Academic calendar
Fall 2026 Regular Session (15-Weeks) runs Aug 17, 2026 – Dec 7, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Fall 2026 First Eight-Week Session
- Fall 2026 Regular Session (15-Weeks)Relevant now
- Fall 2026 Second Eight-Week Session
- Winter Mini-Session 2026-2027
- Spring 2027 First Eight-Week Session
- Spring 2027 Regular Session
- Spring 2027 Second Eight-Week Session
- May Mini-Session 2027
- Summer 2027 Summer I 5-Week SessionSummer I 5-Week Session 2027
- Summer Regular 8-Week Session 2027
- Summer 2027 Summer II 4-Week SessionSummer II 4-Week Session 2027
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 40 of 40 terms
A
- AFB
- Activities Funding Board, which provides financial resources to student organizations for events.
B
- Blue and Green
- The official university colors, often used to refer to school spirit days.
- Blue and Green Wednesday
- A weekly tradition where students wear school colors to show campus spirit.
- Boost
- The mobile app used by students to order food ahead from the Patio Café and Hawk's Coffee House.
C
- CAB
- Campus Activities Board, the student organization responsible for planning major campus social events.
- Coffee Groundz
- The Starbucks-serving coffee shop located on the second floor of the Bayou Building.
D
- Dining Dollars
- The currency used in student meal plans, specifically required for residents of Hunter Hall.
G
- Go Hawks
- The official campus cheer and greeting used by students and faculty.
H
- Hawk
- The universal term for a UHCL student, derived from the mascot Hunter the Hawk.
- Hawk Bucks
- A declining balance account for commuters and staff to purchase food on campus.
- Hawk Energy
- The Hawk Energy Bar, a snack and smoothie station located in the Recreation and Wellness Center.
- Hawk Energy Bar
- A smoothie and snack station located within the Recreation and Wellness Center.
- Hawk's
- Hawk's Coffee House, a coffee spot located in the Bayou Building serving Starbucks products.
- Hawk's Coffee
- Hawk's Coffee Shop, the on-campus Starbucks-serving location.
- HSTC
- Hawk Spirit and Traditions Council, the group responsible for maintaining campus traditions like 'The Claw'.
- Hunter
- The official name of the UHCL mascot, Hunter the Hawk.
- Hunter
- Hunter Hall, the primary on-campus residence hall that opened in 2019.
- Hunter Hall
- The primary on-campus residence hall for students.
M
- MGC
- Multicultural Greek Council, governing body for culturally-based fraternities and sororities.
O
- OSA
- Office of Student Activities, the administrative hub for campus life and student engagement.
- OSAM
- Office of Student Activities, the administrative department overseeing campus life.
P
- Patio
- The Patio Cafe, the main dining facility located in the Bayou Building.
- Patio Cafe
- The main dining hall located in the Bayou Building.
- Pearland
- Refers to the UHCL at Pearland satellite campus.
R
- RSO
- Registered Student Organization, any of the 90+ student-led clubs on campus.
S
- SGA
- Student Government Association, the primary representative body for the student voice.
- SLICE
- Student Leadership, Involvement, and Community Engagement, the office that oversees student orgs.
T
- The Bayou
- While it refers to the building, students often use it to describe the entire central hub of campus life.
- The Claw
- The official UHCL hand sign made by extending and curling the thumb and first two fingers to mimic a hawk's talon.
- The Deer
- A reference to the local white-tailed deer population that famously roams the campus grounds.
- The Forest
- Common shorthand for the University Forest Apartments.
- The Kiosk
- The Garden Kiosk, a grab-and-go food station located in the STEM Building.
- The Loop
- The 1.5-mile nature trail surrounding the campus, frequently used by students for exercise and stress relief.
- The Market
- The convenience store located in the Student Services and Classroom Building (SSCB).
- The Nature Trail
- The wooded walking paths surrounding the campus, popular for student breaks and wildlife spotting.
- The Patio
- The Patio Cafe, the main dining facility located in the Bayou Building.
- The Signal
- The award-winning student-run newspaper of UHCL.
- The Woods
- The nature trails and wooded areas surrounding the campus, often used for walks or research.
U
- UFA
- University Forest Apartments, the campus-adjacent apartment complex popular with upperclassmen.
- UV
- University Forest Apartments, the privately managed apartment complex located on campus.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- Arbor
- The Arbor Building, located slightly apart from the main cluster, housing art and education programs.
- Bayou
- The Bayou Building, the central and largest building on campus housing classrooms and administration.
- Delta
- The Delta Building, primarily used for computer science, engineering, and technology courses.
- Duo
- The two-factor authentication app required for all students to log into university accounts.
- E-Services
- The online portal where students register for classes, pay tuition, and view final grades.
- GET
- The mobile app used by students to manage HawkCard funds and meal plans.
- Get-A-Way
- The campus shuttle service that provides transportation between campus buildings and local points.
- Hawk Card
- The official university ID card used for building access, library services, and meal plans.
- Hawk Express
- The campus shuttle service providing transportation between the main campus, UFA, and the Pearland campus.
- Hawk Launch
- The mandatory new student orientation program.
- hawk_market_food_pantry
- Hawk Market (Food Pantry)
- hawk_s_coffee_house
- Hawk's Coffee House
- HawkCard
- The official student ID card required for library checkout, lab access, and meal plans.
- HawkLink
- The online platform used to join student organizations and track campus involvement.
- Navigate
- The mobile app and platform used by students to schedule academic advising and tutoring appointments.
- Neumann
- The Alfred R. Neumann Library, located within the Bayou Building.
- ParkAir
- The mobile application and system used for managing and paying for campus parking permits.
- ParkMobile
- The app used for visitor parking payments on campus.
- patio_caf
- Patio Café
- Pearland
- Refers to the UHCL at Pearland satellite campus located on McHard Road.
- RWC
- The Recreation and Wellness Center, the campus gym and fitness facility.
- SSCB
- Student Services and Classroom Building, which houses the bookstore, admissions, and financial aid.
- STEM
- The STEM Building, a modern facility dedicated to science, technology, engineering, and math.
- The Hawk
- The campus shuttle service that runs between the main buildings and the parking lots.
- The Rec
- The Recreation and Wellness Center, the campus gym and fitness facility.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Fall 2026 Regular Session (15-Weeks) runs Aug 17, 2026 – Dec 7, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 40 approved campus terms and 25 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.