Dining Plans
The following content outlines the dining plans for the residence halls and Student Housing Apartments.
Summary
Every resident living in UC Davis residence halls receives a dining plan as part of their contract. Every resident living in UC Davis Student Housing Apartments (SHA) has the option to purchase a dining plan as part of their contract. There are different size dining plans, so residents may choose the plan that best fits their eating preferences or needs.
Residence hall and SHA dining plans have two components:
- A Meal Plan (for eating in the dining commons)
- Aggie Cash (a declining balance (debit) account for retail food purchases)
Rates
The residence hall and SHA rates ("room and board") include the fees for the dining plans; dining plan fees are not itemized separately.
- To review residence hall rates, which are broken down by dining plan options, refer to the Residence Hall Fees webpage
- To review SHA rates, which are broken down by dining plan options, refer to the Student Housing Apartment Fees webpage
Dining Plan Component #1: Meal Plans
There are five meal plans available: Unlimited, Prime Line, Frequent Diner, Aggie Advantage and Budget Saver. The only difference between the meal plans is the quantity of meals.
Unlimited
- unlimited meals per quarter
- Recommendation: this plan is ideal for residents who prefer to eat smaller/more frequent meals on campus
- Bonus meals: the Unlimited plan comes with an additional 10-meals-per-quarter: these meals can be used to in the C-stores for Meals To Go, and to bring guests into the dining commons; each quarter's 10 meals do not roll over to the next quarter
Prime Line Meal Plan
- Total meals in plan: 180 meals per quarter
- Average meals per week: about 16-17 meals
- Recommendation: this plan is ideal for residents who prefer to eat on campus for most of their meals
Frequent Diner Meal Plan
- Total meals in plan: 150 meals per quarter
- Average meals per week: about 13-14 meals
- Recommendation: this plan is ideal for residents who prefer to eat on campus frequently
Aggie Advantage Meal Plan
- Total meals in plan: 120 meals per quarter
- Average meals per week: about 10-11 meals
- Recommendation: this plan is ideal for residents who eat two meals a day and frequently leave campus during the weekend
Budget Saver Meal Plan
- Total meals in plan: 90 meals per quarter
- Average meals per week: about 7-8 meals
- Recommendation: this plan is ideal for residents who frequently leave campus during the weekend
Residents have access to any dining commons location regardless of meal plan - all meal plans are valid for any meal offered in any dining commons location - provided the meal plan is not exhausted for the quarter.
Residents may change their meal plans at a scheduled "meal plan change period" during the academic year. See Changing Meal Plans for more information and instructions.
Dining Plan Component #2: Aggie Cash
Aggie Cash is a declining balance (debit) account available to UC Davis students, staff, and faculty. View the Aggie Cash webpage to learn about Aggie Cash.
Leftover Meals
End-of-Quarter: Fall & Winter
At the end of fall quarter and winter quarter, all leftover meals roll over to the next quarter, to be added on to the next quarter's total meals (example: if 20 meals are left over from fall quarter, and winter quarter's meal allotment begins with 90, then the total meals available at the beginning of winter quarter is 110 meals).
2012-2013 only: students may, at the end of each quarter, opt to convert leftover meals to Aggie Cash rather than rolling meals over to the next quarter. This option will not be available in 2013-2014.
End-of-Quarter: Spring (End-of-Academic Year)
Meals do not carry over at the end of the spring quarter. Students should plan to eat all of their meals before moving out of the residence halls or Student Housing Apartments (SHA).
Purchasing Additional Meals
Increasing Meal Plans
At various times during the academic year, residents may "upgrade" their meal plan to add more meals per quarter. See the Changing Meal Plans webpage to learn how to upgrade (or downgrade) meal plans.
Meal Blocks
Students who deplete their meal plan balances before the quarter ends and would like to purchase additional meals may purchase "Meal Blocks". Meal Blocks are 10-meal meal plans that may be added to any existing meal plan. Meal Blocks are $69.03 each. Students may purchase multiple Meal Blocks. See the Changing Meal Plans webpage to learn how to upgrade (or downgrade) meal plans or purchase Meal Blocks. Visit or call Student Housing for more information.
Suggestions & Planning Ahead
Dining Services suggests that students who are unsure which meal plan to select should consider selecting a middle-to-larger plan to ensure they will have enough meals for the quarter. Afterward, students who determine they instead should have a smaller plan may choose to downgrade their plan during a scheduled "meal plan change period", and should remember that leftover meals roll over to the next quarter (except for spring quarter - see "Leftover Meals", above).
Dining Services also publishes a Block Meal Planner that can be used to estimate how many meals a student should consume by a particular period in the quarter. This tool can be used to predict how many meals will be needed for the remainder of the quarter, as well as which meal plan should be selected for the following quarter. Visit any dining commons, the Area Service Desk, or Student Housing to get a copy of the Planner, or download a digital copy of the fall 2012 planner (pdf), winter 2013 planner (pdf), or spring 2013 planner (pdf).