Academic calendar
Fall Quarter 2026 runs Sep 10, 2026 – Dec 25, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Second Summer Session 2026
- Fall Quarter 2026Relevant now
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 50 of 50 terms
A
- Aldea
- Aldea San Miguel, the student housing complex located on the slopes of Mount Sutro near Parnassus.
- ASGD
- Associated Students of the Graduate Division, representing students in the basic and social sciences.
- ASOD
- Associated Students of the School of Dentistry.
- ASSD
- Associated Students of the School of Dentistry.
- ASSM
- Associated Students of the School of Medicine, the student government for medical students.
- ASSN
- Associated Students of the School of Nursing.
- ASSON
- Associated Students of the School of Nursing.
- ASSP
- Associated Students of the School of Pharmacy, the student government specifically for pharmacy students.
- ASUCSF
- Associated Students of the University of California, San Francisco, the student government body focused on campus-wide advocacy.
- Avenue Housing
- The collection of university-owned houses and apartments located on the streets surrounding the Parnassus campus.
C
- Carmelina's
- A popular Mexican dining spot located at the Parnassus campus.
E
- Equator
- The Equator Coffees location, a primary caffeine source for students at the Mission Bay Roundabout.
G
- GPSA
- Graduate and Professional Student Association, the primary student government body for all UCSF students.
- GSA
- Graduate Student Association, specifically representing students in the basic science PhD programs.
K
- Karl
- The personified name for the thick fog that frequently rolls over the Parnassus campus.
L
- Ladles
- Ladles & Fennel, a popular soup and salad spot located at the Parnassus campus.
M
- Match
- Short for Match Day, the high-stakes day when medical students learn where they will spend their residency.
- Match Day
- The annual event where medical students find out where they will be doing their residency.
- MB
- Shorthand for the Mission Bay campus.
- Mission Bay
- Often used to refer collectively to the North and South housing complexes located at the Mission Bay campus.
- Mission Bay Housing
- General term for the housing complexes (North and South) located at the Mission Bay campus.
- Moffitt
- Moffitt Cafe, the primary cafeteria located within the Parnassus hospital complex.
- Moffitt Cafe
- The main cafeteria located within the Moffitt Hospital at the Parnassus campus.
- Mount Zion Housing
- Student and trainee housing located near the Mount Zion clinical site.
- MU
- Millberry Union, the central hub for dining, the gym, and student services at Parnassus.
O
- OASIS
- Outreach and Support in Science, a student-led organization focused on diversity and inclusion in the sciences.
- OCPD
- Office of Career and Professional Development, which provides career services for grad students and postdocs.
P
- Publico
- A food court style dining area located at the Mission Bay campus.
R
- RCO
- Registered Campus Organization, the official term for student-led clubs and interest groups.
S
- SHS
- Student Health Services, the campus clinic providing primary care, mental health, and specialty services to students.
- Spark
- Spark Social SF, a food truck park and social space located across from the Mission Bay campus that serves as a primary lunch spot.
- Synapse
- The UCSF student-run newspaper and media organization.
T
- The Avenue
- Refers to the student housing units located on 3rd, 4th, and 5th Avenues near the Parnassus campus.
- The Avenues
- UCSF-owned student housing located in the residential houses on 3rd, 4th, and 5th Avenues near Parnassus.
- The Bay
- The Mission Bay campus, UCSF's newer, flatter campus near the waterfront.
- The Bear
- The Bear and the Bean, a popular coffee and snack spot located at the Parnassus campus.
- The Fog
- A reference to 'Karl the Fog,' which frequently blankets the Parnassus campus while Mission Bay remains sunny.
- The Hill
- The Parnassus Heights campus, named for its steep location overlooking the city.
- The N
- The N-Judah MUNI light rail line, the primary public transit connection to the Parnassus campus.
- The Pantry
- The UCSF Student Food Parlor/Pantry, providing free food items to students in need.
- The Pub
- The Public Taps at Mission Bay, a popular social and dining spot for students and staff.
- The Shuttle
- The ubiquitous free inter-campus bus system that students rely on to travel between sites.
- The T
- The T-Third Street MUNI light rail line, the primary public transit connection to the Mission Bay campus.
- The Tidelands
- The modern housing complex located in the Dogpatch neighborhood, primarily serving Mission Bay students.
- The TMB
- The Mariposa Building, a primary student housing complex at the Mission Bay campus.
- The Towe
- The Towe Marratta Building, a specific student housing facility located at the Parnassus Heights campus.
- The Towers
- The Parnassus Landmarks and Avenue housing, often referred to collectively as the Towers or Parnassus housing.
- The Trucks
- The rotating selection of food trucks parked at the Mission Bay campus daily.
- TMB
- The Mariposa, a student and trainee housing building located at the Mission Bay campus.
Z
- ZSFG
- Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, a major clinical and research site for UCSF students.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- Badge
- The UCSF ID card, which is mandatory for building access, shuttle boarding, and library services.
- Bakar
- Bakar Fitness & Recreation Center, the main athletic facility at the Mission Bay campus.
- Blue Line
- The most frequent shuttle route connecting the Parnassus and Mission Bay campuses.
- Byers
- Byers Hall, which houses the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3) at Mission Bay.
- CLE
- Collaborative Learning Environment, UCSF's customized Moodle platform where all course materials and grades are hosted.
- FastPay
- The system that allows students to use their ID card as a debit card for campus dining.
- gateway_express
- Gateway Express
- Genentech
- Genentech Hall, one of the primary research and laboratory buildings at the Mission Bay campus.
- Genentech Hall
- The massive, central research building at the Mission Bay campus.
- Gold Line
- The shuttle route connecting the Parnassus campus to the Mount Zion campus.
- HSE
- Health Sciences East, the twin tower to HSW at the Parnassus campus.
- HSW
- Health Sciences West, one of the two prominent 16-story towers at Parnassus used for lectures and research.
- Koret
- Refers to the Koret Vision Center or the Koret Quad, a central green space at Mission Bay.
- Long/Moffitt
- The combined name for the main clinical hospital buildings at the Parnassus campus.
- Millberry
- Millberry Union, the central student union building at the Parnassus campus.
- Mission Hall
- The Global Health & Clinical Sciences Building at Mission Bay, known for its open-plan 'activity-based' workspace.
- moffitt_caf
- Moffitt Café
- moffitt_caf_express
- Moffitt Café Express
- mount_zion_cafe
- Mount Zion Cafe
- MU
- Millberry Union, the student union at Parnassus containing the fitness center, food court, and bookstore.
- MyAccess
- The single sign-on portal used to access almost all UCSF digital services and tools.
- Rock
- Rock Hall, a prominent research facility at the Mission Bay campus.
- Rock Hall
- Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Hall, a major research facility at Mission Bay.
- Rutter
- The William J. Rutter Center, which houses the gym, pool, and student union at Mission Bay.
- Sandler
- The Sandler Neurosciences Center at Mission Bay.
- shorenstein_family_caf
- Shorenstein Family Café
- Smith
- The Smith Cardiovascular Research Building (CVRI) at Mission Bay.
- Sutro
- Mount Sutro Open Space Reserve, the university-owned forest behind Parnassus featuring miles of hiking and biking trails.
- Sutro Tower
- The massive radio tower above Parnassus used by students as a primary navigational landmark.
- The Badge
- The UCSF ID card, which is strictly required for building access, shuttle boarding, and library services.
- The Library
- Usually refers to the Parnassus Library (Kalmanovitz Library), the main study hub.
- The Rutter
- The William J. Rutter Center, which houses the gym, pool, and student union at Mission Bay.
- The Shuttle
- The extensive, free inter-campus bus system that is the primary mode of transit between UCSF sites.
- the_daily_grind
- The Daily Grind
- UC Health
- The broader network of hospitals and clinics where many students perform clinical rotations.
- UCID
- The physical or mobile identification card required for badge-access to all campus buildings and shuttle boarding.
- UCSF ID
- The physical badge required for building entry, shuttle boarding, and library services, often just called 'the badge'.
- UCSF Mobile
- The official app used for shuttle tracking, campus maps, and emergency alerts.
- UCSF Shuttle
- The extensive, free inter-campus bus system that connects Parnassus, Mission Bay, Mount Zion, and other sites.
- WeID
- The office and process for obtaining the mandatory UCSF identification badge.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Fall Quarter 2026 runs Sep 10, 2026 – Dec 25, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 50 approved campus terms and 40 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.