Academic calendar
Michaelmas Term 2026 runs Oct 5, 2026 – Dec 11, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Michaelmas Term 2026Relevant now
- Epiphany Term 2027
- Easter Term 2027
- Michaelmas Term 2027
- Epiphany Term 2028
- Easter Term 2028
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 25 of 25 terms
A
- Aidan's
- St Aidan's College, located atop Windmill Hill.
C
- Castle
- University College, which is physically located inside Durham Castle.
- Chad's
- St Chad's College, a small and prestigious bailey college.
- Cuth's
- St Cuthbert's Society, one of the oldest student bodies in Durham.
D
- DSU
- Durham Students' Union, the central representative body for students.
- DUAFC
- Durham University Association Football Club.
- DUCK
- Durham University Charity Committee, the student-led fundraising arm.
- DUS
- Durham Union Society, the university's oldest debating and social society.
F
- Formal
- A traditional multi-course dinner held in college halls, often requiring gowns.
- Formative
- A practice assignment or exam that does not count toward the final grade.
G
- Gowned
- The requirement to wear an academic gown for formal events, matriculation, or graduation.
H
- High Table
- The elevated table in the dining hall where college fellows and guests sit during formals.
- Hild Bede
- The College of St Hild and St Bede, located on the Riverside.
J
- John's
- St John's College, located on the historic North Bailey.
L
- Livers-in
- Students who currently reside within college-owned accommodation and typically have meal plans.
- Livers-out
- Students living in private housing who may still attend college meals as guests.
M
- Mary's
- St Mary's College, a hilltop college situated near the Library.
- Matric
- Short for Matriculation, the formal ceremony where students officially join the university.
S
- Self-catered
- Colleges or blocks where students are responsible for cooking their own meals rather than using a dining hall.
- Stash
- Branded university or college clothing/merchandise.
- Summative
- An assessment or exam that counts toward a student's final module grade.
T
- Team Durham
- The overarching brand for the university's competitive sports clubs.
- The Bailey
- The historic area of Durham where the castle, cathedral, and older colleges are located.
- The Hill
- The southern area of Durham (South Road) where many newer colleges and science departments are located.
- Trevs
- Trevelyan College, known for its distinctive hexagonal architecture.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- Arriva
- The primary bus operator serving the Durham city area and connecting colleges.
- Banner Self-Service
- The online portal for managing personal details and viewing academic records.
- Billy B
- The Bill Bryson Library, the main university library.
- Calman
- The Calman Learning Centre, primarily used for science and social science lectures.
- calman_caf
- Calman Café
- Campus Card
- The official multi-purpose ID card used for building access, library borrowing, and identification.
- circolo_caf
- Circolo Café
- DUO
- Durham University Online, the university's primary virtual learning environment (Blackboard).
- Elvet Riverside
- A major building complex used for lectures in the humanities and social sciences.
- library_caf
- Library Café
- maiden_castle_caf
- Maiden Castle Café
- Oracle
- The student information system used for module registration and financial records.
- Palatine
- The Palatine Centre, housing student services and the university administration.
- The TLC
- The Teaching and Learning Centre, a modern hub for lectures and study.
- zing_kitchen
- Zing Kitchen
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Michaelmas Term 2026 runs Oct 5, 2026 – Dec 11, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 25 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.