Academic calendar
Fall Semester 2026 runs Aug 22, 2026 – Dec 18, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Summer Semester 2026
- Fall Semester 2026Relevant now
- Spring Semester 2027
- Summer Semester 2027
- Fall Semester 2027
- Spring Semester 2028
- Summer Semester 2028
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 39 of 39 terms
A
- ACE
- Achieving a College Education, a scholarship program helping high school students transition to Maricopa colleges.
- Artie
- Refers to Artie the Artichoke, the mascot of Scottsdale Community College, often used to refer to the school itself.
- Artie's
- Artie's Cafe, the main dining area at Scottsdale Community College named after Artie the Artichoke.
- Artie’s Bistro
- The casual dining spot at Scottsdale Community College, named after the mascot Artie the Artichoke.
- ASG
- Associated Student Government, the primary student leadership body on each campus.
C
- Canvas
- The Learning Management System (LMS) where students access all online course materials, assignments, and grades.
D
- DECA
- Distributive Education Clubs of America, a popular business and marketing student organization.
- Desert Willow
- The student-run fine dining restaurant at Scottsdale Community College operated by the Culinary Arts program.
- Duals
- High school students who are concurrently enrolled in Maricopa Community College courses for credit.
G
- GCC
- Common shorthand for Glendale Community College.
H
- Heap
- Heap Hall, the only on-campus residence hall in the entire Maricopa District, located at Mesa Community College.
- Heap Hall
- The Theo J. Heap Residence Hall, the primary on-campus housing facility located at Mesa Community College.
- Hoop
- Hoop of Learning, a scholarship program specifically for American Indian students within the district.
- HOSA
- Future Health Professionals, an organization for students pursuing careers in the healthcare industry.
L
- Late Start
- Accelerated classes that begin 8 weeks into the semester rather than during the first week.
M
- Maricopa Millions
- The district-wide initiative to provide students with free or low-cost Open Educational Resources (OER) instead of textbooks.
- MCCCD
- The acronym for the entire Maricopa County Community College District system.
- MEChA
- Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán, a student organization focused on Chicano identity and community involvement.
- MEID
- Maricopa Enterprise ID, the unique username used to log into all district systems.
- My.Maricopa
- The online student portal used for registration, grades, and financial aid.
P
- PC
- Common shorthand for Phoenix College, the oldest college in the district.
- Psi Beta
- The national honor society in psychology for community colleges, frequently active at Glendale and Mesa.
- PTK
- Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges with chapters at all Maricopa schools.
R
- Rio
- Shorthand for Rio Salado College, the district's primary online and distance-learning institution.
S
- SGA
- Student Government Association, the elected body representing student interests at each campus.
- SIS
- The Student Information System, the backend portal used for registration, financial aid, and official records.
T
- The Bistro
- The student-run restaurant and dining facility at Scottsdale Community College.
- The Caf
- General student shorthand for the cafeteria facilities found at most MCCCD campuses.
- The Cafe
- The standard term for the cafeteria and food service areas at Phoenix College and South Mountain CC.
- The Den
- The primary dining and lounge area at Paradise Valley Community College.
- The District
- The central administrative body (MCCCD) that oversees all ten colleges in the system.
- The Grill
- The main food service area located in the Student Union at Glendale Community College.
- The Hive
- The student union and dining area at Estrella Mountain Community College.
- The Kirk
- The Kirk Student Center cafeteria and food court at Mesa Community College.
- The Portal
- Common name for the My.Maricopa.edu student dashboard where all services are accessed.
- The Towers
- The Towers on 19th, the primary off-campus housing partner for Mesa Community College students.
- Thunderbird Cafe
- The primary cafeteria located in the Kirk Student Center at Mesa Community College.
- Transfer Track
- The specific set of courses designed for students planning to move to ASU, NAU, or UofA.
- TRIO
- Federal student support programs (like SSS) designed to assist first-generation and low-income students.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- AS
- Applied Science building, a common designation used in course schedules at Mesa and other campuses.
- bear_s_cave_caf
- Bear's Cave Café
- caf_rio
- Café @ Rio
- Canvas
- The Learning Management System (LMS) where all course materials, assignments, and grades are hosted.
- CTL
- Center for Teaching and Learning, a facility found on most campuses dedicated to faculty development and student tech support.
- Desert Willow
- The building at Mesa Community College dedicated to nursing and health science programs.
- Duo
- The two-factor authentication app required for all students to access their Maricopa accounts.
- Find a Class
- The official district-wide web tool used by students to search for available course sections.
- Hannelly
- The Hannelly Enrollment Center at Phoenix College, where students go for admissions and financial aid.
- HESI
- The entrance exam required for students applying to the Maricopa Nursing program.
- High Tech Center
- The HTC building at Glendale Community College, which houses massive computer labs and tech classrooms.
- HTC
- High Tech Center, a common building designation for computer labs and IT services (notably at GCC and MCC).
- Ironwood
- Ironwood Hall at Chandler-Gilbert CC, which serves as the campus library and learning resource center.
- Komatke
- Komatke Hall, the central student services and 'Hive' hub at Estrella Mountain.
- Late Start
- Classes that begin 8 or 12 weeks into the semester rather than the traditional start date.
- MA
- The Mathematics building shorthand used on student schedules and campus maps.
- Maricopa Card
- The official student identification card used for library access, printing, and financial aid refunds.
- MEID
- Maricopa Enterprise ID; the unique username (e.g., ABC1234567) used for all logins.
- My.Maricopa
- The central website for managing enrollment, financial aid, and student records.
- MyInfo
- The official mobile app for Maricopa students to view class schedules, textbooks, and campus maps.
- One-Stop
- The physical or virtual center where students handle admissions, registration, and financial aid in one place.
- PAC
- Performing Arts Center, the primary venue for theater and music events at campuses like Mesa and Glendale.
- Placement
- The process of determining a student's starting level for English, Math, and Reading, often involving EdReady or high school GPA.
- PS
- The Physical Science building shorthand used on student schedules and campus maps.
- RioLearn
- The custom learning management system used specifically by Rio Salado College
- SIS
- Student Information System; the 'Student Center' portal used for registration, tuition payment, and official transcripts.
- SU
- Student Union, the central hub for student services, clubs, and lounging on most campuses.
- t_bird_caf
- T-Bird Café
- The CTL
- Center for Teaching and Learning, a common facility for faculty and student tech support
- The Hannelly
- The Hannelly Enrollment Center at Phoenix College, the main hub for student services
- The Hive
- The Student Center at Estrella Mountain Community College
- The Kirk
- The Kirk Student Center at Mesa Community College, the hub for student life and clubs.
- The PAC
- The Performing Arts Center, used to refer to the theater buildings at Glendale and Mesa campuses.
- The T-Building
- The Technician building at Glendale Community College, housing many trade and tech classes.
- U-Pass
- A discounted transit pass for the Valley Metro bus and light rail system available to students.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Fall Semester 2026 runs Aug 22, 2026 – Dec 18, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 39 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.