Academic calendar
Fall Quarter 2026 runs Sep 19, 2026 – Dec 11, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Summer 8-week Session 2026
- Summer 10-week Session 2026Summer Quarter 2026
- Summer Session 2 2026
- Fall Quarter 2026Relevant now
- Winter Quarter 2027
- Spring Quarter 2027
- Summer Session 1 2027
- Summer 8-week Session 2027
- Summer 10-week Session 2027Summer Quarter 2027
- Summer Session 2 2027
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 71 of 71 terms
4
- 420
- A major annual gathering in Porter Meadow on April 20th.
9
- 9/10
- The dining hall serving College Nine and John R. Lewis College.
- 9/10 DH
- The dining hall located between College Nine and John R. Lewis College.
- 9/10 Dining
- The dining hall serving College Nine and John R. Lewis College.
- 9/Lewis
- The dining hall shared by College Nine and John R. Lewis College.
B
- Banana Bucks
- A form of campus currency used for retail dining and markets, often purchased by students without meal plans.
- Banana Joe's
- A quick-service late-night eatery located at Crown College.
C
- C/M
- The Crown and Merrill dining hall.
- C/S
- The Cowell and Stevenson dining hall.
- C/S Dining
- The Cowell and Stevenson Dining Hall.
- C10
- John R. Lewis College, formerly known as College Ten.
- C9
- College Nine, often grouped with John R. Lewis College.
- C9/C10
- College Nine and John R. Lewis College (formerly College Ten) residential areas.
- C9/JRL
- College Nine and John R. Lewis College residential areas.
- CAPS
- Counseling and Psychological Services, providing mental health support for students.
- Cowell
- Cowell College, one of the oldest colleges, located near the East Field with ocean views.
- Cowell/Stevenson
- The dining hall shared by Cowell and Stevenson colleges, overlooking the Monterey Bay.
- Cowell/Stevenson DH
- The dining hall serving the Cowell and Stevenson college communities.
- Crown
- Crown College, traditionally associated with science and technology students.
- Crown/Merrill
- The combined residential area for Crown and Merrill colleges, often grouped due to proximity on the hill.
- Crown/Merrill
- The dining hall serving the Crown and Merrill college communities.
D
- DH
- General shorthand for any of the five campus dining halls.
E
- EOP
- Educational Opportunity Programs, providing support for first-generation or low-income students.
F
- First Rain
- An unofficial tradition where students run naked through campus during the first major rainstorm of the school year.
- Flexi Dollars
- A flexible spending account on the student ID card that can be used at campus stores and some off-campus vendors.
- Flexis
- Flexi Dollars, a declining balance account used at campus cafes, markets, and some off-campus vendors.
G
- Global Village
- A cafe located at the base of campus near the Village housing.
I
- I-House
- The International House, a residential community for global and domestic students.
J
- JRL
- John R. Lewis College, formerly known as College Ten.
K
- Kresge
- Kresge College, known for its unique apartment-style living and recent major renovations.
- KZSC
- The student-run non-commercial campus radio station.
L
- Late Night
- The period (usually 8 PM to 11 PM or later) when specific dining locations like Banana Joe's or 9/10 are open for late meals.
- Late Night
- The extended dining hours (usually 8 PM to 11 PM) offered at specific dining halls like 9/10 or Cowell/Stevenson.
M
- Merrill
- Merrill College, located on a steep hill and known for its focus on global society.
O
- Oakes
- Oakes College, located in the southwest corner of the campus.
- Oakes Cafe
- A popular eatery at Oakes College known for late-night food options.
- Oakes/RCC
- The dining hall shared by Oakes College and Rachel Carson College.
- Oakes/RCC DH
- The dining hall shared by Oakes College and Rachel Carson College.
- OPERS
- Office of Physical Education, Recreation, and Sports; also refers to the East Field gym complex.
- Owl's Nest
- A cafe located at Kresge College known for its sandwiches and coffee.
P
- P/K
- The Porter and Kresge dining hall.
- Perk
- A chain of coffee bars located in various academic buildings like Baskin Engineering and Earth & Marine Sciences.
- Perks
- Small coffee and snack kiosks located at various academic sites like Baskin Engineering or Earth & Marine Sciences.
- Porter
- The residential halls and apartments associated with Porter College.
- Porter DH
- The dining hall located at Porter College, known for its late-night options.
- Porter Meadow
- A large open field near Porter College popular for social gatherings and sunsets.
- Porter Scream
- A tradition where students at Porter College lean out their windows and scream at a designated time (often 11 PM or midnight).
- Porter/Kresge
- The dining hall serving the Porter and Kresge college communities.
R
- Rachel Carson/Oakes
- The dining hall serving Rachel Carson and Oakes colleges on the west side of campus.
- RCC
- Rachel Carson College (formerly College Eight) residential buildings.
S
- Science Hill
- The steep area of campus where most STEM buildings and labs are concentrated.
- SCOC
- Student Committee on Committees, responsible for appointing students to campus-wide committees.
- SHOP
- Student Health Outreach and Promotion, providing health education and resources to students.
- Slug
- Short for Banana Slug, the official university mascot and a term for a UCSC student.
- Slug Points
- The currency used in the standard student meal plan for dining hall and cafe purchases.
- Slug Points
- The primary meal plan currency used to enter dining halls.
- Slug Stop
- The campus convenience store located at the Quarry Plaza.
- SOAR
- Student Organization Advising and Resources, the hub for registered student clubs.
- SOMeCA
- Student Organization Management and Campus Activities, the umbrella for student org support.
- SUA
- Student Union Assembly, the official undergraduate student government.
T
- TAPS
- Transportation and Parking Services, the department managing campus shuttles and parking permits.
- The Apartments
- General term for on-campus apartment complexes like those at Porter, Kresge, or Redwood Grove.
- The Knoll
- A scenic grassy hill near the CASFS Farm known for its views of the Monterey Bay.
- The Loop
- The campus shuttle bus that travels in a continuous circle around the campus perimeter.
- The Perk
- A chain of coffee bars located at various points across campus like Baskin Engineering and Earth & Marine Sciences.
- The Squiggle
- The large red 'Untitled' sculpture at Porter College, a popular meeting spot.
- The Village
- The Village at Lower Quarry, a modular housing community for continuing students.
- Tree 9
- A famous, large climbing tree located in the woods near College Nine.
- Tree Nine
- A specific large tree and gathering spot in the forest near College Nine.
U
- Upper Campus
- The vast, wooded undeveloped area north of the main campus buildings used for hiking.
- UTC
- University Town Center; off-campus university housing located in downtown Santa Cruz.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- Banana Bucks
- Funds added to a student ID card used specifically for laundry and printing services.
- Baskin
- The Baskin Engineering buildings (BE1 and BE2), housing the School of Engineering.
- Blue Book
- Small paper booklets required for many in-person exams, typically purchased at the Bay Tree Bookstore.
- Blue Light
- Emergency phone stations located throughout campus that connect directly to campus police.
- Canvas
- The Learning Management System where professors post syllabi, assignments, and grades.
- college_nine_and_john_r_lewis_dining_hall
- College Nine and John R. Lewis Dining Hall
- college_nine_john_r_lewis_dining_hall
- College Nine/John R. Lewis Dining Hall
- cowell_stevenson_dining_hall
- Cowell/Stevenson Dining Hall
- crown_merrill_dining_hall
- Crown/Merrill Dining Hall
- CruzID
- The unique alphanumeric username used to access all UCSC digital services and email.
- Earth & Marine
- The Earth and Marine Sciences building on Science Hill.
- EMS
- The Earth and Marine Sciences building, a major lab and lecture facility on Science Hill.
- FixIt
- The online system students use to submit maintenance requests for dorm rooms or campus facilities.
- GET app
- The mobile application used to manage Slug Points, Banana Bucks, and mobile food ordering.
- ISB
- The Interdisciplinary Science Building, housing physics, astronomy, and environmental science labs.
- Kerr Hall
- The main administrative building housing the Chancellor's office.
- Loop
- The free on-campus shuttle buses that travel in a continuous circle around the campus perimeter.
- McHenry
- McHenry Library, the main library for humanities, arts, and social sciences.
- Media Theater
- The large lecture hall and performance space near the Theater Arts complex.
- Metro
- The Santa Cruz METRO bus system; students use their ID card for fare-free rides on local routes.
- Multi-Factor
- Common shorthand for the Duo Security authentication required for campus logins.
- MyUCSC
- The official student portal used for class enrollment, checking grades, and paying tuition.
- Nat Sci II
- Natural Sciences 2, a prominent building on Science Hill containing labs and classrooms.
- Night Owl
- The late-night bus service that runs after standard METRO hours.
- porter_kresge_dining_hall
- Porter/Kresge Dining Hall
- Quarry Plaza
- The central campus hub containing the bookstore, Redwood Free Market, and Student Union.
- rachel_carson_oakes_dining_hall
- Rachel Carson/Oakes Dining Hall
- S&E
- The Science and Engineering Library located on Science Hill.
- Science Hill
- The northern area of campus where most science, engineering, and math buildings are clustered.
- Slug Points
- The declining balance currency used in student meal plans for dining halls and cafes.
- Slug Support
- A campus program that assists students with food, housing, or financial crises.
- SlugCard
- The official student ID card required for dining, bus fare, and building access.
- SlugPoints
- The declining balance meal plan currency used at dining halls and campus eateries.
- SlugRoute
- The official real-time bus tracking app and website used by students to see shuttle locations.
- Slugvising
- A common student term for the academic advising process.
- TAPS
- Transportation and Parking Services, the department that manages parking permits and shuttles.
- The ARC
- Academic Resources Center, providing tutoring and academic support services.
- The Loop
- The free campus shuttle buses that run in a continuous circle around the campus perimeter.
- The Metro
- The Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (SCMTD) buses, which students ride for free using their student ID.
- The Quarry
- Quarry Plaza, the central campus hub containing the bookstore and student union.
- Thimann
- Thimann Labs and Thimann Lecture Hall, central facilities for biology and chemistry.
- West Remote
- A large, distant parking lot on the west side of campus often used by students with 'R' permits.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Fall Quarter 2026 runs Sep 19, 2026 – Dec 11, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 71 approved campus terms and 42 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.