Meal plans provide instructions for what you eat on certain days and can save both time and money by eliminating waste, shopping more efficiently, and taking advantage of seasonal produce.

Meal plans are available to all residential students. When you swipe your student ID or ONE card at one of our dining locations, a meal will be deducted from your allotment.

Weeks

Meal plans provide a framework to help you make healthy food choices at every meal of the week. Start by reviewing what’s already in your pantry, refrigerator and freezer and clearing away anything running low or past its expiration dates. Next, compile a list of food to purchase for the week; aim to include something from each of the five major food groups (fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods and dairy or fortified soy products) every day.

Meal plans generally last the entire semester from the day classes start until dinner on the final day of classes; meal exchange swipes are allocated based on which plan you select; they reset every Saturday at 3am.

Meal plan templates vary in design, but most feature a chart that depicts each day of the week with meal types on one axis and their serving frequency on another axis. Some plans also feature grocery shopping lists; for those on a budget it might be helpful to include an additional column detailing how much money they intend on spending each week or month for groceries.

Quarters

Your meal plan acts as a pre-paid account for meals on campus. Each time you enter a dining hall, simply swipe your student ID or meal card and the value of that meal is deducted from your plan balance – with amounts left at the end of the quarter depending on which school it belongs to.

Most schools provide plans ranging from 7-21 meals a week and you can select the plan that best meets your eating habits and budget. Before purchasing one of these plans, though, it’s essential to evaluate both aspects – for instance if you typically skip breakfast and prefer pizza in the afternoon rather than eating out every day, then a smaller plan may be more cost-effective.

Traditional meal plans run the entire semester and begin on move-in day for first year students residing in The Hive, Chatham, Montgomery House, Oglethorpe House, River, Turner House and Sand at Victory Village as well as FORTY FOUR suites and apartments must select their meal plan prior to enrollment. Apartment meal plans provide students living apartment-style campus housing with an allocated number of meals each quarter.