Voluntary 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 more about dietary specific options in Campus Dining (menus denote which foods are vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free).
• The minimum required plan that will be assigned for the academic year is determined by student's residential status and total number of eligible units.
  • 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). Required Meal Plans
  • 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.

VOLUNTARY Meal Plans 2025-26

Eligible Students: Commuters, Graduate, Law, and Resident Undergraduate Students with 60 or more units

*The Grad Law 500 plan is only available to Graduate and Law School students.

Students may select the plan of their choice online via the MySanDiego portal. Look for the My Meal Plan channel within the My Torero Services tab. Though you may purchase a plan at any time, in order for your plan to be uploaded to your account by the first day of classes it is recommended that you select a plan by July 1 for the fall semester, or at least 30 days prior to the first day of the spring semester.

Once a plan is purchased for the year, that will be your plan for the fall and spring semesters. You will be automatically assigned the same Meal Plan that you have in the fall for the spring semester.

• Students who are eligible for a voluntary plan may purchase one at any time during the semester.
• Dining Dollars and Campus Cash may be purchased at any time during the semester.
• All students may increase their Meal Plan 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 (Required) Meal Plans include: Meals, Guest Meals, and Dining Dollars
All 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.
• CAMPUS CASH
  • You may also purchase food, beverages, and more using Campus Cash.

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 (such as cash or credit card).

Other 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 swipe 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 could 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 most dining locations.

At Pavilion Dining you may take food to go during breakfast and lunch. You may take a to go meal once per meal period during unlimited access dinner and brunch timeframes too. 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 container program.

Equivalencies

Most Voluntary Plans include the option of using your Meals as Meal Equivalencies as an alternative to having dinners and brunches at Pavilion Dining.

A Meal Equivalency has a value of $12.97 and may be used once during the dinner and brunch time frames at any open retail dining location. When using your meal equivalency, the maximum value is $12.97. 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 only use one Meal Equivalency during each dinner (or brunch) time frame at the retail locations listed below:

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 dining locations on most individual or single-serve sized food and beverage items.

Meal Equivalencies may also be used as follows:

• GET Food Mobile Menus
• 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 (where your parent/guardian can also make a deposit), or in person at the Campus Card office.

Campus Cash may be used across campus at a variety of locations, including; all campus dining locations and vending machines, USD Torero Store, Health Center and several off-campus retailers including Grubhub. 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. Your Campus Cash will then expire 90 days after your graduation, or withdrawal, date. 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 or withdrawing. For additional terms please visit the GET Funds website.

If you run out of Meals, you may purchase a new Meal Plan, use cash, purchase Campus Cash or Dining Dollars any time throughout the year via the Meal Plan channel within the MySanDiego portal.

Add a Meal Plan and/or Dining Dollars to your card 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 GET app.

If you do not have a current Meal Plan, you may add funds via the MySanDiego portal. Once logged in select Torero Hub > My Torero Services > Meal Plan channel.

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.

Guest Meals are complimentary and vary depending on which Meal Plan you have. See the Meal Plan chart above for number of guest meals per plan. Guest Meals may be redeemed at Pavilion Dining (dinner and brunch).

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/add a plan, or add funds:

• All students may increase their Meal Plan at any time during the semester.
  • Plans may be changed/purchased via MySanDiego within My Torero Services.
• Dining Dollars and Campus Cash may be purchased at any time during the semester.
• Students who are eligible for a voluntary plan may purchase one at any time during the semester.

Once a plan is purchased for the year, that will be your plan for the fall and spring semesters. You will be automatically assigned the same Meal Plan that you have in the fall for the spring semester.

All Meal Plan changes, including Voluntary Plan cancellations, must be made online via MySanDiego during the first ten class days of the undergraduate semester. After that timeframe there will be no changes or cancellations allowed. (Required Meal Plans may not be canceled at any time.)

Deadlines to cancel or decrease a voluntary plan:

• Fall deadline: 9/16/25
• Spring deadline: 2/6/26

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/Grad 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, 1/29/26 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, 1/25/26 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 fall and spring semesters. There are no Meal Plan accounts for intersession or summer. You may use cash, Campus Cash, or credit card for purchasing food during these times.

You must present your Torero ID card, or your virtual ID Card, every time you use the dining facilities. No exceptions.

• Once a plan is purchased, a student's Torero ID 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.

Report a card as lost or stolen:

1. Via the GET Funds site, or,
2. Contact Campus Card by phone (619) 260-5999 or report it in person at UC 127

For Meal Plan account questions please contact Campus Card Services directly: campuscard@sandiego.edu

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.

*Subject to change based on State of California laws

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 Torero ID - located within the MyUSD mobile 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.