Meal plan options
All students living in the residence halls are required to purchase either a Gold or Black meal plan. Students living in a room with a university-supplied kitchen may have the option of a Hawkeye meal plan.
University Housing and Dining offers several meal plan options including: Gold, Black, Hawkeye, and the Herky Booster Pack. Below are the details and rates for the 2024-2025 academic year.
This plan is designed for maximum flexibility and offers several features including:
- Unlimited meals in the market places—eat, study, or relax at a booth anytime we are open
- 75 flex swipes to use at eight retail locations: Clinton Street Market, Grand Avenue Market, Mayflower Market, River Room Cafe, Union Station, Food for Thought Cafe, Pat’s Diner, and Street Hawk Food Truck
- Eight guest meals to be used to treat a friend to a meal in the market places
- Available to everyone living on or off campus
If you purchase the Gold meal plan, you can visit the market places as often as you want each week and have four (4) to five (5) additional flex swipes per week at designated retail locations.
Please note: Any meals remaining on the Gold meal plan at the end of the semester do not roll over to the next semester. Unused meals are forfeited and non-refundable.
This plan is designed for students who don't need the flexibility of the Gold meal plan and offers several features including:
- 145 market place meals which can be eaten at either Burge, Catlett, or Hillcrest Market Places
- 75 flex swipes to use at eight retail locations: Clinton Street Market, Grand Avenue Market, Mayflower Market, River Room Cafe, Union Station, Food for Thought Cafe, Pat’s Diner, and Street Hawk Food Truck
- Eight guest meals to be used to treat a friend to a meal in the market places
- Available to everyone living on or off campus
If you purchase the Black meal plan, you can eat an average of nine (9) meals per week using market place meals and four (4) to five (5) additional meals using flex swipes (13-14 meals/week total).
Please note: Any meals remaining on the Black meal plan at the end of the semester do not roll over to the next semester. Unused meals are forfeited and non-refundable.
This plan is designed for specific types of individuals. The purchase of the Hawkeye meal plan is limited to:
- On-campus residents in a room with a university-provided kitchen
- Students living off-campus
- Faculty and staff members
The Hawkeye meal plan has 75 flex swipes which may be used at all three market places and at eight (8) retail locations: Clinton Street Market, Grand Avenue Market, River Room Cafe, Union Station, Food for Thought Cafe, Pat’s Diner, Street Hawk Food Truck and Mayflower Market. If you purchase the Hawkeye meal plan, you can eat an average of five (5) meals per week using flex swipes.
Please note: Any meals remaining on the Hawkeye meal plan at the end of the semester do not roll over to the next semester. Unused meals are forfeited and non-refundable.
This plan is designed for students who have:
- Used all of the meals in their primary Gold, Black, or Hawkeye meal plans
- Commuting students, faculty, and staff who eat frequently on campus
The Herky Booster Pack has 25 flex swipes which may be used at all three market places and at eight (8) retail locations: Clinton Street Market, Grand Avenue Market, River Room Cafe, Union Station, Food for Thought Cafe, Pat’s Diner, Street Hawk Food Truck and Mayflower Market.
Unlike the other meal plans, any meals from your Herky Booster Pack remaining at the end of the summer or fall semesters will roll over to the next semester, and do not expire until the end of the spring semester. Multiple Herky Booster Packs can be purchased.
Please note: Purchased Herky Booster Packs are non-refundable.
Change in meal plans for 2025-2026
We gathered feedback from all who visit our dining facilities and have proposed a new structure for meal plans beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year to the Board of Regents (BOR).
The driver for this change was to provide more flexibility for students and reduce confusion. One of the most significant changes is the transition from Hawkeye Dollars, which could be used for laundry and at retail locations, to dining dollars, which will only be used for purchases from a campus dining facility. Also, we will eliminate flex meal swipes, as dining dollars can be used at any retail location, which expands the number of locations students can use their meal plan.
The plans below will be updated with rates and any other requirements upon BOR approval.
2025-26 meal plan options
This plan mimics the Gold Meal Plan and is ideal for students who eat at least three meals a day, seven days a week.
- Unlimited meal swipes (available only in the three market places)
- $150 dining dollars that can be used at all campus retail dining locations
- Five guest meals to treat a friend or family member to a meal in the market places
Unused meal swipes do not roll over to the next semester. Unused meals are forfeited and non-refundable.
We recommend the Block 160 plan for students who may leave campus on weekends, or those who prefer to take more of their meals at campus retail dining locations.
- 160 meal swipes for the semester to use in the three market places
- $450 dining dollars to use at all campus retail dining locations.
- Five guest meals to treat a friend or family member to a meal in the market places.
Unused meal swipes do not roll over to the next semester. Unused meals are forfeited and non-refundable.
This meal plan is best for students who may not eat 3 full meals a day. It offers students the benefit of keeping a weekly tally on their meal usage to determine what works best for them.
- 14 meal swipes per week in the market places. Meals reset every week and unused meals are forfeited.
- $350 dining dollars that can be used at all campus retail dining locations
- Five guest meals to treat a friend or family member to a meal in the market places.
Unused meal swipes do not roll over to the next semester. Unused meals are forfeited and non-refundable.
This plan is only available to residents with a university-supplied kitchen.
- 50 meal swipes for the semester (available only in the three market places)
- $250 dining dollars that can be used at all campus retail dining locations
Unused meal swipes do not roll over to the next semester. Unused meals are forfeited and non-refundable.
Modifying your meal plan
University Housing and Dining offers you the flexibility to change your meal plan online starting on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2024 through the first several weeks of each semester. For the fall semester, August 30, 2024 is the deadline, after which no modifications can be made. Beginning January 10, you may make modifications beginning in early January. Jan. 31, 2025 is the deadline, after which no modifications can be made.
Please note: If you are moving from a room with a university-supplied kitchen to a room without a kitchen, you must choose either the Black or Gold plan within five (5) business days from the effective date of the transfer. If a meal plan is not chosen, the Gold plan will be assigned.
Canceling your meal plan
If you need to cancel your meal plan contract, you can do so online. Students who cancel their residence hall contract will also have their meal plan canceled. All cancelations are subject to contract cancelation guidelines. Students who cancel their room contract may request a meal plan.
If you are a returning or transfer student in a room with a university-supplied kitchen, you will be permitted to cancel your meal plan for both one or two semesters. Students transferring to a room with a university-supplied kitchen, after the cancelation deadline have five (5) business days from the effective date of the transfer to change or cancel a meal plan. After the five (5) days, a plan is a binding contract for the remainder of the semester.
Purchase or modify your meal plan, or check your guest meal balance
You can purchase, modify, or check your guest meal balance using the buttons below.