Academic calendar
Fall Semester 2026 runs Sep 7, 2026 – Dec 11, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Fall Semester 2026Relevant now
- Spring Semester 2027
- Summer Semester 2027
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 15 of 15 terms
A
- AIESEC
- The campus chapter of the international student-run leadership and internship organization.
B
- Blackboard
- The official Learning Management System (LMS) used for course materials, assignments, and online exams.
C
- Caffe Latta
- A popular central food station on campus preferred by international students for daily specialty meals.
- Credits
- The American-style academic units used at USIU-Africa, distinct from the 'unit' system used in most Kenyan public universities.
- CX
- The Jenzabar-powered Student Portal used for course registration, fee balances, and personal records.
G
- GPA
- Grade Point Average; calculated on a 4.0 scale, reflecting the university's dual accreditation standards.
H
- Hostels
- The standard term for on-campus student residences, consisting of multiple blocks.
N
- New Block
- A specific reference to the newer residential housing phase on campus.
O
- Old Block
- The original residential building phase for on-campus housing.
P
- Placement
- The mandatory entrance exams in English and Math required for all incoming freshmen to determine course levels.
S
- SAC
- Student Association Cabinet; the primary elected student governing body responsible for welfare and activities.
- SPAC
- Student Programming and Activities Committee; the group responsible for organizing campus events.
T
- The Cafe
- The common shorthand for smaller food outlets located near the hostels and the student center.
- The Cafeteria
- The main campus dining hall providing a wide variety of traditional Kenyan and international cuisines.
Y
- YDF
- Young Diplomats Forum; a prominent student club focused on international relations and diplomacy.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- Academic Advisor
- A faculty member assigned to every student to assist with course selection and registration approvals.
- Admin Block
- The Administration Block; the building housing the Finance, Admissions, and Registrar offices.
- caffe_latta
- Caffe Latta
- Chandaria
- Chandaria School of Business; the main building for business programs, named after philanthropist Manu Chandaria.
- Exit 7
- The primary highway exit off Thika Superhighway used to access USIU-Africa.
- Freida Brown
- The Freida Brown Student Center; the university's multi-functional student activity and social hub.
- LKB
- Lillian K. Beam Building; the main campus library and ICT hub.
- Matatu
- The primary local transit option (minibuses) used by students for commuting from areas like Roysambu and Kasarani.
- Paybill 516900
- The official M-Pesa business number used by students for tuition and fee payments.
- SCCCA
- School of Communication, Cinematic and Creative Arts; the building for film and digital storytelling studies.
- SHSS
- School of Humanities and Social Sciences; the building or wing where IR and psychology classes are held.
- SST
- School of Science and Technology; the building housing the computing, science, and robotics facilities.
- Student ID-TUIT
- The required account format for M-Pesa payments (e.g., [Student ID]-TUIT) to ensure fees are correctly credited.
- Student Pass
- The legal immigration permit required for all international students studying at the Nairobi campus.
- usiu_africa_cafeteria
- USIU-Africa Cafeteria
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Fall Semester 2026 runs Sep 7, 2026 – Dec 11, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 15 approved campus terms and 15 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.