Terms and Conditions (Living off-campus)

Students living in off-campus housing or university-owned/affiliated apartments, as well as graduate/extension students, are considered “off-campus” and may purchase an off-campus meal plan. Students must have a current and active registration indicating they are a student.

Off-campus meal plans are valid for a semester at a time. Available plans include three meal plans with flex dollars only and four meal plans with a combination of meal swipes and flex dollars.

Flex dollars work on a declining balance basis, and may be used at the dining commons, campus restaurants, convenience stores, and to pay for guest meals. 

Flex dollars function like cash dollars—1 flex dollar has the purchasing power of $1. For example, a purchase of $2.01 would cost 2.01 flex dollars.

Your unused fall flex dollars will only roll over if you purchase a spring meal plan. If your fall meal plan ends and you do not purchase a spring meal plan, any unused flex dollars will be forfeited. Flex dollars do not roll over into the summer session, or from academic year to academic year. Any flex dollars not used by the last day of the spring semester will be forfeited. Flex dollars cannot be refunded, transferred to another meal plan holder, or canceled.

• Standard Plan
  • 250 flex dollars per semester
  • $250 per semester
• Premium Plan
  • 525 flex dollars per semester
  • $500 per semester
• Platinum Plan
  • 800 flex dollars per semester
  • $750 per semester

Meal swipes are for use in the dining commons or as a “meal equivalency” swipe at participating locations. Flex dollars may also be used in the dining commons if meal swipes have run out for the week.

Each week meal swipes are available for the meal plan holder to use. Any unused meal swipes expire on Saturday at midnight each week and reset for the upcoming week. Meal swipes are non-transferable.

• Advantage Plan
  • 5 meal swipes per week (one per meal period) and 250 flex dollars per semester
  • $1,195 per semester
• Blue Plan
  • 12 meal swipes per week (one per meal period) and 300 flex dollars per semester
  • $3,125 per semester
• Gold Plan
  • 10 meal swipes per week (one per meal period) and 500 flex dollars per semester
  • $3,355 per semester
• Ultimate Plan
  • Unlimited meal swipes per week (one swipe every 30 minutes per meal period) and 500 flex dollars per semester
  • $3,695 per semester

You can purchase add-on flex dollars: 110 flex dollars for $100 or 55 flex dollars for $50. Purchase on the Berkeley Dining website or visit the cashier’s office located at 2610 Channing Way, 2nd floor. If you have a fall meal plan and you purchase a spring meal plan, then your unused add-on flex dollars will roll over from fall to spring.

Changes and cancellations to meal plans must be made by filling out the Off-campus meal plan change form during the official change period. No other meal plan changes or cancellation requests will be approved outside of the official change period. Meal plan holders will forfeit all unused flex dollars up to the cancellation date. Approved cancellations will be assessed a $75.00 cancellation fee and the refund will be prorated.

View the meal plan service dates and deadlines for the 2024-2025 academic year. 

Berkeley Dining locations may have special hours or close for holidays. Please note in the case of an emergency campus closure, advance notice may not be provided. Please view the Hours of Operation webpage for up-to-date information.

Please review the Berkeley Dining locations webpage for up-to-date information on available locations. Meal plans can be used in all Berkeley Dining locations. Dining commons are all-you-can-eat locations where food is meant to be eaten on premises. While you are welcome to grab a piece of fruit or a small dessert (like a cookie) to take with you, additional carry-out is not permitted. Use your flex dollars wherever Grubhub is offered.

Installments are billed to your CalCentral Account, and due in September for the fall semester and January for the spring semester. The statements will indicate the specific date payment is due. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure payments are received at Campus Billing & Payment Services, 140 University Hall, on time, or be subject to late fines and other sanctions. Fees will also be assessed for any returned checks and will be charged to your CalCentral Account statement. Should an account become delinquent, action will be taken to collect on any outstanding debt. To prevent such sanctions, contact the Cal Central Office prior to the 15th of the payment month.

Fall and spring semester dates as defined in the official University academic calendar shall constitute the period of the off-campus meal plans, except for campus closure periods. Please view the UC Berkeley academic calendar for up-to-date information.

Berkeley Dining uses the Cal 1 Card to manage meal plan utilization. The Cal 1 Card is encoded for the appropriate meal plan specified on the Cal 1 Card holder’s account. Students must show a valid Cal 1 Card at every meal, as meal plan access is by Cal 1 Card swipe only. Cal 1 Cards and privileges are non-transferable. In the absence of the Cal 1 Card, meals may be purchased with cash, credit, or debit at the general public price.

The Cal 1 Card is valuable and should be protected accordingly. You are solely responsible for immediately reporting/deactivating a lost or stolen Cal 1 Card. The most effective way to do so is online by logging into your account (cal1card.berkeley.edu/login). If you do not have access to the internet when your card is lost or stolen, reports can be made in person at the Cal 1 Card Office or by calling 1.866.2UCBCARD. Once the card is reported missing, you assume no further liability for unauthorized use. A $35 non-refundable replacement fee will be assessed to your student billing account. If your card was stolen and you filed a police report for the incident, the replacement fee will be waived by presenting the corresponding police report when requesting the replacement card. Replacement cards are only issued to students with a current registration status in the applicable academic term. NOTE: If you are a student and you withdraw from classes, the Cal 1 Card cannot be replaced if you lose it, and you will not be able to use your meal plan.

Berkeley Dining makes every effort to identify ingredients that may trigger more well-known allergic or other adverse reactions for individuals with food allergies or intolerance. Our staff is trained and educated on food allergies and gluten-free diets on an ongoing basis, and they ensure that items marked gluten-friendly are made without gluten-containing ingredients. However, due to the volume of meals served and items used each day, along with food product changes from our vendors, we cannot guarantee that every allergen or gluten source in the food served will be identified and labeled. There is a small possibility that, without notice to us, manufacturers of the commercial foods we use can change the formulation at any time. Cross-contact may also occur despite our best efforts to prevent it. Customers concerned with food allergens and gluten must be aware of these risks. Berkeley Dining cannot assume any liability for adverse reactions to food consumed, or items one may come in contact with while eating at any Berkeley Dining facility or catered event. Customers with life-threatening food allergies who may need to use an EpiPen should be carrying their own at all times. Berkeley Dining staff is not trained to administer EpiPens and cannot provide or administer them.

Berkeley Dining strives to provide a variety of meal options, including vegetarian and vegan selections. Although not guaranteed, special diets can generally be accommodated within our regular offerings. Students living in the residence halls are encouraged to meet with our registered dietitian to discuss any special dietary concerns or food allergies by emailing dietitian@berkeley.edu.