Academic calendar
Fall 2026 runs Aug 15, 2026 – Dec 15, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Fall 2026Relevant now
- Spring 2027
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 25 of 25 terms
A
- Area 4
- The specific neighborhood in Lilongwe where the MIJ Lilongwe campus and student housing are located.
- Area 47
- The residential sector in Lilongwe where many students attending the Lilongwe campus find accommodation.
- Attachment
- The mandatory industrial internship period where students work in real media houses to gain practical experience.
C
- Canteen
- The on-campus food service area providing meals to students and staff.
- Carry
- To 'carry over' a module, meaning the student must retake a failed course in the following academic year.
- Carryover
- The requirement to repeat a failed course in the subsequent academic year.
- Chichiri
- The residential area surrounding the Blantyre campus where the majority of students rent accommodation.
- Chilomoni
- A residential area frequently used by students for affordable off-campus housing near the Blantyre campus.
D
- Defaulter
- A student who has not yet cleared their tuition fees and may be barred from classes or exams.
H
- Hostels
- Private off-campus residential buildings where most students reside, as MIJ is primarily non-residential.
J
- Journos
- A common self-referential term used by students to identify themselves as journalism professionals-in-training.
K
- Kupanga News
- A Chichewa-English hybrid phrase meaning 'making news' or working on a reporting assignment.
- Kwa Amayi
- Generic term for local food vendors located just outside the campus gates providing affordable home-cooked meals.
M
- Media
- A general term students use to refer to their field of study or the campus environment itself.
- MIJ FM
- The institute's professional radio station where students undergo practical broadcasting training.
- MIJSU
- Malawi Institute of Journalism Student Union, the representative body for the student population.
- MISA
- Media Institute of Southern Africa, a partner organization frequently involved in campus media advocacy.
N
- NAMISA
- National Media Institute of Southern Africa (Malawi Chapter), a professional body students often interact with for media freedom advocacy.
- Namiwawa
- A common residential area in Blantyre where many MIJ students find off-campus housing.
- Naperi
- The primary residential neighborhood in Blantyre where the majority of MIJ students rent private hostels.
P
- Private Hostels
- Off-campus housing located in Chichiri or Soche, as the institute does not provide on-campus boarding.
S
- Supp
- Short for 'Supplementary Exam,' an additional test granted to students who failed a specific module.
- Supps
- Short for supplementary exams, taken by students who failed a specific module during the regular semester.
T
- The Canteen
- The primary on-campus eatery providing meals to students and staff.
V
- Vox Pop
- Common shorthand for 'voice of the people' assignments where students must interview random people on the street.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- Attachment Letter
- The official document issued by the administration that students must present to media houses to secure their internships.
- Blantyre Campus
- The headquarters and main training center of the institute, located near the Chichiri Shopping Mall.
- certified_food_vendors_tuck_shops
- Certified Food Vendors & Tuck-Shops
- Chichiri
- The main campus location in Blantyre, often used to distinguish it from the Lilongwe or Mzuzu branches.
- Chichiri Campus
- The common name for the main MIJ headquarters and campus located in Blantyre.
- Clearance
- The essential process of proving fee payment and academic eligibility before being allowed to sit for exams.
- Fees Clearance
- The mandatory process of proving full tuition payment to obtain an exam permit.
- ID
- The student identity card required for campus entry and identification during national exams.
- ID Card
- The official student identification required for campus entry and to sit for end-of-semester examinations.
- junior_common_room
- Junior Common Room
- Media House
- The main building at the Blantyre campus housing the administrative offices and radio studios.
- Mzuzu Campus
- The regional campus serving students in the Northern Region of Malawi.
- Portal
- The online Student Management System used for checking grades and registration status.
- Registration
- The formal process at the start of the semester to confirm enrollment in modules.
- The Lab
- The computer laboratory used for photojournalism, layout, and digital editing classes.
- The Newsroom
- The dedicated training space where students practice news writing and editorial tasks.
- The Portal
- The online Student Management System used for checking grades, registration, and financial statements.
- The Studio
- The broadcasting suite used for MIJ FM and student radio production training.
- Transcript
- The official record of a student's grades, often required when applying for 'Attachment' or jobs.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Fall 2026 runs Aug 15, 2026 – Dec 15, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 25 approved campus terms and 19 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.