Academic calendar
Full Summer 2026 runs May 21, 2026 – Aug 7, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Summer Session I 2026
- Full Summer 2026Relevant now
- Summer Session II 2026
- A-Term 2026
- Fall Semester 2026
- B-Term 2026
- C-Term 2027
- Spring Semester 2027
- D-Term 2027
- Summer Session I 2027
- Full Summer 2027
- Summer Session II 2027
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 43 of 43 terms
A
- A-Term
- The first of WPI's four seven-week academic terms (A, B, C, and D).
C
- CC
- The food court and dining options located within the Rubin Campus Center.
D
- Daka
- The Morgan Hall Dining Hall, named after a former food service provider (Daka International).
- Daniels
- Daniels Hall, a first-year residence hall often paired with Morgan Hall.
- Dunkin
- The on-campus Dunkin' Donuts located in the Rubin Campus Center.
E
- East
- East Hall, WPI's first LEED-certified residence hall featuring apartment-style living.
F
- Faraday
- Faraday Hall, an apartment-style residence hall located near the Gateway Park area.
- Founders
- Founders Hall, an upperclassman residence hall known for its suite-style living.
G
- GDC
- Game Development Club, a popular organization for students interested in game design and programming.
- Goat's Head
- The Goat's Head Restaurant, a sit-down dining location in Founders Hall.
- Gompei
- The name of WPI's goat mascot, Gompei the Goat.
- GSG
- Graduate Student Government, the representative body for graduate students.
H
- Halal Shack
- A popular Mediterranean-style dining option located within the Campus Center food court.
- HUA
- The Humanities and Arts requirement, a six-course depth-and-breadth sequence required for all undergraduates.
I
- IFC
- Intrafraternity Council, the governing body for WPI's fraternities.
- Institute
- Institute Hall, a residence hall located on Institute Road.
- Insty
- Institute Hall, a residence hall located on Institute Road.
- IQP
- Interactive Qualifying Project, a required junior-year project that addresses a societal problem at the intersection of science and technology.
- ISO
- International Student Organization, which supports and organizes events for the international student community.
L
- Library Cafe
- A small cafe located on the entry level of the George C. Gordon Library.
- LNL
- Lens and Lights, the student organization providing professional-grade lighting, sound, and projection for campus events.
M
- MASH
- Math and Science Help, a peer-tutoring service providing group review sessions for introductory courses.
- Masque
- The oldest student-run theater organization on campus.
- Messenger
- Messenger Hall, a residence hall that also houses the Global Lab.
- MQP
- Major Qualifying Project, the senior-year capstone project required for graduation in a student's major.
N
- NR
- No Record; WPI's unique grading policy where a failing grade does not appear on a student's permanent transcript.
O
- OASIS
- Offering Acceptance, Support and Inclusion to Students, a multicultural center and student space.
P
- Panhel
- Panhellenic Council, the governing body for WPI's sororities.
R
- Riley
- Sanford Riley Hall, a traditional first-year residence hall located on the Quad.
S
- SGA
- Student Government Association, the representative body for the undergraduate student population.
- SOC
- Student Organization Council, the body that oversees and funds student clubs.
- SocComm
- Social Committee, the primary student organization responsible for planning campus-wide events.
- SPS
- Society of Physics Students.
- Stodd
- Stoddard Hall, a freshman residence hall complex.
T
- The Bridge
- Earle Bridge, which students traditionally cross only twice: once during Convocation and once at Graduation.
- The CC
- The Rubin Campus Center, the primary hub for student dining and activities.
- The Fountain
- The interactive fountain on the Quad, often a site for student gatherings and traditions.
- The Herd
- The collective term for the WPI student body and community.
- The Hill
- A common nickname for the WPI campus due to its elevated geography in Worcester.
- The Seal
- The WPI seal on the Quad; tradition dictates that stepping on it will prevent a student from graduating on time.
- The Tech
- The Tech, WPI's oldest student-run newspaper.
- The Wedge
- The common area and connector space between Morgan Hall and Daniels Hall.
- The Wedge
- The dining and seating area located on the lower level of Morgan Hall.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- AK
- Atwater Kent Laboratories, the primary building for Electrical and Computer Engineering.
- Banner
- The legacy student information system, still occasionally referenced for older records or specific administrative tasks.
- Bonus Points
- Dining dollars included with meal plans that can be used at various on-campus food locations.
- CA
- Community Advisor, an upperclassman student leader who mentors first-year students during the Insight program.
- Canvas
- The Learning Management System used by professors to post course materials and assignments.
- CC
- The Rubin Campus Center, the central hub for student activities, dining, and the bookstore.
- dunkin
- Dunkin'
- FL
- Fuller Laboratories, housing Computer Science and Interactive Media & Game Development.
- Gateway
- Gateway Park, a life sciences and bioengineering complex located a short distance from the main campus.
- GH
- Goddard Hall, home to Chemical Engineering and Chemistry departments.
- Goat Bucks
- Campus currency that can be loaded onto a student ID and used at on-campus dining and some local off-campus restaurants.
- goat_s_head_restaurant
- Goat's Head Restaurant
- GoatBucks
- A declining balance account accessed via the ID card used for laundry, printing, and local vendors.
- Goatcard
- The official WPI student ID card used for building access, meal plans, and printing.
- Gompei's Gears
- The campus bike-share program that allows students to rent bicycles for short-term use.
- HL
- Higgins Laboratories, the primary building for the Mechanical Engineering department.
- Insight
- The first-year orientation and transition program that groups students by their residence hall floor.
- morgan_dining_hall
- Morgan Dining Hall
- PLA
- Peer Learning Assistant, a student who assists professors in the classroom and provides tutoring for specific courses.
- rubin_campus_center_food_court
- Rubin Campus Center Food Court
- SH
- Stratton Hall, primarily used for Mathematical Sciences.
- Skull Tomb
- The windowless, private building on the edge of campus belonging to the Skull senior honor society.
- SL
- Salisbury Laboratories, used for various science and humanities departments.
- Smartworld
- A student nickname for the Innovation Studio (formerly Foisie Innovation Studio).
- SNAP
- Student Night Assistance Patrol, a student-run safety shuttle and escort service provided by Campus Police.
- Tech Bible
- The traditional student handbook and guide to WPI history and traditions given to new students.
- The Hub
- WPI's centralized online portal for IT support, service requests, and campus resources.
- Unity
- Unity Hall, a major academic building housing robotics, data science, and other interdisciplinary programs.
- Workday
- The primary administrative portal used by students for course registration, financial aid, and personal records.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Full Summer 2026 runs May 21, 2026 – Aug 7, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 43 approved campus terms and 29 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.