2024-2025 meal plans are now available for purchase.
What is a Meal Plan?
Meal Swipes
Meal Swipes give you access to any of our all-you-care-to-eat dining halls, including The Dish at O'Hill, Runk, and the Fresh Food Company at Newcomb Hall.
Meal Exchange & Reusable To-Go
Meal Exchange allows you to use a Meal Swipe to purchase pre-set combo meals at select locations beyond the dining halls. Only one Meal Exchange/Dining Hall To-Go swipe per hour is permitted. There is a daily limit of 2-3 Meal Exchange meals or disposable To-Go swipes, depending on the chosen meal plan.
UVA Dine offers free reusable to-go boxes in all 3 of the residential dining halls. Using a Meal Swipe to obtain a reusable container is a convenient way to take food on the go while minimizing waste. Once you redeem your first container, you must return it to receive a clean one. The same container cannot be used more than once per Meal Swipe. Using a reusable container does not count towards your daily/hourly limit. Learn more about the Reusable To-Go program.
Flex Dollars
Flex Dollars are included with your meal plan to be used at all UVA Dine locations. Visit our locations page for more information, including menus and hours of operation.
Guest Meals
All-Access Meal Plans come with 10 guest meals to use for visiting friends or family. Block Meal Plan holders may use any available swipes for guests.Meal Plan Benefits
With your Meal Plan, you receive many benefits and perks, including:
- Quality food made fresh by our culinary team, with a variety of menu options personalized the way you like
- Healthy choices available all across Grounds
- Special events, theme meals and exclusive offers for Meal Plan members
- Casual atmosphere with Wi-Fi, TVs, music, and lounge-style seating – perfect for studying or hanging out with friends
All residential dining halls have a dedicated allergen-friendly station called the Copper Hood. Find out more about food allergy management at Cooper Hood online.
To-go meals: simply request a to-go box when you swipe in at any of our dining halls – learn more about to-go meals online!
Incoming First-Year Information
Every First-Year student is required to have an All-Access Meal Plan for both semesters. This Meal Plan allows them to swipe into all-you-care-to-eat dining halls as many times as they would like daily, using up to 2 or 3 Meal Exchange location meals/To-Go per day, and 10 guest meals per semester. Students are able to choose the amount of Flex Dollars that they would like on their plan.
Meal plans will be available for purchase on the Meal Plans page beginning April 3, 2024. Rising first years must sign up for a meal plan by July 5, 2024 or they will be defaulted into the All-Access plan with $150 Flex (the minimum amount available for the plan). While you do sign up for your plan through UVA Dine, you will be billed in SIS with all other UVA charges once the term is billed in mid-July.
Managing Your Plan
There are three ways you can check your Meal Swipes and Flex Dollars balance:
- Visit the Cavalier Advantage website to view your balances
- Visit the Meal Plan office on the first floor of O’Hill, open Monday-Friday 8:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
Key Dates
Summer Dates 2024
- July 5 - Rising First Year Deadline - If you do not choose a plan by July 5, 2024 you will be defaulted into the All Access with $150 Flex Dollars. However, you may upgrade to any other All Access plan at any time by submitting our Dining Plan Change Request Form. Do not order a plan once you see a meal plan charge through SFS or it may result in duplicate charges. If you need to update your plan selection, choose the Dining plan change form instead.
- There is no deadline or default for Upperclassmen unless they live in a residence hall that requires a Meal Plan.
Fall 2024 Dates
- August 22 - Meal Plans and dining service begins for the fall semester
- September 4 - Last day to downgrade or cancel an upperclassman meal plan for fall
Spring 2025 Dates
- January 12 - Dining service begins for the spring semester
- January 22 - Last day to downgrade or cancel an upperclassmen meal plan for spring
Reminder: Meal Plans are annual contracts, billed each semester. Therefore when you sign up for a Meal Plan in the fall, it continues in the spring - no need to sign up again!
