Academic calendar
Fall Semester 2026 runs Sep 9, 2026 – Dec 22, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Fall Semester 2026Relevant now
- Spring Semester 2027
- May 7-week Term 2027
- Summer Session 14-week Courses 2027
- June 7-week Term 2027
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 14 of 14 terms
A
- Arbutus
- Arbutus Shell, a primary residence building for students.
C
- Cedar
- Cedar Shell, one of the main residence buildings on campus.
- CHLY
- The campus and community radio station (101.7 FM) based at VIU.
D
- Douglas
- Douglas Shell, a residence building within the student housing complex.
R
- Res
- The general term for on-campus student housing located at the Nanaimo campus.
T
- The Caf
- The main cafeteria located in Building 300, offering various food stations.
- The Discovery Room
- The fine-dining restaurant on campus operated by the Culinary Arts program.
- The Hill
- A common reference to the Nanaimo campus's steep vertical layout.
- The Pub
- The Students' Union Pub located in Building 193, a popular spot for food and social events.
- The Stairs
- The notorious, steep outdoor staircases that connect the lower, middle, and upper levels of the Nanaimo campus.
- The View
- Refers to the panoramic view of the Georgia Strait and mountains visible from the upper campus buildings.
V
- VIUFA
- Vancouver Island University Faculty Association, representing the teaching staff.
- VIUSU
- Vancouver Island University Students' Union, the primary student advocacy and service organization.
W
- WUSC
- World University Service of Canada, a student-led club focused on global education and refugee sponsorship.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- Building 210
- The campus gymnasium and fitness center.
- Building 300
- The main campus hub containing the library, cafeteria, and registration services.
- Building 355
- The Arts and Sciences building, where many core academic lectures are held.
- Building 356
- The International Education building, serving the large international student population.
- building_185_cafeteria
- Building 185 Cafeteria
- building_300_cafeteria
- Building 300 Cafeteria
- Experience VIU
- The official student engagement portal for tracking co-curricular activities and events.
- The SUB
- The Student Union Building (Building 180), housing VIUSU offices and student lounge spaces.
- the_discovery_room
- The Discovery Room
- U-Pass
- The universal transit pass included in student fees, providing unlimited access to the Nanaimo regional bus system.
- VIU Card
- The official student identification card used for library services, gym access, and printing.
- viu_students_union_pub
- VIU Students' Union Pub
- VIULearn
- The online learning management system (D2L) used for course content, assignments, and grades.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Fall Semester 2026 runs Sep 9, 2026 – Dec 22, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 14 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.