halls) because they are located on Dollarton Highway rather than the main Purcell Way campus.
- OIE
- Office of Indigenous Education and Affairs, supporting Indigenous learners.
P
- PACWEST
- Pacific Western Athletic Association, the provincial conference in which the Capilano Blues compete.
- Phibbs
- Phibbs Exchange, the major transit hub near campus where most students transfer to the connector bus.
R
- Res
- The official CapU student residence located off-campus on Dollarton Highway.
- Routes
- Routes Eatery, the main dining facility located on the CapU Squamish campus.
S
- Seymour
- One of the three specific housing buildings within the CapU Residence complex.
- Squamish Residence
- The student housing facility located at the CapU Squamish campus on Tantalus Road.
T
- The Blues
- The collective name for Capilano University's varsity athletic teams.
- The Caf
- The main cafeteria located on the second floor of the Birch Building.
- The Courier
- The Capilano Courier, the university's long-running independent student newspaper.
- The Hill
- A common reference to the campus's steep, sloped geography in North Vancouver.
- The Res
- The off-campus CapU Residence complex located on Dollarton Highway.
- The Rez
- The off-campus student housing complex located on Dollarton Highway.
- The Treehouse
- The student lounge and community space managed by the CSU that offers snacks and coffee.
- Tim's
- The on-campus Tim Hortons outlet, a primary quick-service food option.
- TRECSA
- Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Student Association, a student-led group for outdoor and tourism majors.
- TreeCeps
- The cafe and snack bar located in the Centre for Sport and Wellness (CSW).
- Treehouse
- The common name for Lam̓íwa/ʔqe̓t̓ax̱wtxʷ, CapU's first dedicated on-campus student housing building.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- 239
- The primary bus route that connects the campus to the Lonsdale Quay SeaBus terminal.
- 239 / 255
- The primary bus routes that connect the campus to Phibbs Exchange and Lonsdale Quay.
- Arbutus
- The building that houses the campus library and various computer labs.
- Birch
- The central hub building housing the cafeteria, registrar, and performance theatre.
- birch_food_court
- Birch Food Court
- Bosa
- The Nat and Flora Bosa Centre for Film and Animation, known for its high-tech facilities.
- Cap Card
- The official university ID card, which also serves as a library card and access key for campus services.
- Cap Core
- The university's mandatory core curriculum framework that all degree-seeking students must complete.
- CapCard
- The official student ID card required for library services and campus building access.
- capilano_student_dining_hall
- Capilano Student Dining Hall
- CapU Bus
- The dedicated shuttle service that runs between Phibbs Exchange and the North Vancouver campus.
- Cedar
- The building housing the campus bookstore and various classrooms.
- Compass Card
- The physical transit card required to load and use the student U-Pass BC.
- CSW
- The Centre for Sport and Wellness, the campus gym and athletics facility.
- eLearn
- The Moodle-based online platform where instructors post course materials and assignments.
- Fir
- The building primarily used for science, nursing, and mathematics courses.
- Frontline
- The centralized student services desk located in the Birch Building for registration and financial aid help.
- Frontlines
- The main student service desk located in the Birch Building for registration and general inquiries.
- Library
- The Library Building (LB), which houses the university library, learning commons, and registrar's office.
- Maple
- The Maple Building, a smaller facility that houses the Capilano Courier office and a student lounge.
- myCapU
- The central student web portal used for registration, checking grades, and paying tuition.
- NAT
- The Nat and Anne Taylor Gymnasium, the main athletic facility on campus.
- Phibbs
- Phibbs Exchange, the major transit hub in North Vancouver where most students transfer to the 239 or 245 buses to reach campus.
- The 239
- One of the primary bus routes connecting the campus to Phibbs Exchange and Lonsdale Quay.
- treehouse_dining_hall
- Treehouse Dining Hall
- U-Pass
- The monthly transit pass that students must link to a TransLink Compass Card.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Fall 2026 runs Sep 8, 2026 – Dec 23, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 52 approved campus terms and 26 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.