Academic calendar
Fall Semester 2026 runs Aug 17, 2026 – Dec 13, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Fall Semester 2026Relevant now
- Fall 2026 First-Half Semester
- Fall 2026 Second-Half Semester
- Spring Semester 2027
- Spring 2027 First-Half Semester
- Spring 2027 Second-Half Semester
- Summer 2027 First Half-Session
- Summer Semester 2027
- Summer 2027 Second Half-Session
- 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 17 of 17 terms
C
- CAB
- Campus Activities Board, the student-led organization that plans major campus events like concerts and speakers.
- CHANCE
- The CHANCE Program, which provides academic support and resources for students who show potential but may not meet traditional admission requirements.
D
- Dining Dollars
- Funds included with a meal plan that can be used at campus retail dining locations like Starbucks or the Den.
G
- Grant
- Grant Towers, a high-rise residence hall on the west side of campus.
H
- Huskie
- The official mascot and the term used to refer to any NIU student or athlete.
- Huskie Bucks
- A debit-like account on the OneCard used for laundry, printing, and at various on-campus and off-campus vendors.
M
- Meal Exchange
- A program allowing students to use a dining hall meal swipe for a designated combo meal at retail dining locations.
- Mission
- The name of NIU's live Siberian Husky mascot who frequently appears at campus events.
N
- Neptune
- Neptune Hall, a centrally located residence hall near the student center and library.
- New Hall
- The New Residence Hall, which is divided into East and West wings and features cluster-style living.
R
- RHA
- Residence Hall Association, the governing body that represents students living in campus housing.
S
- SGA
- Student Government Association, the primary representative body for the NIU student population.
- Stevenson
- Stevenson Towers, a high-rise residence hall located near the Convocation Center.
T
- The Castle
- Altgeld Hall, the oldest building on campus, known for its distinctive castle-like architecture.
- The Den
- A popular retail dining and lounge area located on the ground floor of the Holmes Student Center.
- The Lagoon
- The East Lagoon, a scenic body of water on campus often used for recreation and student gatherings.
- The Towers
- A collective term used by students to refer to the Grant and Stevenson high-rise residence halls.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- Barsema
- Barsema Hall, the building that houses the NIU College of Business.
- Cole
- Cole Hall, a major lecture hall building that also houses the NIU Anthropology Museum.
- DuSable
- DuSable Hall, one of the most common buildings for general education and liberal arts classes.
- Founders
- Founders Memorial Library, the main research library on campus.
- Huskie Line
- The bus system that provides free transportation around campus and the DeKalb community for students.
- MyNIU
- The online student portal used for class registration, checking grades, and managing financial aid.
- neptune_dining
- Neptune Dining
- OneCard
- The official NIU student ID card used for building access, meal plans, and library services.
- patterson_dining
- Patterson Dining
- stevenson_retail_dining_center
- Stevenson Retail Dining Center
- The HSC
- The Holmes Student Center, the central hub for student services, dining, and the campus hotel.
- The Rec
- The Student Recreation Center, the main campus gym and fitness facility.
- TransLoc
- The mobile app used by students to track the real-time location of Huskie Line buses.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Fall Semester 2026 runs Aug 17, 2026 – Dec 13, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 17 approved campus terms and 13 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.