Academic calendar
Fall Quarter 2026 runs Sep 23, 2026 – Dec 12, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Summer Session 2026
- Fall Quarter 2026Relevant now
- Winter Quarter 2027
- Spring Quarter 2027
- Summer Session 2027
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 20 of 20 terms
A
- Allison
- The dining hall located in Allison Residential College.
- ASG
- Associated Student Government, the primary undergraduate student representative body.
B
- Bobb
- Bobb-McCulloch Hall, a large residence hall known for its social atmosphere.
D
- Dillo
- Short for Dillo Day, the nation's largest student-run music festival held annually in the spring.
E
- Elder
- Elder Residential Community, a dorm located on the far north end of campus.
F
- Fran's
- Fran's Cafe, a popular late-night dining spot located in Willard Hall.
H
- Hinman
- The dining hall located in the Hinman Residential College on the south end of campus.
L
- Lisa's
- Lisa's Cafe, a retail dining location in Slivka Hall offering sandwiches and groceries.
M
- Medilldo
- A slang term, often used self-deprecatingly, to refer to a student enrolled in the Medill School of Journalism.
N
- NBN
- North by Northwestern, a leading student-run news publication and magazine.
- Norris
- Norris University Center, the student union containing multiple food vendors like Starbucks and MOD Pizza.
P
- Plex
- Foster-Walker Complex, a residence hall consisting of single rooms and two dining halls.
R
- Reading Period
- The week-long break between the end of classes and the start of final exams.
S
- Slivka
- Slivka Residential College of Science and Engineering.
- STITCH
- Northwestern's student-run fashion magazine.
T
- The Arch
- The Weber Arch, the symbolic main entrance to the Evanston campus.
- The Daily
- The Daily Northwestern, the primary independent student newspaper covering the campus and Evanston.
W
- Wildcat Welcome
- The mandatory multi-day orientation program for all incoming first-year and transfer students.
- Willard
- Frances Willard Residential College, known for housing Fran's Cafe.
- WNUR
- Northwestern's student-run non-commercial radio station.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- CAESAR
- The online student information system used for class registration, tuition payments, and viewing grades.
- Deering
- Deering Library, the historic library building known for its Gothic architecture and quiet study spaces.
- Fisk
- Fisk Hall, the historic main building for the Medill School of Journalism.
- Intercampus
- The shuttle bus service that connects the Evanston and Chicago campuses.
- Main
- University Library, the largest library on the Evanston campus.
- medill_elementary_cafeteria
- Medill Elementary Cafeteria
- MFC
- McCormick Foundation Center, a modern facility housing Medill classrooms, labs, and a television studio.
- Purple Line
- The CTA 'L' train line that serves the Evanston campus via the Davis, Foster, and Noyes stations.
- SafeRide
- A university-operated late-night shuttle service providing safe transportation for students.
- Tech
- The Technological Institute, the massive building housing the McCormick School of Engineering.
- Wildcard
- The official Northwestern University photo identification card used for building access and meal plans.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Fall Quarter 2026 runs Sep 23, 2026 – Dec 12, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 20 approved campus terms and 11 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.