10 Things You Should Know About the Meal Plan

Important information about the new meal plan at UW Madison

Freshman Lauren Feiges gets food from the dining hall under the new mandatory meal plan.
Photo Credit: Kyla Rosenberg

How is the meal plan designed?

  • There are three tiers in the meal plan, the minimum requirement is $1400 a semester according to UW Housing.
  • There are also options for $2,100 and $3,150 plans.

How is it Calculated?

  • The meal plan is calculated based off of what UW housing considers an average of  9 meals per week, according to UW Housing.

Are there food pantries on/near campus?

  • The Open Seat is a student run food pantry on campus to help students with food insecurity, according to their website. The pantry was founded by ASM and is in the Student Activity Center in East Campus Mall.

Why was the meal plan formed?

  • The meal plan was formed because it provides families a better way to “predict expected food costs”, according to an email from UW Housing.

Can you opt out from the plan?

  • No. The only way to be exempt from the plan is if one has dietary restrictions that are verified by university housing, according to an email from UW Housing. However, on the housing website there is no clear place where to get more information on exemption.

How does the meal plan effect financial aid?

  • University housing says the meal plan can be covered by financial aid, however, they have not specified what this means, according to a petition to veto the meal plan.

What does this mean for students using financial aid?

  • This leaves students who rely on financial aid unsure if this will hurt their grant funding or increase debt through loans.

What was the students’ reaction to the meal plan?

  • 100 students staged a protest chanting in front of Gordons dining hall “I can’t eat”, according to madison.com.

Will the meal plan be changed?

  • The plan is set to remain the same for 2 years before changes will be made, according to UW news.

When was the policy announced?

  •  The policy was announced after many students accepted contracts in housing for the upcoming year, not allowing them to make a fully informed decision, according to a petition to veto the meal plan.