Academic calendar
Second Semester 2026 runs Jul 20, 2026 – Dec 1, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Second Semester 2026Semester 2 2026Relevant now
- First Semester 2027Semester 1 2027
- Second Semester 2027
- Semester 2 2027
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 28 of 28 terms
A
- Ansell May
- Often shortened to 'Ansell', a well-known residence at the Howard College campus.
C
- Comm
- Short for Commemoration Hall, a large venue often used for exams and events, particularly in PMB.
D
- DASO
- Democratic Alliance Students Organisation; the student wing of the DA political party.
- Denison
- A prominent residence located on the Pietermaritzburg (PMB) campus.
- DP
- Duly Performed; the minimum academic credit/attendance required to be eligible to sit for a final exam.
E
- EFFSC
- Economic Freedom Fighters Student Command; a prominent and vocal political student wing.
- Ernest Jansen
- A residence hall at Howard College, often shortened to EJ.
- Excluded
- Short for 'Academic Exclusion', meaning a student is barred from registering due to poor performance.
- Exclusion
- The process of being academically barred from continuing studies due to poor performance.
M
- Mabel Palmer
- A large residence at Howard College, often referred to simply as Mabel.
- Malherbe
- Refers to the E.G. Malherbe residence, typically associated with the Howard College campus.
N
- NSFAS
- Refers to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, often used to discuss student allowances or funding status.
P
- Petrie
- Petrie Hall, a well-known residence on the Pietermaritzburg campus.
- Pred
- Predicate mark; the cumulative internal assessment score earned before the final examination.
R
- Res
- Universal shorthand for university residence or dormitory.
- Res
- The standard shorthand for any university-owned residence or dormitory.
S
- SASCO
- South African Students Congress; a major political student organization active on campus.
- SRC
- Student Representative Council; the primary elected body representing student interests to management.
- Strike
- A term for student protests or industrial action that frequently leads to the suspension of the academic program.
- Student Union
- Refers to the building housing various food vendors and student services, particularly at Howard College.
- Supp
- Short for a supplementary exam, granted to students who fail a module but meet a specific mark threshold.
- Supps
- Supplementary examinations; second-chance exams granted to students who narrowly failed a module.
T
- The Bridge
- The central food and social hub at the Howard College campus, located near the library.
- The Caf
- Generic term used by students for the main cafeteria or dining hall on any campus.
- The Square
- The central food court and social hub specifically located at the Westville campus.
- The Student Union
- Often used to refer to the area containing fast food outlets and dining facilities at Howard College.
- Tower
- Refers to the high-rise Tower Residence located on the Westville campus.
U
- UKZNDS
- University of KwaZulu-Natal Debating Union, a high-profile academic society.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- Admin
- The Administration Building on any campus, where official paperwork and financial queries are handled.
- EG Malherbe
- The main library at the Howard College campus.
- Gate 1
- The primary entrance to the Howard College campus, often used as a landmark for transport drop-offs.
- HC
- Common shorthand for the Howard College campus.
- iEnabler
- The online self-service portal (Student iEnabler) used for registration, checking results, and financial statements.
- Inter-campus shuttle
- The bus service that transports students between the five different UKZN campuses.
- LAN
- Local Area Network; the term students use to refer to the campus computer laboratories.
- Moodle
- The university's Learning Management System (LMS) where course materials and assignments are hosted.
- MTB
- Memorial Tower Building; the iconic clock-tower building and administrative hub at Howard College.
- PMB
- Common shorthand for the Pietermaritzburg campus.
- RMS
- Risk Management Services; the campus security department responsible for safety and emergency response.
- Science Block
- The general name for the cluster of lecture theatres and laboratories used by the College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science.
- Shepstone
- The Shepstone Building at Howard College, notorious among students for its confusing, maze-like layout.
- Shuttle
- The inter-campus bus service that transports students between Westville, Howard College, PMB, and Edgewood.
- Student Central
- The online self-service portal used for registration, checking results, and managing financial accounts.
- student_union_cafeteria
- Student Union Cafeteria
- The Hex
- The Hexagon Theatre, a primary performance and landmark venue on the Pietermaritzburg campus.
- The Oval
- A specific residential and recreational precinct, often used to describe the grounds near the cricket oval.
- ugogo_kitchen
- Ugogo Kitchen
- www_caf
- WWW Café
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Second Semester 2026 runs Jul 20, 2026 – Dec 1, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 28 approved campus terms and 20 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.