Academic calendar
Fall Semester 2026 runs Aug 15, 2026 – Dec 14, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Summer Term 2 2026
- Summer Term 2026
- Fall Semester 2026Relevant now
- Wintersession Term 2027
- Spring Semester 2027
- Summer Term 1 2027
- Summer Term 2 2027
- Fall Semester 2027
- Spring Semester 2028
- Summer Term 1 2028
- Summer Term 2 2028
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 34 of 34 terms
B
- Bell Tower
- Common shorthand for Bell Tower Residence Hall on East Campus.
- Bella
- Bella Union, a cafe located in the Selina Cucciolini Hub known for coffee and snacks.
- Blue Zone
- A residential and parking area on West Campus often associated with tailgating and upperclassman housing.
- BSA
- Black Student Alliance, one of the oldest and most active cultural organizations on campus.
D
- Devils
- Short for Blue Devils, the university's mascot and athletic teams.
- Div Cafe
- The Divinity School Cafe, known for its organic and locally sourced food options.
- DSG
- Duke Student Government, the primary representative body for undergraduate students.
- DUMB
- Duke University Marching Band.
- DUSA
- Duke University Student Assistance, often referring to the student-run emergency medical service (Duke EMS).
- DUU
- Duke University Union, the largest programming organization on campus responsible for concerts and events.
E
- Edens
- A residence hall on West Campus known for its significant walking distance from the main academic quad.
F
- Few
- Short for Few Quad, a prominent residence hall located on West Campus.
- Flunch
- Faculty Lunch; a program where students can take a professor to lunch for free using university-provided funds.
G
- Gothic Wonderland
- A common nickname for Duke's West Campus due to its Collegiate Gothic architecture.
- GPSG
- Graduate and Professional Student Government, representing the interests of post-undergraduate students.
- GTHC
- An acronym for 'Go To Hell Carolina,' the standard chant and sentiment regarding rival UNC-Chapel Hill.
K
- K-Ville
- Krzyzewskiville, the lawn in front of Cameron Indoor Stadium where students camp out for basketball tickets.
- K-Ville
- Krzyzewskiville, the lawn in front of Cameron Indoor Stadium where students camp out in tents for basketball tickets.
- K-Ville
- Krzyzewskiville, the tent city where students camp out for months to get tickets to the Duke-UNC basketball game.
- Kilgo
- Short for Kilgo Quad, a residence hall on West Campus known for its traditional collegiate architecture.
L
- LDOC
- Last Day of Classes, referring to both the calendar date and the major music festival organized by DUU.
M
- Marketplace
- The main dining hall on East Campus where freshmen typically eat breakfast and dinner.
P
- Pitchforks
- Pitchfork Provisions, a dining location in McClendon Tower known for being open 24/7 during the semester.
S
- Shooters
- Shooters II, a popular off-campus nightclub on Gregson Street frequently visited by Duke students.
- Swift
- Refers to the 300 Swift apartments, an off-campus style residential complex used for upperclassman housing.
T
- Tenting
- The tradition of living in a tent in K-Ville for weeks to secure a spot in the student section for the Duke-UNC game.
- The Gardens
- Sarah P. Duke Gardens, a 55-acre botanical garden on campus used by students for relaxation and study.
- The Hollows
- The Hollows Quad, a modern suite-style residential area on West Campus.
- The Island
- A nickname for Edens Quad on West Campus, referring to its geographic isolation from the rest of the residential quads.
- The Loop
- The Loop Pizza Grill, a long-standing dining staple located in the Bryan Center.
- The Shoeboxes
- A collective name for Alspaugh, Bassett, Brown, and Pegram residence halls on East Campus, known for their smaller size.
V
- Vondy
- Joe Van Gogh, a popular coffee shop located within the Bryan Center.
W
- Work Hard, Play Hard
- The unofficial campus motto describing the student body's balance of intense academics and social life.
- WU
- The Brodhead Center (formerly West Union), the primary dining hub on West Campus containing multiple vendors.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- atrium_caf
- Atrium Café
- Bostock
- Bostock Library, the newer wing connected to Perkins Library.
- brodhead_center_wu
- Brodhead Center (Wu)
- C-1
- The primary bus route that shuttles students between East Campus and West Campus.
- C1
- The primary bus route that shuttles students between East Campus and West Campus.
- Cameron
- Cameron Indoor Stadium, the historic home of Duke Basketball.
- DukeCard
- The official student ID used for building access, meal plans, and as a campus debit card.
- DukeHub
- The central online portal for course registration, viewing grades, and managing financial accounts.
- ePrint
- The campus-wide wireless printing system that allows students to send documents to any public printer on campus.
- FCIEMAS
- The Fitzpatrick Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences, often pronounced 'F-SEE-MAS'.
- Flex
- A debit-like account on the DukeCard used for non-dining expenses like laundry, printing, and vending machines.
- Food Points
- The tax-free currency included in meal plans, used at on-campus dining and some off-campus 'Merchants on Points'.
- Gross Chem
- The Gross Chemical Laboratory building, often used as a landmark for its distinctive architecture.
- marketplace
- Marketplace
- Perkins
- Perkins Library, the main university library on West Campus.
- The BC
- The Bryan Center, the main student union building housing the bookstore, theaters, and dining.
- The Chapel
- Duke University Chapel, the iconic Gothic centerpiece of West Campus.
- The Link
- The lower level of Perkins Library, a high-tech hub for group study and IT support.
- The Perk
- Perkins Library, the main research library on West Campus.
- the_skillet
- The Skillet
- trinity_caf
- Trinity Café
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Fall Semester 2026 runs Aug 15, 2026 – Dec 14, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 34 approved campus terms and 21 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.