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 that 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. Meal plans will be available to purchase for fall semester from April 1, 2022, until September 3, 2022; and from November 1, 2022, through January 28, 2023, for spring semester.

Flex dollars work on a declining balance basis, and may be used at 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-transferrable.

• Advantage Plan
  • 5 meal swipes per week (only one per meal period) and 250 flex dollars per semester
  • $1,095 per semester
• Blue Plan
  • 12 meal swipes per week (only one per meal period) and 300 flex dollars per semester
  • $2,860 per semester
• Gold Plan
  • 10 meal swipes per week (only one per meal period) and 500 flex dollars per semester
  • $3,070 per semester
• Ultimate Plan
  • Unlimited meal swipes per week (One meal swipe every 30 minutes per meal period) and 500 flex dollars per semester
  • $3,380 per semester

You can purchase add-on flex dollars: 110 flex dollars for $100 or 55 flex dollars for $50. To purchase, go online to caldining.berkeley.edu 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.

Students may change or cancel their meal plan for the fall semester from August 21 to September 3, 2022; and from January 12 to 28, 2023, for the spring semester. Changes to meal plans must be made by filling out this form. 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.

• All meal plans for fall 2022 will begin on Sunday, August 21, 2022, and end on Saturday, December 17, 2022.
  • There will be limited service during Thanksgiving Break and only flex dollars will be accepted from Thursday, November 24, 2022, through Saturday, November 26, 2022. Regular service will resume on Sunday, November 27, 2022.
• All meal plans for spring 2023 will begin on Thursday, January 12, 2023, and end on Sunday, May 14, 2023.
• There will be limited service during Spring Break and only flex dollars will be accepted from Sunday, March 26, 2023, through Saturday, April 1, 2023. Regular service will resume on Sunday, April 2, 2023.

Cal 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 caldining.berkeley.edu for up-to-date information on available locations. Meal plans can be used in all Cal Dining locations: dining commons, restaurants, and convenience stores

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’s 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.

Cal 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 holders’ 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.

Cal 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. Cal Dining cannot assume any liability for adverse reactions to food consumed, or items one may come in contact with while eating at any Cal 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. Cal Dining staff is not trained to administer EpiPens and cannot provide or administer them.

Cal 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.