I have a query regarding the costs relating to Meal Plans. I just discovered them lately and I’m kinda surprised how significant they are in figuring out college costs. Does the net price / cost of attendance (on-campus) displayed on respective college websites include the Meal Plan costs? Or is it indirect cost?
Also, if someone is willing enough to explain me how - (I know this question is a bit different than the Discussion topic but stems from the above query)
Meal plans work?
What is meant by 10/12/20/whatever meal plan?
What happens if I skip meals at the dining hall entire day? I mean can I carry over the cost of that day to the future?
Schools have different meal plans and requirements.
Usually the COA quoted does include a room and meal plan, and if there are several to choose from, the quoted COA is usually the average.
The 10/12/20 meals plans are probably meals per week. If you elect 10 meals per week, you can pick any 10. You swipe your student ID when you enter the dining hall and are ‘charged’ for 1 meal. If you get to 10, many schools have a charge for the 11th or 12th meal, sometimes at a discount.
Many schools have ‘dining dollars’ so you get 10 meals, and the rest are on a per meal charge.
One of my daughters had a 12 meal plan. The plan reset every Sunday, and she’d get 12 more meal. If she didn’t use one, it didn’t get carried over to the next week.
Other daughter had unlimited meals in the dining room M-F, and I think it was $500 per semester to use as dining dollars, for snacks, pizzas, smoothies, etc. That $500 did carry over from Fall to Spring, but if not used by the spring was forfeited.
Some schools do not require a meal plan to be purchased, but most schools do require students living in the dorm to select one.
When you look at the Cost of Attendance for students living on campus that is posted on the website, and the COA figures used for the Net Price Calculator, you probably will find that you have to dig a bit for the details. Some use the most expensive full room and board. Others use an average figure if multiple plans and housing rates are available - which can lead to serious miscalculations for some students. Don’t be afraid to email the admissions office, financial aid office, or housing office to find out details that would be important for you. It is perfectly OK for you to do that!
I think the best way to asses the meal plan is to break it down to the cost per meal. I was pretty horrified when I did that for my first kid. Schools approach plans differently so you have to look at each one.
Depends on the school. I was very surprised to learn a few years ago that UW-Madison did not require students who live on campus to buy meal plans. This might be changing, however: the school wants more money upfront from students.
You have to look at each school to see how they do meal plans. There is a lot of variety. Some have all-you-can-eat swipes, some are all pay-as-you-go and some are a combination.
The number is how many meals are included in the plan.