Part of the cost of room and board for students who are living in a residence hall on campus is their meal plan. Most colleges will offer students a series of choices for meal plans all with different price points.
The meal plan is a way for schools to make sure that their students eat nutritious meals and that they don’t go hungry. They also free up students’ time so they can focus on their studies. But how do you know which meal plan is right for you?
Well, don’t worry. In this article, we will give you 14 essential tips that will help you make the best decision for your needs.
What Is a College Meal Plan?
A meal plan is essentially an agreement between the student and the university where they live to eat food provided by the university. Things typically included in the meal plan options offered by colleges are:
- A specified number of meals in the dining hall(s). – Plans can vary anywhere from a set number of meals in the dining center to unlimited meals. For options with a specified number of meals, you might find plans with a set number of meals per week or a set number of meals to be used throughout the semester.
- Dining Dollars – This might be called different things at different colleges, but these are specific dollar amounts that can be used to buy meals at other on-campus dining locations.
- Guest Meals – It is common for college meal plans to have a guest meal component where students can buy meals in the dining hall for guests such as family members, roommates, or friends.
The 14 Essential Tips for How to Choose a College Meal Plan
Not only can there be a lot of meal plan options to choose from, but if you are a freshman how do you know which meal plan to get? This can also be true if you are a transfer student and have never had a meal plan before. So here are our tips on choosing a meal plan that will meet your lifestyle, needs, and budget.
#1 Sample the Dining Hall Food When You Tour the College
The best way to see what the food at a school is like is to try it out when you tour the campus. When you tour the campus, you will visit the dining halls. You can use the dining hall hours to your advantage to sample the food and get a feel for what the dining halls look like and what they have to offer.
If you really like the food at the dining hall odds are you will eat more of your meals there. If you aren’t very impressed with what you find there you might end up wanting to eat more frequently at other on-campus or off-campus dining options.
#2 Consider the Cost of the College Meal Plans
When comparing the different meal plan options it is obviously important to look at the costs. Not only do you want to look at the total cost of each plan, but you might want to do a rough calculation of how much each meal at the dining hall will cost.
Once you come up with the approximate cost per meal you can compare that with other options. If you like the food that is served at the dining hall and the price is fair you can feel good about getting a plan with more meals. However, if you find that the approximate cost per meal is kind of spendy compared to some other options on or nearby campus you might want to consider a plan with fewer meals especially if you aren’t a big fan of the food choices that are offered in the dining hall(s).
#3 Look at How Many Meals You Get With Each College Meal Plan Option
Another important thing to consider when choosing a meal plan is how many meals you will get with each option. Some colleges will only offer plans with unlimited meals while other schools might have plans that include a certain number of meals per week or a set number of meals to be used throughout the semester.
Next, compare the meals offered in the various plan options to your eating habits in a typical week and find the plan that fits you best. Nobody wants a student to go hungry, but sometimes you can save a significant amount of money if you can avoid paying for meals that you will never use.
#4 Think About When and How Often You Eat
Some students typically sleep in and don’t eat breakfast, only eating two meals per day. So, for these students, getting a meal plan with a larger number of meals for these students would be a waste.
In a similar way, if you typically eat three meals per day but your last meal is usually late at night, it may not make sense to get an unlimited plan or a plan that allows you to have three meals per day if the dining hall isn’t open when you want to have one of your meals. So check the hours that the dining hall is open and compare that with when you like to eat. It may make more sense to get a plan with fewer meals and plan on eating some of your meals in your residence hall room or at another nearby location on or off-campus.
#5 Do You Get Any Guest Meals With the College Meal Plan?
When choosing a meal plan for college, it’s important to consider if you’ll be getting any guest meals with the plan. Guest meals are typically meals that you can give to friends or family members who come to visit you on campus. If you think you’ll have guests often, it might be worth choosing a meal plan that includes some guest meals.
Having the option of getting a meal for your friends or family when they come to visit is a great way to show some hospitality and make sure your guests are fed. However, if getting a meal plan that includes guest meals makes you buy more meals for yourself than what you will ever use, or if the cost of these guest meals is too expensive, then you may want to consider looking for another option.
Keep in mind that most dining halls will allow you, or your visitors, to purchase meals at the dining hall when they come to visit. They don’t need to be purchased in advance.
#6 Should You Get a Bigger College Meal Plan if You Eat a Lot?
If you are a big eater you might feel compelled to automatically get the meal plan with the highest number of meals, but that doesn’t always make the most sense.
Even people with a high metabolism or those who work out a lot won’t have to worry about not getting enough to eat at most college dining halls, since they are usually buffet-style. So as we mentioned earlier before you decide to go with the unlimited plan you should think about how often you eat and when you eat.
#7 Find Out What Food Choices There Are in the College Meal Plan if You Have Special Dietary Needs
If you have special dietary needs, you will probably want to check out how your school will support your needs before choosing a meal plan as as each school handles these issues differently with some having better options for special diets than others.
There are many schools that have separate stations where you can get your meals without many of the top food allergens. If the school has multiple dining halls, you will want to make sure that all of the dining halls have these stations. If not, you may be limited to dining at one certain hall.
If you have other dietary needs that an allergen-free food station can not satisfy, most schools will have registered dieticians whom you can discuss special dietary needs and dining options with.
After finding out how the school can cater to any special dietary needs you might have, you will be able to make a more informed decision about which college meal plan is right for you.
#8 Find Out What Other Food Options Are Available on Campus
Finding out what other food options are available on campus before choosing a college meal plan is important. Many students choose a meal plan because they like the convenience of having meals provided for them, but they don’t know that there are other ways to eat on campus.
There are often a variety of restaurants and shops on and around campus, so you will want to familiarize yourself with these options and take them into consideration as you decide how many meals you want in your meal plan.
#9 Does the College Meal Plan Allow You to Spend Money at the Other On-Campus Options?
Obviously, you will get meals in the dining halls with your meal plan, but what about spending money at the other on-campus options, like restaurants, shops, food courts, coffee shops, etc.?
Many schools offer meal plans that allow you to spend money at these other on-campus options. The key is to find the right balance between the number of meals you will get at the dining hall each week with the amount you are allotted to spend each semester at these other places.
Having this money built into your meal plan is really convenient for students as all they need to do is swipe their meal card to purchase food at these other places. If your school doesn’t have plans with this option, but you would like to eat at these other locations don’t worry. Simply pick a meal plan with fewer meals and you can always pay out of pocket at these on-campus restaurants.
If you’re someone who likes a little more variety in what and where you eat or if you just like to get coffee from a shop on your way to class, it is nice to have a meal plan that gives you this option.
#10 Find Out What Options There Are for You to Prepare Food in the Residence Halls
If you think you might opt for a plan with a fewer number of meals and making some of your meals in your residence hall, you should first check out the options for preparing food in your residence hall.
While most colleges will allow you to rent or bring your own mini-fridge, many colleges have restrictions regarding the types of small appliances that are allowed in residence hall rooms. For example, appliances with open heating elements are not allowed in the residence halls for safety reasons. Prohibited items may include electric grills, waffle irons, griddle, pizza makers, toaster/toaster ovens, hotplates, oil popcorn makers, air fryers, slow cookers, rice cookers, and pressure cookers.
If small appliances like microwaves are allowed there will likely be restrictions on their wattage and physical dimensions.
So before buying any appliances or selecting a meal plan, be sure to check with your college’s housing office to find out what is allowed in your room and what cooking facilities are available in your dorm. Finding out this information will help you make the best decision for your individual needs.
#11 Find Out How Close Off-Campus Grocery Stores and Restaurants Are to Campus
If you are thinking about opting for a meal plan with a lower number of meals and getting some of your meals off-campus with friends or making some of your meals in your residence hall it is important to know how close the college is to grocery stores and restaurants. Are these places close enough to walk to, or will you need a car or public transportation?
If you think getting to off-campus grocery stores or restaurants is going to be a hassle you may want to consider a meal plan with more meals. On the other hand, if you are going to have a car on campus or are okay with using public transportation then a meal plan with fewer meals may be an option to consider.
#12 Will You Have Access to a Car or Public Transportation?
If you are considering having a car on campus you should make a decision about whether you will bring a car with you to school and understand the public transportation options that are available before choosing how many meals you want in your plan.
Without a car on campus, students in places without convenient public transportation options will be reliant on friends for rides to restaurants or grocery stores, unless these places are within walking distance. So you want to take into account your transportation options when deciding which meal plan you want to purchase.
#13 What Happens if You Don’t Use All Your Meals?
If you don’t use all the meals that were allotted to you at the dining hall for a given semester at most colleges those meals will typically be forfeited. In other words, if you don’t use all of your meals for a semester, you will lose them and won’t be able to carry them over to the next semester. You also won’t get any money back for these unused meals.
Understanding how these unused meals are handled at your college will help you select the best meal plan for you and help prevent you from wasting or losing money.
#14 What Happens if You Don’t Use All Your Dining Dollars?
If the college meal plan you select includes “Dining Dollars” that you can use at various locations on campus it is important to understand what happens at the end of each semester to these unused dollars.
At some colleges, they may allow you to roll these dollars over to the next semester, and at other colleges, these unused dollars will be lost. You will frequently see students buying a bunch of non-perishable food or snacks at the end of each semester if they are at colleges where these unused Dining Dollars expire at the end of each term.
Just like knowing what happens to the unused meals in your college meal plan at the end of each semester can save you money, understanding what happens to unused Dining Dollars that are a part of your meal plan can also help you avoid wasting or losing money.
FAQs About College Meal Plans
Are You Required to Buy a College Meal Plan?
If you live on campus in a residence hall, you will likely be required to purchase a meal plan. Given the small size of residence hall rooms, the restrictions on the cooking appliances you can have in your room, and the limited cooking facilities available in residence halls, it is not feasible to think that students in the residence halls would be able to have a healthy diet if they all had to cook their own food.
Students who live in on-campus apartments are usually treated the same as students who live in off-campus housing and are not generally required to purchase a meal plan.
How Many Meals a Week Should My College Meal Plan Have?
Deciding how many meals per week a college meal plan should have will vary depending on your individual needs and preferences. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when choosing a meal plan. Begin by thinking about how many meals you typically eat each day. For example, if you’re the type of person who likes to eat three square meals a day and don’t plan on going home for the weekend very often, you’ll probably want a meal plan that includes at 21 meals per week.
Once you have come up with a number of meals you typically eat in a week you can look at the various meal plan options offered by the college and compare those with your budget, personal preferences, and the tips we mentioned earlier.
Final Thoughts
College meal plans are a great way to make sure that students are getting a nutritious, well-balanced diet at a reasonable price so they can focus on getting the most out of their college experience.
While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to choosing a college meal plan if you spend some time thinking about your needs, wants, preferences, options, and budget it will become clear which meal plan is best for you.
