Academic calendar
Winter Session - First Term runs Sep 9, 2026 – Dec 23, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Summer Session May-August (Term 1)
- May-August (Term 1)
- Summer Session July-August (Term 3)
- July-August (Term 3)
- Summer Session August (Term 7)
- August (Term 7)
- Winter Session - First TermWinter Session - First Term 2026Relevant now
- Winter Session - Second TermWinter Session - Second Term 2027
- May-August (Term 1)Summer Session - May-August (Term 1) 2027Summer Session May-August (Term 1)
- May (Term 4)Summer Session - May (Term 4) 2027Summer Session May (Term 4)
- May-June (Term 2)Summer Session - May-June (Term 2) 2027Summer Session May-June (Term 2)
- June (Term 5)Summer Session - June (Term 5) 2027Summer Session June (Term 5)
- July (Term 6)Summer Session - July (Term 6) 2027Summer Session July (Term 6)
- July-August (Term 3)Summer Session - July-August (Term 3) 2027Summer Session July-August (Term 3)
- August (Term 7)Summer Session - August (Term 7) 2027Summer Session August (Term 7)
- Winter Session - First TermWinter Session - First Term 2027
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 19 of 19 terms
B
- Biblio
- The BiblioCafé, a popular coffee and sandwich spot located in the McPherson Library.
C
- CFUV
- The campus and community radio station (101.9 FM).
- Clusters
- The Cluster Housing complex, consisting of apartment and townhouse-style residences.
G
- GSS
- Graduate Students' Society, representing graduate students at the university.
L
- Lansdowne
- The Lansdowne residence buildings, often housing first-year students.
M
- Macs
- MacLaurin Coffee Shop, located in the MacLaurin building.
- MOD
- The Modular Dining facility, originally a temporary structure that became a long-term dining hub during renovations.
- Munchie
- The Munchie Bar, a student-run snack and coffee shop located in the Student Union Building (SUB).
R
- Rabbit
- A reference to the famous (though now largely removed) feral rabbit population that once overran campus.
- Reading Break
- The week-long break from classes held once per semester (February and November).
- Ring Road
- The Ring Road Residence building, located directly on the main campus loop.
T
- The Cove
- The main campus dining hall and food court located in the Student Wellness Centre building.
- The Martlet
- The independent student newspaper of the University of Victoria.
- The Quad
- The large grassy area between the library and the McPherson building, used for events and lounging.
- The Ring
- Ring Road, the circular road that encompasses the central core of the campus.
- Towers
- Refers collectively to the South Tower and North Tower residence buildings.
U
- UVSS
- University of Victoria Students' Society, the undergraduate student government.
V
- Vikes
- The collective name for the university's varsity athletic teams.
- VIPIRG
- Vancouver Island Public Interest Research Group, a student-funded social and environmental justice org.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- Brightspace
- The online learning management system where professors post course materials and grades.
- CARSA
- Centre for Athletics, Recreation and Special Abilities, the main campus gym and sports complex.
- Clearihue
- The Clearihue Building, the oldest building on campus, primarily used for humanities and social sciences.
- Cornett
- The Cornett Building, notorious among students for its confusing, maze-like interior layout.
- ELW
- Engineering Lab Wing, a primary building for engineering and computer science students.
- Fast Lane
- The express checkout or pre-order system used in campus dining halls to skip lines.
- mystic_market
- Mystic Market
- ONECard
- The official student ID card used for meal plans, library access, gym entry, and printing.
- Petch
- The Petch Building, housing science labs and classrooms.
- SUB
- The Student Union Building, the hub for student clubs, the cinema, and student government.
- the_cove
- The Cove
- U-Pass
- The universal bus pass for BC Transit, which is digitally loaded onto the student ONECard.
- Zap
- Zap Copy, the student-run printing and binding service located in the SUB.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Winter Session - First Term runs Sep 9, 2026 – Dec 23, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 19 approved campus terms and 13 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.