Students requesting an off campus meal plan after the add/drop period are required to make payment in full for the meal plan prior to the meal plan being authorized.
Residential Students:
19 Meal Plan
$1,876
19 meals per week including $200 Dine Dollars
Unlimited Meal Plan
$1,950
Unlimited meals in Gold Rush Culinary Center
8 meals per week in retail locations
$150 Dine Dollars
10 Meal Plan
$1,711
10 meals per week including $200 Dine Dollars
14 Meal Plan
$1,797
14 meals per week including $200 Dine Dollars
Commuter Students:
Commuter students may choose any of the above memberships, for use in the same venues, at the same prices offered to residential students. In addition, commuters have the following meal choices:
40/$100 Block Plan
$422
40 meals per semester
including $100 Dine Dollars
75/$100 Block Plan
$698
75 meals per semester
including $100 dDine Dollars
Dine Dollars Account
The Dine Dollars program is designed for the off-campus and commuter student. A Dine Dollars account gives you access to all dining facilities. Dine Dollars may be added at any time via the
Through the online CalCard Services students are able to make deposits, view account balances and transaction history via the web, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Dine dollars will carry from the fall to the spring semester, but any remaining balance is forfeited at the end of the academic year.
Sign Up for Your Meal Plan
Residential and Vulcan Villages students
Simply sign up for your meal plan as part of their housing contract.
Commuter students
Log into your VIP account and click on Housing and Dining tab.
Follow prompts to complete your transaction.
Meal plan adjustments may be made via your VIP account.
Adjustments can be made without financial penalty up to the close of business on the Friday immediately preceding the start of the semester. Meal plan adjustments which occur between the close of business on the Friday immediately preceding the start of the semester and the close of business on the first Friday of the semester will be assessed a fee based on the adjustment; cancellations will be charged 10% of the base meal plan rate plus dine dollars expended. After the adjustment period, meal plans can be canceled and a partial refund made only upon complete withdrawal from the University.
Dining Memberships for Every Schedule and Budget
Cal U's comprehensive dining membership program saves time and money and helps you eat when and how you like. The membership you choose is programmed into your CalCard. There are four membership options for residential students, six for commuters and the great Dine Dollars program for everyone.
The more meals you commit to purchasing, the more money you'll save on each meal. Many students do not eat all of their meals each week, and pricing is done with that in mind. Besides, "eating in" saves students the hassle of shopping, cooking and cleaning up.
Dine Dollars, part of every meal membership, are accepted like cash in all of our dining locations. You can draw from your Dine Dollars for snacks, beverages or whole meals for you and your friends. Each purchase is deducted from your account, and the cashier can always tell you how many Dine Dollars you have left. You can deposit funds to your Dine Dollars account via online CalCard Services here.
The meal week runs Monday to Sunday. Meals and CalCards are non-transferable and may not be used by any other person. Students may use up to three (3) meals per day maximum, one meal per meal period
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. When are the meal plan hours?
A. There are four time periods that we accept your meals.
7:00 AM - 10:30 PM
10:30 AM - 3:30 PM
3:30 PM - 8:00 PM
8:00 PM- 12:00 AM
Q. Will my meals carry over if I don't use them all in one week?
A. 19, 14 and 10 meal plans DO NOT carry over and reset weekly. The 75 block meal plan membership or 40 block meal plan membership DO carry over week to week until the end of the semester. To get full value of your dollars, choose the meal membership that best fits your schedule and eating habits.
Q. May I treat a friend with my meal membership?
A. Yes. Five meals per semester may be used in the Gold Rush Dining Room as guest meals. You may use your Dine Dollars any time to treat a friend.
Q. What happens to unused Dine Dollars at semester's end?
A. Unused Dine Dollars transfer from fall to spring semester, but don't transfer at the end of spring semester. They're not refundable and can't be transferred to the new academic year.
Q. What's a "missed meal factor"?
A. Because students don't generally eat all their meals each week, memberships are priced with that in mind. Students on memberships with fewer meals tend to eat a higher percentage of their meals, thus their per-meal cost is higher. No credit shall be given to students for meals missed on any meal plan
