Academic calendar
Fall 2026 First 4 Weeks runs Aug 17, 2026 – Sep 13, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Summer 2026 Ten Weeks
- Summer 2026 Second 5 Weeks
- Summer Session II 2026
- Fall 2026 First 4 WeeksRelevant now
- Fall 2026 First 5 Weeks
- Fall 2026 First 8 Weeks
- Fall 2026 Regular Term
- Fall 2026 Dual Credit (15 Weeks)
- Fall 2026 Dual Credit (14 Weeks)
- Fall Flex 1 (7W1) 2026
- Fall 2026 Second 4 Weeks
- Fall 2026 Second Start
- Fall 2026 Second 5 Weeks
- Fall Flex 2 (12W) 2026
- Fall 2026 Third 4 Weeks
- Fall 2026 Second 8 Weeks
- Fall 2026 Third 5 Weeks
- Fall Flex 3 (7W2) 2026
- Fall 2026 Fourth 4 Weeks
- Spring 2027 Holiday Mini Session
- Spring 2027 Mini Term
- Winter Intersession 2026-2027
- Summer 2027
- Winter One Week Session 2027
- Winter Two Week Session 2027
- Spring 2027 First 4 Weeks
- Spring 2027 First 5 Weeks
- Spring 2027 First 8 Weeks
- Spring 2027 Regular Term
- Spring Flex 1 (7W1) 2027
- Spring 2027 Dual Credit (15 Weeks)
- Spring 2027 Dual Credit (14 Weeks)
- Spring Flex 2 (12W) 2027
- Spring 2027 Second 4 Weeks
- Spring 2027 Second Start
- Spring 2027 Second 5 Weeks
- Spring 2027 Third 4 Weeks
- Spring 2027 Second 8 Weeks
- Spring Flex 3 (7W2) 2027
- Spring 2027 Third 5 Weeks
- Spring 2027 Fourth 4 Weeks
- Summer 2027 Mini 3 Weeks
- Summer Mini-Session 2027
- Summer 2027 First 5 Weeks
- Summer 2027 First 8 Weeks
- Summer 2027 Ten Weeks
- Summer Session I 2027
- Ten-Week Summer Session 2027
- Summer 2027 Second 5 Weeks
- Summer Session II 2027
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 47 of 47 terms
A
- Alief
- Refers to the Alief Hayes or Alief Bissonnet campuses.
C
- Canvas
- The Learning Management System (LMS) where all course materials and grades are hosted.
- Central
- The shorthand for the main Central Campus in Midtown.
- Central Food Court
- The main cafeteria area located in the J.B. Whiteley Building at the Central Campus.
- COE
- Centers of Excellence, specialized HCC hubs focused on specific industries like health sciences or digital information technology.
- Coleman
- The HCC Coleman College for Health Sciences in the Texas Medical Center.
- Commuter Campus
- HCC does not offer on-campus housing; students typically live in nearby apartments or commute from home.
- Culinary Arts Center
- A state-of-the-art facility at Central Campus where students can often purchase food prepared by culinary students.
- Cyber Cafe
- Common name for the small grab-and-go food and coffee stations found across various campuses.
E
- Eagle
- The official mascot and the term used to refer to any HCC student
- Eagle Cafe
- The general name for on-campus cafeteria and food service areas.
- Eagle Online
- The specific portal and support system for students taking 100% online classes.
- EagleOnline
- The student-facing name for the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) used for all courses.
- Eagles
- The official mascot and collective name for Houston Community College students.
F
- Food Truck Alley
- The designated area at the Central Campus where local food trucks park to serve students.
H
- Harmon Cafeteria
- The main dining area located within the Dr. William W. Harmon Building at the Central Campus.
- Holly Hall
- 2111 Holly Hall, a private apartment complex frequently used as de facto student housing for HCC students near the Medical Center.
- Houston City College
- The official rebranded name of the institution as of 2025, reflecting its expansion into four-year bachelor's degrees.
L
- Life Tower
- The primary student housing high-rise located near the Coleman College for Health Sciences in the Texas Medical Center.
M
- Memorial Green
- The large park-like lawn at Central Campus where students often gather to eat and socialize outdoors.
- MyEagle
- The centralized student portal used for registration, financial aid, and accessing student records.
- MyHCC
- The self-service student portal used for registration, financial aid, and official records.
N
- NSLS
- The National Society of Leadership and Success; a common leadership-focused student organization on campus.
O
- OISS
- Office of International Student Services, which supports the large international student population at HCC.
P
- P number
- A temporary identification number assigned to students who do not have a Social Security Number.
- PeopleSoft
- The student information system portal used for registration and grades, often used synonymously with 'the portal'.
- PTK
- Phi Theta Kappa; the international honor society for two-year colleges.
S
- SGA
- Student Government Association; the primary representative body for students at each campus.
- Stafford
- Shorthand for the Stafford Campus within the HCC Southwest college.
- SVA
- Student Veterans Association, providing support for military-affiliated students.
- Swoop
- The name of the HCC Eagle mascot often seen at campus events.
T
- The Bistro
- The student-run restaurant at the Central Campus culinary arts program.
- The Dining Room
- The formal dining facility used for culinary training and student meals at Central.
- The Egal
- Shorthand for 'The Egalitarian,' the official student newspaper of HCC.
- The Egalitarian
- The official student-run newspaper of the Houston Community College System
- The Food Court
- The general term for the multi-vendor dining areas found at larger campuses like West Loop and Central.
- The Hub
- Common shorthand for the Learning Hub building on any given campus.
- The Loop
- Refers to the West Loop Campus located near the 610 Loop.
- The Med
- Refers to the Coleman College for Health Sciences located in the Texas Medical Center.
- The Med Center
- Shorthand for the Coleman College for Health Sciences due to its location in the Texas Medical Center.
- The Mix
- The Mix at Midtown, the primary affiliated student housing complex for students attending the Central and Midtown campuses.
- The Perk
- The on-campus coffee shops located within various HCC campus buildings
- The System
- The collective term for the entire Houston Community College network of 20+ commuter campuses.
- The Tower
- The Tower at 3rd Street, a private apartment complex that serves as the primary de facto student housing for the HCC Central campus.
U
- USC
- United Student Council; the district-wide governing body that coordinates between individual campus SGAs.
V
- VAST
- Vocational Advancement and Social Skills Training; a program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
W
- W number
- The unique student identification number starting with the letter 'W' used for all official logins.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- 3100 Main
- The HCC System Administration Building, where many district-level services are located.
- Alief Hayes
- The Alief Hayes Campus building, known for its focus on technology and international business.
- Canvas
- The online learning management system used for course materials and assignments.
- Coleman
- The Coleman College for Health Sciences building located in the Texas Medical Center.
- cuisines_caf
- Cuisines Café
- Eagle Alert
- The emergency notification system that sends text and email alerts to students.
- Eagle ID
- The official student identification card required for campus services and library access.
- Eagle Online
- The name for the college's Canvas-based learning management system where online course materials are hosted.
- eagle_market_food_pantry
- Eagle Market (Food Pantry)
- eagle_markets_food_pantries
- Eagle Markets (Food Pantries)
- FATV
- Financial Aid TV; a video-based help system used by the college to explain financial aid processes.
- Harmon
- The Dr. William W. Harmon Building, which houses student services, the library, and the cafeteria at Central Campus.
- HCC OneCard
- The card used for receiving financial aid refunds and acting as a secondary ID/debit card.
- Heinen
- The Heinen Theater, a historic performing arts venue located at the Central Campus.
- JBW
- The James B. Whitehead Building at Central Campus.
- Late Start
- Classes that begin mid-semester (8-week or 12-week sessions) rather than at the standard start date.
- Learning Hub
- A common name for the central academic and tutoring building at the Northeast Campus.
- LHS
- The Learning Hub/Science Building at the Central Campus.
- METRO Q
- The discounted student transit card used for Houston's bus and light rail systems, available through the Student Life office.
- METRO Q Card
- A discounted transit card provided to students for use on Houston's bus and light rail system.
- Mini-mester
- Accelerated course sessions lasting 3 to 4 weeks, usually held between major semesters.
- MyEagle
- The centralized student portal for registration, grades, and financial aid.
- MyHCC
- The central online portal for student registration, financial aid, and grades
- Official Day of Record
- The census date for each term; students must be actively attending by this date to avoid being dropped.
- PeopleSoft
- The backend software system students use to enroll in classes and view their academic records.
- Q-Card
- The METRO Q-Card, which provides students with discounted fares on Houston public transit.
- San Jac
- The San Jacinto Building, a primary academic building at the Central Campus.
- scholarly_cafe
- Scholarly Cafe
- The Hub
- The Learning Hub at Central Campus, housing the library and student support services.
- The Tower
- The 10-story administration and classroom building at the Central Campus.
- the_french_corner
- The French Corner
- TSI
- The Texas Success Initiative, a mandatory placement test for new students to determine course levels.
- Virtual Lobby
- The online Zoom-based service used to meet with advisors, financial aid officers, and registrars.
- W-Number
- The unique student ID number (starting with a 'W') used for all official records and logins.
- West Loop
- Common shorthand for the HCC West Loop Center campus building
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Fall 2026 First 4 Weeks runs Aug 17, 2026 – Sep 13, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 47 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.