Dining Services provides students numerous opportunities for meals and snacks from dining rooms, food courts, snack bars and convenience stores around Grounds. The dining rooms serve three meals on weekdays, as well as brunch and dinner on weekends, while the a la carte locations are open from early morning until late at night to offer a wide variety of dining options. Dining Services facilities are accessible to students with disabilities.

The University student identification card is the student’s entry into the dining rooms. It allows students to use the meals and Plus Dollars in their meal plans, and tells them the current balances. If the card is lost or stolen, the card office must be notified immediately at 924-4508 to deactivate the card. A separate card is issued to students in the School of Continuing and Professional Studies.

Information about Dining Services is mailed to students in early summer, after having received notification of admission to the University. If additional information is needed, please contact Board Plan Coordinator, Dining Services, P.O. Box 400312, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4312; (434) 982-5140, Fax: (434) 982-4995; dining@virginia.edu.

Meal Program Options

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Please note that the following descriptions of the meal programs do not include all relevant terms and conditions of the contract. Please refer to the dining services brochure and the Annual Meal Plan Contract for complete details regarding meal programs, as well as nutrition counseling, non-meat menus, Meals to Go, and other options.

Believing that a well-balanced diet is essential for good health, the University requires that all first-year undergraduate students participate in either the Unlimited, the Plus 15, or the Plus 13 meal program during the first semester. Second-semester first-year students may also participate in the Plus 10 plan with $395 Plus Dollars.

The Unlimited Plan provides complete access to the dining rooms for meals or snacks during regular hours of operation. There are no limits to the number of meals that may be eaten during the day or week. This program permits the student to fit his or her meals into the most demanding schedule.

The Plus 15, Plus 13, Plus 10, and Upperclass 10 meal programs allow the student any 15, 13, or 10 of the available meals during the week.

The Semester Plans are available to upperclass students, provide either 100, 80, or 50 meals per semester, and are especially convenient for students who live off Grounds or who eat some meals in their residence.

⁽¹⁾ Available to first-year students during the second semester only.

⁽²⁾ Not available to first-year students.

Residential Colleges and Language Houses Students enrolled in either the Hereford, Brown, Monroe Lane, the French or Spanish language houses must choose a residential meal program from the list that follows. These programs include banquets and special events which are part of the residential college experience. First-year students must select either the Unlimited, Plus 15, or Plus 13 meal program.

Semester 50⁽³⁾ $195 unlimited $610

⁽¹⁾ Available to first-year students during the second semester only.

⁽²⁾ Not available to first-year students.

⁽³⁾ Semester 50 is available only to Hereford students

Required Meals

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Brown College requires that all residents eat Sunday brunch and dinner, and dinners Monday through Thursday in the designated residential dining facility. Friday lunch may also be used as a Brown College residential meal at Newcomb Hall.

Hereford College requires that all residents eat at Runk Dining for Sunday brunch or dinner and two additional dinners between Monday and Thursday evening.

Language Houses The French and Spanish language houses require that all residents participate in a Language House Meal Program. Students are required to eat dinner Monday through Thursday at their respective language house.

Plus Dollars Students enrolled in a University meal program may increase the flexibility of their meal plan by purchasing additional Plus Dollars. All charges will be billed by Student Financial Services, and funds are available within 1 business day of sign-up. Plus Dollars may be used for food purchases only, and are available exclusively to students on a meal plan.

Meal Plan Changes

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Meal programs are purchased for the academic year and are priced to take into consideration that some meals will be missed. For this reason, refunds will not be made for missed meals. Students may exercise a "semester option" by January 24, 2005, which permits a change or cancellation of the meal program for the second semester. Semester options to cancel may not be exercised by Residential College students, or first year students.

Students may revise their meal plan choice twice during the year. All changes must be made by letter, email or by filling out an Intent to Change Form at the Dining Services Administrative Office.

Changes for fall semester must be requested by September 5, 2004.

Spring change requests must be made by January 24, 2005. Spring semester changes are accepted from December 1 through the January deadline. They are not reflected on the Student Financial Services bill until after final registration in January.

There is no fee for changing meal plans; however a $50 administrative fee is applied to all cancellations except for December graduation and Study Abroad students.

Meal plan contracts are annual contracts.