Academic calendar
Fall Term 2026 runs Sep 1, 2026 – Dec 19, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Fall Term 2026Relevant now
- Winter Term 2027
- Spring Term 2027
- Summer Term 2027
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 23 of 23 terms
C
- Chur
- A term used to describe a very demanding workload or a person who is extremely hardworking/intense.
D
- Dem beat
- A rhythmic performance involving clapping and chanting used by student societies to show spirit.
G
- GPA God
- A mythical figure students 'pray' to (often at the sundial) for good academic results.
H
- Hall 1
- The oldest undergraduate residence hall, officially the UG Hall I.
- Hall 7
- Commonly used name for the Stephen Kam Chuen Cheong Hall.
- Hall 8 & 9
- The newest undergraduate residential halls located further down the hillside.
- Hea
- A term for being lazy, relaxed, or wasting time; the opposite of 'chur'.
I
- ISA
- International Students' Association, catering to the non-local student community.
- ITSC
- Information Technology Services Center, responsible for all campus computing and network services.
J
- Jockey Club Hall
- The off-campus residence located in Tseung Kwan O for some students.
L
- LG1
- The student canteen located on the Lower Ground 1 floor of the Academic Building.
- LG5
- The dining area on Lower Ground 5, primarily known for housing McDonald's.
- LG7
- The largest dining area on campus, featuring multiple outlets like Asia Pacific Catering and Gold Rice Bowl.
- LSK Canteen
- The dining outlet located in the Lee Shau Kee Business Building.
M
- MSSS
- Mainland Student and Scholar Society, serving students from Mainland China.
- Mushroom
- The nickname for the red sundial sculpture at the university entrance.
O
- O-camp
- Orientation Camp, a multi-day introductory event for freshmen organized by student societies.
R
- Re-u
- Short for 'reunion,' referring to social gatherings of O-camp groups after the orientation period.
S
- SAO
- Student Affairs Office, the administrative department handling student welfare and activities.
- Seafront
- The Seafront Cafeteria located near the student halls, popular for late-night meals.
- SKCC
- Abbreviation for Stephen Kam Chuen Cheong Hall (Hall 7).
- SU
- The HKUST Students' Union, the main representative body for students.
U
- Uni-Bar
- The on-campus bar and restaurant located near the Conference Lodge.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- 11M
- The green minibus route connecting the campus to the Hang Hau MTR station.
- 91M
- The main KMB bus route connecting the campus to Diamond Hill and Po Lam.
- AC
- The Academic Building, the massive central complex where most classrooms and offices are located.
- Add/Drop
- The two-week period at the start of the semester for changing course enrollments.
- american_diner
- American Diner
- can_teen_ii
- Can.teen II
- Canvas
- The Learning Management System used for course materials and assignment submissions.
- CYT
- The Cheng Yu Tung Building, housing specialized labs and lecture theaters.
- IAS
- The Lo Ka Chung Building, which houses the Institute for Advanced Study.
- lg1_restaurant
- LG1 Restaurant
- LSK
- The Lee Shau Kee Business Building, home to the School of Business and Management.
- LT-A
- Lecture Theater A; lecture halls are lettered A through L and are primary landmarks for navigation.
- Octopus Card
- The essential smart card used for laundry, printing, and all dining payments on campus.
- seafront_cafeteria
- Seafront Cafeteria
- SIS
- Student Information System, the portal used for course registration and checking grades.
- The Red Bird
- The sundial sculpture at the campus entrance, also known as the 'Mushroom'.
- unique
- UniQue
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Fall Term 2026 runs Sep 1, 2026 – Dec 19, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 23 approved campus terms and 17 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.