Off-Campus Meal Plans 2023–2024
Undergraduate students living in off-campus housing or university-owned/affiliated apartments, as well as graduate/extension students
Balancing living and learning is even easier with a meal plan from Berkeley Dining. Off-campus meal plans are available by semester for flexibility, convenience, and value. Choose the plan that best fits your needs.
Buy a semester meal plan
Fall meal plans available for purchase April 1, 2023 – September 2, 2023. *
Spring meal plans available for purchase November 1, 2023 – January 27, 2024.
* Note that all new students will be able to purchase plans beginning August 1, 2023
Purchase an off-campus meal plan
using your CalNet ID.
Available plans for each semester
There are meal plans with flex dollars or a meal plan with a combination of swipes and flex dollars. Meal plans are made up of two components:
- Meal Swipes: A set number of meal swipes to use each week at the dining commons or as a meal equivalency at The Golden Bear Café, Brown’s, and The Eateries at Student Union. Any unused meal swipes will expire on Saturday at midnight each week and reset for the upcoming week. Meal swipes may only be used by the meal plan holder.
- Flex Dollars: A set number of flex dollars to use each semester that function like cash dollars and work on a declining balance.
You can maximize your time on campus and minimize the hassle of what to eat with the popular Advantage Plan. This plan offers great flexibility with a combination of meal swipes and flex dollars, or try one of the other plans that feature meal swipes and flex dollars: Blue Plan, Gold Plan, or Ultimate Plan. Note that meal swipes may only be used by the meal plan holder.
If you don’t need meal swipes and prefer to maximize your wallet with a plan using flex dollars only, check out the Standard Plan, Premium Plan, or Platinum Plan.
Pro tip: If you have a fall meal plan and buy a plan for the spring semester, your unused flex dollars from fall will roll over to the spring semester!
| Plan | Advantage Plan | Blue Plan | Gold Plan | Ultimate Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Description | “I want less hassle cooking and figuring out what to eat.” | “I like having a mix of meal swipes and flex dollars to get food on campus.” | “I want more snacks and fewer meal swipes.” | “I like lots of flexibility to get the food I need when I’m on campus.” |
| Swipes | 5 meal swipes per week (1 per meal period) | 12 meal swipes per week (1 per meal period) | 10 meal swipes per week (1 per meal period) | Unlimited meal swipes per week (1 swipe every 30 minutes per meal period) |
| Flex dollars | 250 flex dollars | 300 flex dollars | 500 flex dollars | 500 flex dollars |
| Cost | $1,145 | $2,990 | $3,210 | $3,535 |
Plans with flex dollars only:
| Plans | Standard Plan | Premium Plan | Platinum Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Description | “I love to cook but can use a backup plan when I get busy.” | “I like cooking but sharing the job gives me a little more balance.” | “Cooking is not my thing but saving time and reducing stress is.” |
| Meals | About 1- 2 meals per week | About 2- 3 meals per week | About 3 -4 meals per week |
| Flex dollars | 250 flex dollars | 525 flex dollars | 800 flex dollars |
| Cost | $250 | $500 (25 free flex dollars) | $750 (50 free flex dollars) |
Add-on flex dollars
Get more value for your dollar and supplement your meal plans by purchasing additional flex dollars at any time.
110 flex dollars for $100
55 flex dollars for $50
Purchase add-on flex dollars
using your CalNet ID.
Changes or cancellations
Students may change or cancel their meal plan for the fall semester from August 20 to September 2, 2023; and from January 11 – 27, 2024, for the spring semester. No other meal plan changes or cancellation requests will be approved outside of the official change period.
Pricing for dining commons
With flex dollars, pay less than cash price in the dining commons—on average about $4 less per meal! You can also use your flex dollars to pay for anyone, such as family, friends, or other guests.
| Meal | Meal Plan and Friends & Family Price | Cash Price (With no meal plan) |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | 9 flex dollars | $12 |
| Lunch/Brunch | 10 flex dollars | $14 |
| Dinner | 11 flex dollars | $16 |
Important dates
View all the important dates you need to keep in mind related to your meal plan.