Academic calendar
Fall 2026 First 8-Week Term runs Aug 19, 2026 – Oct 12, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Summer 2026 First 5-Week Term (F)
- Summer 2026 10-Week Term (T)
- Summer 2026 First 4-Week Term (J)
- Summer 2026 8-Week Term (8)
- Summer 2026 Second 5-Week Term (S)
- Summer 2026 Second 4-week Term (L)Summer 2026 Second 4-Week Term (L)
- Fall 2026 First 8-Week TermRelevant now
- Fall 2026 Regular 16-Week Term
- Fall 2026 Second 8-Week Term
- Wintermester 2026-2027Wintermester 2027
- Spring 2027 First 8-Week Term
- Spring 2027 Regular 16-Week Term
- Spring 2027 Second 8-Week Term
- Summer 2027 First 4-Week Term (J)
- Summer 2027 First 5-Week Term (F)
- Summer 2027 Ten-Week Term (T)
- Summer 2027 Eight-Week Term (8)
- Summer 2027 Second 5-Week Term (S)
- Summer 2027 Second 4-Week Term (L)Summer 2027 Second Four-week Term (L)
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 49 of 49 terms
A
- Alvarez
- Carlos Alvarez Hall, a residence hall primarily for honors students.
B
- Birds Up
- The official UTSA greeting and hand sign (making a roadrunner shape with the hand).
- BSU
- Black Student Union, an organization focused on the interests and heritage of Black students.
C
- CAB
- Campus Activities Board, the student-led group that plans major campus events.
- Chap
- Chaparral Hall, a suite-style residence hall on the north side of campus.
- Chisholm
- Chisholm Hall, the oldest residence hall on campus.
- Chiz
- Chisholm Hall, the oldest residence hall on campus.
- Come and Take It
- A traditional chant and flag displayed during UTSA football games.
D
- Dining Dollars
- Tax-free credits included with meal plans used at on-campus retail food locations.
G
- GLC
- Greek Leadership Council, the governing body for fraternity and sorority life.
- GLO
- Greek Life Organizations, referring to fraternities and sororities.
- Guad
- Guadalupe Hall, the newest residential community primarily for freshmen.
I
- IFC
- Interfraternity Council, the governing body for several social fraternities on campus.
J
- JPL Food Court
- The dining area located on the second floor of the John Peace Library.
- JPL Starbucks
- The high-traffic Starbucks located on the second floor of the John Peace Library.
L
- Laurel
- Laurel Village, a suite-style residence hall located near the Roadrunner Cafe.
M
- Meal Trades
- A feature of meal plans allowing students to 'trade' a dining hall swipe for a specific meal at retail locations.
- Meep Meep
- The traditional sound of a roadrunner, used by students as a greeting or cheer.
O
- Oaks
- University Oaks, an on-campus apartment complex popular with upperclassmen.
R
- Rowdy
- The name of the roadrunner mascot, often used to describe school spirit.
- Rowdy Crew
- The official student spirit organization that leads cheers at athletic events.
- Rowdy Mart
- Convenience stores located across campus for snacks and quick meals.
- Rowdy's
- Rowdy's Global Kitchen, a dining location in the Student Union offering international cuisine.
- Rowdy's Global Kitchen
- A specific dining station within the Student Union offering rotating international cuisines.
- RowdyMart
- On-campus convenience stores located in the Student Union and various housing areas.
- RP
- Roadrunner Productions, the student-led organization that plans major campus events like BestFest.
- RRC
- The Roadrunner Cafe, the main buffet-style dining hall on campus.
- Runner
- A common shorthand for a UTSA student (Roadrunner).
S
- SEC
- Student Engineering Council, the umbrella organization for engineering clubs.
- SGA
- Student Government Association, the official representative body for the student voice.
- SLC
- Student Leadership Center, which provides leadership development programs and workshops.
- Sombrilla
- The iconic shaded plaza area located under the overhang of the John Peace Library.
- SU Food Court
- The collection of fast-food vendors located inside the Student Union.
T
- The Cafe
- The Roadrunner Cafe, the main all-you-care-to-eat dining hall on campus.
- The Café
- The Roadrunner Café; the main all-you-care-to-eat dining hall on the Main Campus.
- The Den
- A dining area in the Student Union featuring various fast-food options.
- The Fountain
- The fountain located in the Sombrilla, a popular meeting spot and site of the 'Fountain of Luck' tradition.
- The Oaks
- University Oaks, an on-campus apartment complex managed by a third party.
- The Paseo
- The main outdoor pedestrian walkway that runs through the center of campus.
- The Pod
- P.O.D. (Provisions on Demand) Market, small convenience stores located across campus.
- The Rock
- The large limestone rock near the Student Union often painted for promotion.
- The Roost
- A social space and eatery in the H-E-B Student Union featuring games and food.
- The Sombrilla
- The iconic shaded plaza area located directly under the John Peace Library.
- The SU
- The Student Union food court, which houses various retail dining options like Chick-fil-A and Panda Express.
- The Union
- The food court area within the Student Union featuring various retail dining brands.
U
- U-Oaks
- University Oaks, an apartment-style housing complex popular with upperclassmen.
- UV
- University Oaks, an on-campus apartment complex popular with upperclassmen.
V
- VOICES
- Volunteer Organization Involving Community Education and Service, a major service org.
- VUC
- Veteran and Military Affairs, often used to refer to the center supporting military-affiliated students.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- AET
- Applied Engineering and Technology Building, home to engineering labs and classrooms.
- AirFi
- The name of the campus-wide wireless internet network available to students and faculty.
- ASAP
- Automated Student Access Program, the web portal used for registration, grades, and financial aid.
- BB
- Business Building, the home of the Carlos Alvarez College of Business.
- Blue Book
- Small paper booklets required for written exams, typically purchased at the campus bookstore or RowdyMart.
- Blue Books
- Small paper booklets required for written exams, typically purchased at the campus bookstore.
- Blue/Gold/Commuter
- The tiered parking permit system; 'Blue' is for faculty/staff, 'Gold' and 'Commuter' are for students in specific lots.
- Bluebook
- A small blue booklet purchased at the bookstore required for many written essay exams.
- BSE
- Biotechnology, Sciences and Engineering Building, a major research and lab facility.
- Canvas
- The Learning Management System (LMS) where professors post assignments and grades.
- Census Date
- The 12th class day of a long semester, the final deadline to drop classes without a grade.
- chick_fil_a
- Chick-fil-A
- Common Activity Time
- A block on Tuesdays and Thursdays (11:00 AM – 12:15 PM) where no classes are held to allow for events.
- DegreeWorks
- The online academic planning and tracking tool used to monitor progress toward graduation.
- FLN
- Flawn Science Building, primarily used for science lectures and labs.
- JPL
- John Peace Library, the central academic and social hub of the Main Campus.
- MH
- McKinney Humanities Building, where many liberal arts and history classes are held.
- MS
- Multidisciplinary Studies Building, a common location for core curriculum classes.
- NPB
- North Paseo Building, located at the north end of the main walkway.
- roadrunner_caf
- Roadrunner Café
- Rowdy Card
- The official UTSA student ID used for building access, meal plans, and library services.
- Rowdy ID
- The official student identification card used for building access and meal plans.
- Rowdy Link
- The online portal used to manage student organization memberships and event check-ins.
- RowdyCard
- The official UTSA student ID card used for building access, meal plans, and library services.
- RowdyID
- The official university identification card required for building access, meal plans, and library services.
- RowdyLink
- The online platform used to join student organizations and track campus involvement.
- RowdyPay
- The online system used by students to pay tuition, fees, and other campus charges.
- RowdyReady
- The administrative checklist students must complete to ensure they are eligible for registration and financial aid.
- starbucks
- Starbucks
- SU
- Student Union, the building housing the bookstore, food court, and meeting rooms.
- The Runner
- The campus shuttle bus system that transports students between parking lots and buildings.
- The Sombrilla
- The iconic fountain and plaza area that serves as the campus's central gathering point.
- the_eatery
- The Eatery
- U-Pass
- A digital bus pass provided to students for free unlimited travel on VIA Metropolitan Transit.
- UTSA Card
- The official student ID used for building access, meal plans, and library services.
- VIA
- The San Antonio city bus system; students get a free U-Pass for unlimited rides.
- VIA U-Pass
- A program providing UTSA students with free access to San Antonio's city bus system.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Fall 2026 First 8-Week Term runs Aug 19, 2026 – Oct 12, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 49 approved campus terms and 37 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.