Academic calendar
Fall 2026 Block 1 runs Aug 24, 2026 – Dec 12, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Summer 2026
- Summer 2026 Block 5
- Summer 2026 Block 6
- Summer 2026 Block 7
- Summer 2026 Block 8
- Fall 2026 Block 1Relevant now
- Fall 2026
- Fall 2026 Block 2
- Fall 2026 Block 3
- Fall 2026 Block 4
- Fall 2026 Block 5
- Fall 2026 Block 6
- Fall 2026 Block 7
- Fall 2026 Block 8
- Fall 2026 Block 9
- Fall 2026 Block 10
- Fall 2026 Block 11
- Fall 2026 Block 12
- Fall 2026 Block 13
- Fall 2026 Block 14
- Fall 2026 Block 15
- Fall 2026 Block 16
- Spring 2027 Block 1
- Spring 2027
- Spring 2027 Block 2
- Spring 2027 Block 3
- Spring 2027 Block 4
- Spring 2027 Block 5
- Spring 2027 Block 6
- Spring 2027 Block 7
- Spring 2027 Block 8
- Spring 2027 Block 9
- Spring 2027 Block 10
- Spring 2027 Block 11
- Spring 2027 Block 12
- Spring 2027 Block 13
- Spring 2027 Block 14
- Spring 2027 Block 15
- Spring 2027 Block 16
- Summer 2027 Block 1
- Summer 2027
- Summer 2027 Block 2
- Summer 2027 Block 3
- Summer 2027 Block 4
- Summer 2027 Block 5
- Summer 2027 Block 6
- Summer 2027 Block 7
- Summer 2027 Block 8
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 18 of 18 terms
A
- ASC
- Academic Success Center, the primary hub for tutoring and learning support services.
- ASRSC
- Associated Students of Rio Salado College, the official student government body.
C
- Cafe at Rio
- The primary food service location situated at the Tempe headquarters.
- Cafe Rio
- The on-site cafe located at the Rio Salado Tempe headquarters providing food and coffee for students and staff.
D
- DE
- Dual Enrollment, the program for high school students earning college credit.
- DECA
- Collegiate DECA, an organization for students interested in business, marketing, and management.
- DEI
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion council, frequently referenced in student life and programming.
- DEI Council
- The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council which hosts student and community events.
M
- Maricopa
- The common term for the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD), the system Rio Salado belongs to.
- Monday Starts
- The college's signature flexible scheduling system where new class sessions begin nearly every Monday.
N
- NSLS
- National Society of Leadership and Success, a campus organization focused on leadership development.
P
- PTK
- Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for community college students.
R
- Rio
- The common shorthand name used by students and staff for Rio Salado College.
- RioLearn
- The college's custom-built online learning management system where students complete coursework.
- RioWaves
- The official student-led blog and news publication of the college.
S
- SVA
- Student Veterans of America, a group supporting military-affiliated students.
T
- The Cafe
- The Cafe at Rio, the primary food service location at the Tempe headquarters.
- The District
- Refers to the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD), the governing body for Rio Salado.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- 24/7 Support
- The college's round-the-clock technical and library help desk, a critical service for online students.
- Block
- The specific timeframe of a course, such as an 8-week or 14-week session, rather than a standard semester.
- Block Calendar
- The specific academic calendar used to track the college's non-traditional, rolling start dates.
- caf_rio
- Café @ Rio
- Communiversity
- Regional centers in Queen Creek and Surprise that host Rio Salado classes alongside other partner universities.
- Dual Enrollment
- Programs allowing high school students to earn Rio Salado college credit while still in high school.
- Late Start
- Classes that begin after the traditional semester start date, a hallmark of Rio's flexible scheduling.
- MEID
- Maricopa Enterprise ID, the mandatory username required to access all digital student services.
- Monday Start
- The college's signature scheduling format where new classes begin almost every Monday throughout the year.
- Monday Starts
- The college's signature flexible scheduling system where new course sections begin nearly every Monday of the year.
- My.Maricopa
- The student portal used for managing tuition payments, transcripts, and personal records.
- Rio Compass
- An online orientation and planning tool designed to help new students navigate their degree paths.
- Rio Downtown
- The campus location situated in the downtown Phoenix core.
- Rio Northern
- The satellite campus location serving the North Phoenix community.
- Rio Southern
- The satellite campus location serving the South Phoenix and Laveen areas.
- RioCompass
- The online tool used by students to track degree progress and map out required courses.
- RioConnect
- The student portal used for social networking and joining campus organizations.
- RioLearn
- The college's proprietary online learning management system where students access coursework and submit assignments.
- RioPACE
- The automated system that tracks student progress and sends alerts regarding course completion speed.
- RioWaves
- The official student-led blog and news site for the Rio Salado community.
- RSC Avondale
- The regional location serving the West Valley community.
- RSC Downtown
- The Rio Salado location situated in downtown Phoenix.
- RSC Northern
- The satellite location serving the North Phoenix community.
- RSC Southern
- The satellite location serving the South Phoenix community.
- RSC Tempe
- The main administrative headquarters and primary physical campus located in Tempe.
- SIS
- Student Information System, the platform used for searching and registering for classes.
- Start any Monday
- The college's flexible enrollment policy allowing students to begin most classes on almost any Monday of the year.
- Tempe
- The main administrative headquarters and primary physical location on 14th Street.
- Tempe HQ
- The main administrative campus and service center located on 14th Street in Tempe.
- Testing Center
- Physical locations where students must go to take proctored exams for their online courses.
- Testing Centers
- Designated physical locations where online students must go to take proctored exams.
- The Tower
- The 10-story main administrative and instructional building at the Tempe headquarters.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Fall 2026 Block 1 runs Aug 24, 2026 – Dec 12, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 18 approved campus terms and 32 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.