Dining Plan FAQs

Yes. For both First-Years and Sophomores a shared dining experience is an important way to make connections and build community. For Juniors and Seniors, dining plans offer a convenient and flexible approach to meeting dining needs. Residents living in on-campus apartments will find a dining plan offering useful means by which to pay for Residential Learning Communities (RLC) catered events or to purchase snacks on-campus.

Room and board charges are billed jointly through the University Bursar's Office and appear on the Bursar Account student bill along with tuition.  With all the dining meal plans you have the flexibility of dining when and how often you like as well as have the ability to purchase groceries on campus. The dining plan is a quarterly allocation of purchasing points.  There is no predetermined number of meals per week, so you won’t lose out if you leave campus for a few days.  First-years and Sophomores can only select from the Preferred or Basic Plan.  Juniors and Seniors can select from three plans, either the Preferred, Basic, or Junior/Senior Plan.  Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors living in an apartment style accommodation have a fourth option to select - the Apartment Plan.

Each year, the dining plans include the respective number of points.  Each point is equal to a dollar.  For example, during the 2025-26 year:

• Preferred - 2541 points per quarter
• Basic -2172 points per quarter
• Junior/Senior -  1491 points per quarter
• Apartment Plan - 326 points per quarter
• Law - 489 per semester
  
• Graduate Student - 326 per semester

Incoming students who are new to campus housing choose a dining plan as part the RLC - Housing application. Returning students choose a dining plan as part of the Room Selection process. 

You can request a change in your dining plan through your housing portal.  Once the quarter starts, you cannot change your dining plan. 

Fall Quarter 2025
opens 6/30/25 - closes 8/4/25 at 5:00 PM

Winter Quarter 2026
opens 10/6/25 - closes 10/27/25 at 5:00 PM

Spring Quarter 2026
opens 1/5/26 - closes 2/2/26 at 5:00 PM

The dining meal plans are not intended to guarantee of any specific number of meals.  All of the resident dining plans are declining balance plans that you use to pay for whatever items you choose to purchase at the various dining venues on-campus.

A declining balance plan works like a debit card. At the onset of each quarter you begin with a preset number of dining points. Each time you purchase a food item, your dining meal plan balance will decrease by the amount of your purchase.

Compare your remaining resident dining points total to the Dining Points Pace Chart to see if you are on track with your points spending.  Your remaining dining points can be found on your Mobile Credential in your cell phone wallet.

Dining Points Pace Chart 2025 - 2026

Resident Dining Points are not real money. Rather Resident Dining Points are a method of assigning values for the different dining plan options

There are no cash refunds for unspent points.

At the end of the Fall quarter, if you remain in residency, up to 100 points will transfer to your beginning balance for the Winter quarter. The same will occur from Winter to Spring quarter. At the end of the Spring quarter, however, any unspent points will not carry over and will be forfeited. 

You can always add Dining Plus Points, at any time and in any amount.

Purchases of $50 of more can be charged to your student account. These are a great value: You save 9.38% (sales tax isn’t charged) and Dining Plus points are good for as long as you are enrolled at Santa Clara University.

If you start the fall as a Sophomore and have completed enough courses by spring to become a Junior, you cannot change to the Junior/Senior Plan.

Only students beginining their third or fourth collegiate year at the start of their contract period may choose the Junior/Senior plan.