Required Residential Meal Plan FAQs

All students are given a variety of Meal Plan options designed to fit individual eating habits and busy academic schedules.

Whether you are interested in a hot breakfast, lunch on the run, a late night snack, vegetarian, gluten-free or Halal meals, there are options for everyone who has a Meal Plan. Learn about dietary specific options in Campus Dining (campus menus denote which foods are vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free).

• Most residents are required to have a Meal Plan (those in their first or second year as USD residents, and transfer residents, with less than 60 units).
• In order for units to be eligible, they must be accepted by the Registrar's Office by the tenth class day of student's first residential semester at USD.

All commuter students, and residents with 60 or more units, may choose a Voluntary Meal Plan.

REQUIRED Resident Meal Plans

Residents will be assigned a minimum Required Plan. All students may choose to increase their Meal Plan at any time via MySanDiego portal.

Note: Information and pricing listed applies to one semester only.

Pavilion Plans 2025-26

The Pavilion 105 will be assigned to residents who are First Year at USD, or Transfers with 0 to 29.5 units.

Torero Plans 2025-26

The Torero 75 will be assigned to residents who are Second Year at USD, or Transfers with 30 to 59.5 units.

The minimum Required Plan will automatically be assigned to student's account prior to the first Meal Plan meal date. This will occur for both the fall and spring semesters. The cost will be billed to your student account per semester.

Required plans may not be reduced or canceled at any time.

All students may increase their Meal Plan after July 1st, and at any time during the fall and spring semesters. Increase your plan via the MySanDiego portal. Find the My Meal Plan channel within the New Student or My Torero Services tab.

Dining Dollars and Campus Cash may be purchased at any time during the semester.

Meal Plan Funds
Plans contain unique funds that can be used in different ways when paying for meals on campus.

PAVILION Meal Plans include: Meals, Guest Meals, and Dining Dollars
TORERO Meal Plans include: Meals, Guest Meals, Dining Dollars and Meal Equivalencies

• MEALS
  • Meal Plan Meals may be used at Pavilion Dining for dinner daily, and for brunch on weekends. A scanner will read your card's magnetic strip and deduct one Meal from your plan. The terminal will then display how many meals you have remaining for the semester.
• GUEST MEALS
  • All Required Plans include complimentary Guest Meals, which may be used to pay for a guest when dining at Pavilion Dining. Let the cashier know that you would like to use a Guest Meal.
• DINING DOLLARS
  • Dining Dollars may be used for food purchases at all dining areas across campus at any time, just tell the cashier you would like to use Dining Dollars.
• EQUIVALENCIES
  • Torero Meal Plans include Equivalencies. (Required Pavilion Plans do not). Equivalencies may be used in many campus dining areas in lieu of Meals during daily dinner, and weekend brunch, timeframes.
  • 2025-26 Meal Equivalencies each have a value of $12.97.

Access Your Plan
In order to use your Meal Plan, you must present your Torero ID Card (or show your virtual ID via the MyUSD mobile app) at each register. Without your ID Card, you must use another form of payment to complete your transaction.

Payments
USD Dining accepts a variety of payment methods: cash, credit cards, Campus Cash, Dining Dollars, Meal Plan Meals, Meal Plan Equivalencies, Apple and Android Pay.

Meals

Meal Plan Meals may only be used at Pavilion Dining (Student Life Pavilion, level 1) for "unlimited access" brunch (on weekends) and dinner (Monday-Sunday).

Unlimited access is applicable when dining-in; you pay for one meal, and can return as many times as you like, during the meal time frame. Each time you pass through the register you must show your return stamp to access your Meal Plan.

One Meal Plan meal is deducted for the meal period regardless of how many servings you take while dining-in. Using china dishes helps cut down on waste and is the most sustainable option.

You may use one Meal during the following time frames at Pavilion Dining (hours subject to change):

• Dinner: Monday through Friday 4:30 to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 5 to 9 p.m.
• Brunch: Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Dining Dollars, Campus Cash, cash, or credit card may also be used to pay for entrance to Pavilion Dining's unlimited access meals (dinner and brunch) at the rate of $21.64. When paying with a Meal Plan 'meal' you will be saving over $7 off this price!

A la carte prices apply for breakfast and lunch Monday-Friday in Pavilion Dining. You may use Dining Dollars, Campus Cash, cash, or a credit card to pay for a la carte items.

Meals expire at the end of each semester on the last day of undergraduate finals. Meals do not roll over semester to semester.

To-Go Meals

You may take a meal to go from Pavilion Dining once per meal period (during dinner and brunch). You may take a maximum of two reusable Ozzi boxes of food and a fountain drink to-go. Reusable Ozzi containers require a refundable deposit. All-you-care-to-eat meals are structured for dining in. No disposable to-go boxes are distributed during dinners or brunch. To be the most sustainable; please dine-in on china dishes and bring a reusable bottle to enjoy fountain beverages.

Learn more about the Ozzi reusable to-go program.

Equivalencies

Torero Meal Plans include the option of using your Meals as meal Equivalencies rather than meal swipes. An Equivalency has a maximum value of $12.97 and may be used once during the dinner and (weekend) brunch time frames at any open retail dining location.

For example: if your check comes to $12.87, one meal equivalency will be deducted from your plan. The difference will not be refunded or carried over. If your check is over $12.97 you may pay the difference with Dining Dollars, Campus Cash, cash, or credit card.

You may use one meal equivalency during each dinner or brunch time frame:

• Dinner: Monday through Friday 4:30 to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 5 to 9 p.m.
• Brunch: Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Retail Dining

Whether it is early morning or late at night, a campus dining location is open to serve you. Choose from an array of enticing menus. All locations have indoor and outdoor seating and free WiFi. For dining in most retail locations you may use Dining Dollars, Campus Cash, cash or credit card. Current dining hours of operations are posted on the Auxiliary Services Hours page and available within the MyUSD app.

Retail dining locations that accept Meal Equivalencies:

Dining Dollars work similar to cash and may be used at all campus retail locations for most individual or single-serve sized food and beverage items. Dining Dollars and Meal Equivalencies may be used to purchase:

• GET Food mobile menus (order food for pick up)
• Food & beverages made to order
• Prepared grab and go items
• Individual fruits and vegetables (non-packaged)
• Snack items - single serve only
• Fountain beverages
• Bottled/canned beverages - 1 liter in size or smaller, 2 items per transaction

Dining Dollars and Meal Equivalencies may not be used to purchase:

• Grocery items
• Bulk candy
• Non-food merchandise
• Alcohol

Dining Dollars are accepted at all campus eateries:

Unlike Meals, unused Dining Dollars will roll over from the fall semester to the spring semester. Dining Dollars expire at the end of the spring semester on the last day of undergraduate finals. Students not participating in a Meal Plan in the spring semester will forfeit all remaining fall Dining Dollars at the conclusion of the fall semester and/or as soon as they cancel their Meal Plan.

No. Unused Meals and/or Dining Dollars may not be converted to Campus Cash (or cash, or Dining Dollars, or a credit) at any time.

Campus Cash is similar to a debit card. Money can be put on your Campus Cash account, online via the Get Funds site, or in person at the Campus Card Services office. Your parent/guardian will need your USD ID # to make a deposit online.

Campus Cash may be used across campus at all dining locations, vending machines, USD Torero Store, Health Center and several off-campus retailers including via the Grubhub app. For a complete list of places that accept Campus Cash visit the Campus Card website.

Campus Cash may not be used to purchase alcohol. Campus Cash is non-refundable. The only exception is if you are graduating, or withdrawing, from the university. (If you have a balance in your account you will need to go to the Campus Card office to request a refund within 90-days of graduating/withdrawal). For additional terms please visit the GET Funds website.

If you run out of Meals, you may purchase a new Meal Plan, use Cash, or purchase Campus Cash or Dining Dollars any time throughout the year via the MySanDiego portal, or at Campus Card Services UC-127. Current Meal Plan holders may add Campus Cash and Dining Dollars to their account at any time via the Campus Cash site or via the free GET app.

There are no refunds for unused Meals, and Meals do not carry over from semester to semester. In order to maintain the low Meal Plan cost, your unused Meals are forfeited at the end of each semester. Forecasted unused Meals are factored into the original cost of the Meal Plan.

Did You Know?

USD Dining has the lowest Meal Plan rates out of the majority of the university's peer schools.*

No, for your protection, Meal Plans are non-transferable. The Meal Plan is only for the student to whom it was issued, and use by anyone else may result in a fine. Meal plans may not be resold, assigned, or transferred to anyone else under any condition. Use of someone else's physical or digital ID to access Meal Plans/funds is also strictly prohibited.

Guest Meals are complimentary and vary depending on which Meal Plan you have. See the Meal Plan chart above for the number of guest meals per plan.

To use a Guest Meal, simply tell the cashier you would like to do so, and when your card is swiped, a Guest Meal will be deducted from your plan. Guest Meals have the same policies as regular Meals (they do not carry over from semester to semester etc).

To Increase a Plan or Add Funds:

• All students may increase their Meal Plan at any time during the semester. Required Plans may be increased via MySanDiego portal within the My Torero Services section.
• Dining Dollars and Campus Cash may be purchased at any time during the semester.
• Students who do not currently have a Meal Plan may purchase a plan at any time during the semester.

If you are a campus resident, and required to have a plan, you will be automatically assigned a Meal Plan for both the fall and spring semesters.

Cancel or Decrease a Plan:

• Required Meal Plans may not be reduced or canceled at any time.

Medical Exception:

Resident should contact the USD Disability & Learning Difference Resource Center.

• Resident must provide appropriate documentation from a licensed health care professional to determine eligibility for a medical exception.
• Disability Services will review the documentation to determine appropriate accommodations and will communicate that information to Dining if needed.

Contact: disabilityservices@sandiego.edu

Meal Plans are available when USD is in regular undergraduate session for the fall and spring semesters.

Those who do not cancel their Meal Plan at the start of the fall semester will automatically be assigned a plan at the start of the spring semester.

• Undergraduates/Graduate Students: The first meal of each semester, and following vacation breaks, will begin with dinner the night before the first day of undergraduate classes
  • 9/2/25 fall, 1/25/26 spring
• Law School Students: Meal Plans will be accepted as of the first day of Law School classes for the fall and spring semesters
  • 8/18/25 fall, 1/12/26 spring
• The last meal of each semester will be dinner on the last night of undergraduate exams
  • 12/19/25 fall, 5/20/26 spring
• No Meal Plan funds are accepted during Thanksgiving, Christmas, intersession, Easter or spring vacation breaks.

You may have a Meal Plan account for the academic fall and spring semesters. There are no Meal Plan accounts for intersession or summer. You may use Campus Cash, cash or credit card for purchasing food during these times.

You must present your Torero ID card, or virtual ID, every time you use the dining facilities. No exceptions. Your virtual ID is located within the MyUSD mobile app.

Once a plan is purchased, a student's Torero ID Card - the official USD identification card - will be activated with applicable Meal Plan information and will provide access to one's Meal Plan.

The Meal Plan is for the exclusive use of the cardholder.

A Meal Plan may not be resold, assigned, transferred, or used by anyone else under any condition. Use by anyone else may result in a fine.

For your protection, if you lose your ID card you must report it within 24 hours to Campus Card Services.

Contact their office by phone (619) 260-5999, report it in person at their office, or via their web page. If you do not report the loss of your card within 24 hours, you will be liable for any meals used and charges accrued, up until the time the card is reported missing. A new ID card may be purchased at Campus Card in UC-127.

For Meal Plan questions please contact Campus Card Services: campuscard@sandiego.edu or (619) 260-5999.

For general dining inquiries or special requests:

• Ask to speak to a dining manager or supervisor on duty.
• Complete a comment card online. We value your opinion.

If you show your official, valid Torero ID Card, to the cashier you will not be charged tax on food and non-carbonated beverage purchases.* Your ID Card must designate you as a current USD student.

*State of California law

Students shall be responsible for complying with all applicable Dining Services policies, including but not limited to the following:

• Bring your Torero ID card (or virtual ID - located within the MyUSD app) to every meal.
• Do not take the dishes or utensils out of any dining area. Theft (of food, utensils, supplies or other university property) is strictly prohibited.
• Bus your own dishes and be considerate of your neighbors.
• Attempting to enter dining facilities other than at designated points is prohibited.
• Throwing of any object within a dining facility is prohibited.
• Appropriate attire, including shirts and shoes, must be worn in all dining locations, including indoor and outdoor seating areas.
• Only official service dogs/animals are allowed in dining locations, including indoor and outdoor seating areas.

Violation of an applicable Dining Services policy will result in appropriate disciplinary action in a manner consistent with the Student Code of Rights and Responsibilities. Where the circumstances warrant, a student's dining privileges may be revoked when a Dining Services policy is violated. The student will not be entitled to a decrease or refund of any portion of the fee paid for the Meal Plan when the student's dining privileges are suspended or revoked.