Academic calendar
Fall Semester 2026 runs Aug 24, 2026 – Dec 17, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Summer Term 2026
- Fall Semester 2026Relevant now
- Spring Semester 2027
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 17 of 17 terms
A
- AIA
- Athletics and Intramurals Association, which manages the college's unique intramural sports program.
D
- DC
- Delegate Council, the legislative body of the student government.
- DCO
- Delegate Council Officers, the executive branch of the student government (Polity) in Santa Fe.
- Donning
- A formal end-of-semester meeting where tutors discuss a student's academic progress in their presence.
H
- Humphreys
- Humphreys Hall, a residence hall located on the Annapolis campus.
P
- Paca-Carroll
- A combined residence hall in Annapolis consisting of Paca and Carroll houses.
- Pinkney
- Pinkney Hall, a historic residence hall on the Annapolis campus.
- Polity
- The collective name for the student body and its self-governing organization.
R
- Randall
- Randall Hall, the main dining commons for the Annapolis campus.
S
- SAC
- Student Activities Committee, the body responsible for organizing campus events and funding clubs.
- Seminar
- The core evening discussion class focused on the primary texts of the Program.
T
- The Bell
- The bell in McDowell Hall that seniors ring after successfully completing their senior oral examination.
- The Coffee Shop
- The student-run cafe and social hub located in McDowell Hall (Annapolis) or the Peterson Student Center (Santa Fe).
- The Dining Hall
- The primary cafeteria on the Santa Fe campus, located in the Peterson Student Center.
- The Program
- The mandatory Great Books curriculum that all students follow.
- The Suites
- The primary student housing units on the Santa Fe campus, divided into Upper and Lower Suites.
- Tutor
- The official title for faculty members; students and staff do not use the term 'Professor'.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- Barr-Buchanan
- The Barr-Buchanan Center, which houses classrooms and faculty offices in Annapolis.
- Febbies
- Students who begin their freshman year in January (the spring semester) rather than the fall.
- McDowell
- McDowell Hall, the central academic and administrative building in Annapolis.
- mcdowell_coffee_shop
- McDowell Coffee Shop
- Mellon
- Mellon Hall, the science building housing laboratories and the auditorium.
- Peterson
- The Peterson Student Center, the main hub for student life and dining in Santa Fe.
- randall_dining_hall
- Randall Dining Hall
- The List
- The official Great Books reading list that defines the four-year curriculum.
- The Long Essay
- The senior thesis, a major research paper required for graduation.
- The Manual
- The Student Manual, which contains the college's rules, policies, and the Polity Constitution.
- The Meem
- The Meem Library, the iconic library building on the Santa Fe campus.
- The Oral
- The annual oral examination where students are questioned by a panel of tutors on their year's work.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Fall Semester 2026 runs Aug 24, 2026 – Dec 17, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 17 approved campus terms and 12 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.