Academic calendar
School Year 2026-2027 runs Aug 26, 2026 – Jun 29, 2027. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- School Year 2025-2026
- School Year 2026-2027Relevant now
Campus language
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Showing 30 of 30 terms
7
- 72 Storey's Way
- A specific off-site residential house often referred to by its street address.
B
- Bedder
- A college scout or cleaner responsible for maintaining student rooms and staircases.
- Buttery
- The college's informal cafe and bar, used for light meals, snacks, and social study throughout the day.
C
- CCBC
- Churchill College Boat Club, the college's rowing team.
- CCMS
- Churchill College Music Society
- Chu
- Common shorthand for Churchill College.
- ChuCS
- Churchill College Computer Science Society, reflecting the college's strong STEM focus.
- Churchillian
- A member or student of Churchill College.
- Cowan
- Cowan Court, the college's modern timber-framed residential building.
F
- Formal
- Formal Hall, a traditional sit-down dinner requiring gowns and smart attire.
G
- Gyp
- A 'gyp room' or small kitchenette found in student residential staircases.
H
- Hall
- The main dining hall used for daily cafeteria-style meals.
- High Table
- The elevated table at the end of the Dining Hall where Fellows and their guests dine.
J
- JCR
- Junior Combination Room, the student union representing undergraduate students.
M
- MCR
- Middle Combination Room, the student union representing postgraduate students.
P
- Pav
- A bi-weekly music and social event held in the Buttery (originally held in the Pavilion buildings).
- Pidge
- A student's pigeonhole (mailbox) located in the Porters' Lodge.
S
- SCR
- Senior Common Room; the organization and space reserved for the college's Fellows.
- Sheppard
- Sheppard Flats, a block of residential apartments on the college grounds.
- Sheppard Flats
- Postgraduate housing named after the college's original architect, Richard Sheppard.
- Stash
- College-branded clothing and merchandise, such as hoodies, puffer jackets, or scarves.
T
- The Buttery
- The informal dining area and bar where students grab coffee, snacks, and casual meals.
- The Churchillian
- The college bar, frequently used as a social hub in the evenings.
- The Flats
- Wolfson Flats, typically used for postgraduate or family accommodation.
- The Grafts
- Off-site student houses located on Grafton Street
- The Hill
- The college's geographic location, which is a short climb from the Cambridge city centre
- The Hill
- A collective term for Churchill and other nearby colleges (Fitzwilliam, Girton) located on the higher ground away from the city center.
V
- V-Lounge
- The social space in the JCR often used for informal gatherings and drinks.
W
- Whittingehame
- Whittingehame Lodge, a residential building located on the college perimeter.
- Wolfson
- The Wolfson Flats, a residential block often housing postgraduates
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- Archives
- The Churchill Archives Centre, which houses the papers of Sir Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher.
- Archives Centre
- The Churchill Archives Centre, which houses the personal papers of Sir Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher.
- Bracken
- The Bracken Library, the main college library named after Brendan Bracken.
- CamCard
- The University ID card used for building access and paying for meals in the Buttery and Hall.
- Late Stay
- The formal application process to remain in college accommodation during vacation periods
- Pidge
- The Pigeonhole; a student's personal mailbox located in the mailroom near the Plodge.
- Pidge
- The act of checking one's pigeonhole for physical mail, parcels, or official college notices.
- Plodge
- The Porters' Lodge; the main entrance and security hub where students collect keys and ask for help.
- Plodge
- The primary point of contact for practical logistics like lockouts, guest registration, or reporting maintenance issues.
- school_cafeteria
- School Cafeteria
- Staircase
- The method of organizing rooms; students live in a specific 'Staircase' (e.g., Staircase 32) rather than a numbered floor.
- The Archives
- The Churchill Archives Centre, which holds the papers of Sir Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher
- The Chapel
- The ecumenical chapel located in a separate building on the college site.
- The Concourse
- The central indoor walkway connecting the Plodge, Buttery, and Dining Hall.
- The Møller
- The Møller Institute, a conference and leadership center located on the college site.
- The Plodge
- The Porters' Lodge, the main entrance and security hub of the college.
- The Porters
- Staff members who manage keys, security, and general student assistance 24/7.
- The U
- The Universal bus service that connects the college to the city centre and the train station
- U-Bus
- The Universal bus service that connects the college to the city center and other university sites.
- Up
- A term meaning a student is currently in residence at the university during term time.
- Up-hill
- Refers to the college's location, which is a significant walk or cycle uphill from the town center.
- Wolfson Hall
- The main dining hall and largest performance/exam space in the college.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- School Year 2026-2027 runs Aug 26, 2026 – Jun 29, 2027.
- How much campus context is included?
- 30 approved campus terms and 22 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.