Academic calendar
Spring-Summer 2026 runs May 1, 2026 – Aug 31, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Spring-Summer 2026Relevant now
- Session A 2026
- Session C 2026
- Fall 2026
- Winter 2027
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 31 of 31 terms
1
- 101 Week
- The University of Ottawa's specific name for orientation or frosh week.
9
- 90U
- 90 University Private, the university's tallest and most prominent residence building.
B
- Bac à frites
- The iconic chip truck usually parked outside the University Centre.
C
- CHUO
- The campus community radio station (89.1 FM).
F
- Friel
- Friel Residence, located a short walk away from the main campus in Lowertown.
G
- Gee-Gees
- The official nickname for uOttawa athletic teams, derived from the colors Garnet and Grey.
- GSAED
- Graduate Students' Association des étudiant(e)s diplômé(e)s, representing graduate students.
H
- Henderson
- A residence building primarily housing first-year students, located near the Minto Sports Complex.
- Horse Head
- A common nickname for the 'Lost Thought' statue located near Tabaret Hall.
- HS
- Hyman Soloway, an apartment-style residence located on the edge of campus.
- Hyman
- Hyman Soloway, an apartment-style residence located on the north end of campus.
L
- La Rotonde
- The university's independent French-language student newspaper.
M
- Marchand
- Marchand Residence, a traditional-style dorm connected to the University Centre.
P
- Panda
- The Panda Game, the massive annual rivalry football game against Carleton University.
- Pivik
- The student-run convenience store and cafe located in the basement of the University Centre.
- PM
- Première Moisson, a popular French bakery and cafe located in the FSS building.
- Première Moisson
- The bakery and cafe located in the Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS) building.
S
- Sandy Hill
- The residential neighborhood immediately surrounding the campus where most students live.
- Stanton
- Stanton Residence, a traditional-style dorm located next to Marchand.
T
- The 613
- The local Ottawa area code, often used to refer to the city or local culture.
- The Annex
- The Annex residence, a modern apartment-style housing option on Laurier Avenue.
- The Caf
- A generic term sometimes used for the Dining Hall or smaller cafeteria areas.
- The Canal
- The Rideau Canal, which runs alongside campus and is used for skating in winter and walking in summer.
- The DC
- The 24/7 Dining Hall located in the Jock Turcot University Centre (UCU).
- The Fulcrum
- The university's independent English-language student newspaper.
- The Rez
- A general collective term used by students to refer to the on-campus housing complex.
- The UC
- The Jock Turcot University Centre, the central hub for various food vendors and student services.
U
- UCU Food Court
- The main retail food area in the University Centre featuring various fast-food vendors.
- UOSU
- University of Ottawa Students' Union, the primary undergraduate student government.
V
- VPP
- The Volunteer Press, often referring to the student-run newspaper The Fulcrum.
W
- WUSC
- World University Service of Canada, a campus club that sponsors refugee students.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- bac_frites
- Bac à frites
- Brightspace
- The learning management system where professors post course materials and grades.
- caf_omni
- Café Omni
- CBY
- Colonel By Hall, the primary building for the Faculty of Engineering.
- CRX
- Learning Crossroads, a modern building dedicated to active learning and study spaces.
- dining_hall
- Dining Hall
- DMS
- Desmarais Building, which houses the Telfer School of Management.
- flour_kitchen
- Flour Kitchen
- Foot Patrol
- A student-run service that provides safe walks home or across campus at night.
- FSS
- Faculty of Social Sciences building, famous for its multi-story indoor living wall.
- MNT
- Montpetit Hall, the main building for physical education and the campus pool.
- O-Train
- The city's light rail system; the 'uOttawa' station is located directly on campus.
- SITE
- The School of Information Technology and Engineering building.
- STE
- Colonel By Hall, the main building for the Faculty of Engineering.
- TBT
- Tabaret Hall, the historic administrative building known for its iconic white columns.
- The O-Train
- The city's light rail transit (LRT) system, which has two major stops serving the campus: uOttawa and Lees.
- U-Pass
- The mandatory transit pass providing unlimited bus and O-Train travel for students.
- UCU
- Jock Turcot University Centre, the central hub for student life and services.
- uO-Card
- The official student ID card used for library access, meal plans, and building entry.
- uOttawa Card
- The official student ID card used for library access, meal plans, and building entry.
- uOzone
- The central student web portal used for course registration, grades, and financial accounts.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Spring-Summer 2026 runs May 1, 2026 – Aug 31, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 31 approved campus terms and 21 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.