Academic calendar
Fall Semester 2026 runs Aug 17, 2026 – Dec 16, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Summer Session 2026
- Summer 2026 Second Six-Week SessionSummer Session 2026 - Second Six-Week Session
- Fall Semester 2026Relevant now
- Spring Semester 2027
- Summer Session 2027
- Fall Semester 2027
- Spring Semester 2028
- Summer Session 2028
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 46 of 46 terms
A
- APASA
- Asian Pacific American Student Assembly, an umbrella organization for Asian-interest student groups.
- APSA
- Asian Pacific Student Association, the umbrella organization for Asian Pacific American student groups.
B
- Birnkrant
- Birnkrant Residential College, often associated with high-achieving students and its proximity to Leavey Library.
- BSA
- Black Student Assembly, a cultural assembly under USG that supports Black student life.
C
- Cardinal and Gold
- The official school colors, used to refer to school spirit or the university identity.
- CarGar
- Cardinal Gardens, a popular university-owned apartment complex near the village.
D
- Daily Trojan
- The independent student-run newspaper, often shortened to 'the DT'.
E
- EVK
- Everybody's Kitchen, the main dining hall located on the south side of campus near the freshman dorms.
F
- Fertitta
- Fertitta Cafe, an Asian-fusion eatery located in the Marshall School of Business building.
- Fight On
- The official USC greeting and battle cry, often accompanied by the 'V' for Victory hand gesture.
- Fluor
- Fluor Tower, a suite-style freshman residence hall located on the west side of campus.
- Fryft
- A portmanteau of 'Free Lyft,' referring to the USC Lyft Rides program that provides free rides to students within a specific radius at night.
G
- Gameday
- Refers to the specific culture and tailgating activities surrounding USC home football games.
- GSG
- Graduate Student Government, representing the interests of graduate and professional students.
H
- Hecuba
- The large statue in the USC Village, considered the female counterpart to Tommy Trojan.
I
- ISA
- International Student Assembly, an organization dedicated to supporting USC's large international student population.
N
- New North
- New North Residential College, known for its social atmosphere and freshman population.
P
- Pardee
- Pardee Tower, a traditional-style residence hall located in the South Residential College.
- Parkside
- Refers to the Parkside Arts & Humanities or International Residential College complexes on the south side of campus.
- Parkside
- Parkside Restaurant & Grill, the dining hall located in the Parkside International Residential College area.
- Parkside Dining
- The dining hall located within the Parkside residential complex, often cited for having different food options than EVK.
S
- SC
- A common shorthand used by students to refer to the university (e.g., 'Going back to SC').
- SCA
- School of Cinematic Arts, often used to refer to the film school community.
- SCampus
- The official student handbook containing university policies and the student code of conduct.
- Seeds
- Seeds Marketplace, a popular grab-and-go cafe and salad bar in the Tutor Campus Center.
- Spring Admit
- A student who begins their first semester at USC in the spring rather than the fall.
T
- TASA
- Taiwanese American Student Association, a prominent social and cultural student group.
- TCC
- Tutor Campus Center, the central hub for various food vendors like Panda Express and Coffee Bean.
- The 9-0
- The 901 Bar & Grill, a legendary off-campus bar and restaurant popular with the student body.
- The 901
- The 901 Bar & Grill, a legendary off-campus student bar often called 'The 9'.
- The Boot
- The boot-shaped geographic area surrounding campus where specific university security and transit rules apply.
- The Bubble
- The immediate area surrounding the USC campus, often used to describe the feeling of being insulated from the rest of Los Angeles.
- The Daily Trojan
- The independent student-run newspaper of the university.
- The Finger
- The Finger Fountain located near the USC Bookstore, named for its unique shape.
- The Row
- 28th Street, the location of the majority of USC's fraternity and sorority houses.
- The Village
- The USC Village, a large retail and residential complex across Jefferson Blvd that serves as a student hub.
- The Village
- The USC Village, a massive residential and retail complex housing several upperclassman and sophomore residential colleges.
- Tommy Trojan
- The iconic bronze statue in the center of campus, a common meeting point.
- TroGro
- Trojan Grounds, the 24/7 Starbucks-serving convenience store in Leavey Library.
U
- USG
- Undergraduate Student Government, the primary representative body for the undergraduate population.
V
- V for Victory
- The two-finger hand gesture used by students and alumni to show school spirit and Trojan pride.
- Village Dining
- The dining hall located within the USC Village, known for its high-end food options and Harry Potter-like aesthetic.
- Viterbi
- Shorthand for the Viterbi School of Engineering or its students.
- VSA
- Vietnamese Student Association, one of the many active cultural organizations on campus.
W
- Webb
- Webb Tower, an apartment-style residential tower for upperclassmen and some freshmen.
- Weekender
- The annual student trip to Northern California for the football game against Cal or Stanford.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- Annenberg
- Wallis Annenberg Hall (ANN), the high-tech building for communication and journalism.
- Brightside
- A common name for the USC bus and shuttle system that connects campus to local housing.
- Brightspace
- The learning management system (LMS) used by professors to post course materials and assignments.
- Campus Cruiser
- The university-operated safe ride shuttle service that supplements the Lyft program.
- Doheny
- Doheny Memorial Library, the historic main library known for its quiet study rooms and grand architecture.
- DPS
- Department of Public Safety, the campus police force responsible for security and emergency response.
- Duo
- The Duo Mobile app used for two-factor authentication to access almost all USC digital services.
- everybody_s_kitchen
- Everybody's Kitchen
- everybody_s_kitchen_evk
- Everybody's Kitchen (EVK)
- Fertitta
- Jill and Frank Fertitta Hall, the modern flagship building for the Marshall School of Business.
- Fryft
- A portmanteau of 'Free Lyft,' referring to the university-sponsored program providing free rides to students within a specific radius at night.
- JFF
- Jill and Frank Fertitta Hall, the primary modern classroom building for the Marshall School of Business.
- Leavey
- Leavey Library, the primary 24-hour undergraduate library and study space.
- LiveSafe
- The mobile safety app used by students to contact DPS, report tips, or have friends virtually watch them walk home.
- mckay_s
- McKay's
- MyUSC
- The central web portal for students to access registration, grades, and financial aid.
- OASIS
- The Online Academic Student Information System, used for checking grades, transcripts, and registration permits.
- OIS
- Office of International Services, the primary resource for international student visa and legal needs.
- parkside_residential_dining_hall
- Parkside Residential Dining Hall
- parkside_restaurant_grill
- Parkside Restaurant & Grill
- RTCC
- Ronald Tutor Campus Center, the main student union building.
- SCA
- The School of Cinematic Arts complex.
- SGM
- Seeley G. Mudd Building, a major hub for science and mathematics classrooms and labs.
- TCC
- Ronald Tutor Campus Center, the central hub for student life, dining, and administrative offices.
- THH
- Taper Hall of Humanities, a central building where many general education and language classes are held.
- USC Bus
- The free campus shuttle system that connects the University Park Campus (UPC) to the Health Sciences Campus (HSC) and Union Station.
- USC Card
- The official student ID used for building access, meal plans, and 'USC 50' credit.
- USC Lyft
- The university's rideshare program providing free transportation within a specific radius during late-night hours.
- usc_village_dining_hall
- USC Village Dining Hall
- USCard
- The official student ID card used for building access, meal plans, and 'discretionary' spending at campus vendors.
- Viterbi
- The Viterbi School of Engineering buildings and facilities.
- VKC
- Von KleinSmid Center, officially renamed the Center for International and Public Affairs (CIPA), but still widely called VKC by students.
- Web Registration
- The online portal where students register for classes and manage their course schedules.
- WebReg
- The online portal used by students to register for classes and manage their academic schedules.
- Yellow Jackets
- Unarmed security ambassadors stationed at street corners around the campus perimeter for student safety.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Fall Semester 2026 runs Aug 17, 2026 – Dec 16, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 46 approved campus terms and 35 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.