No uniform meal plan exists for students living on campus. Each university establishes its own meal plans, complete with its own requirements and idiosyncrasies. However, most universities employ basic plan structures that are similar to what other schools have.
Many colleges offer plans that are based on a specific number of meals per week. When choosing your plan, be realistic in assessing your needs. Some considerations include whether you will be able to attend breakfast, whether class sessions will cause you to miss meals and your weekend schedule. If you go home often on weekends or order take-out food with your friends, meals on weekends are not a requisite. Many schools offer meal plans with numbers ranging from 10 to 21 for the week for campus residents. Students pay for these plans at the beginning of the semester, and unused meals are not usually refundable. Analyze your needs carefully prior to committing to a plan so that you don't waste money on meals you won't consume.
Some colleges offer unlimited meal plans for specific dining halls. Again, assess your needs before selecting this plan. The difference in cost from this plan and the 21-meals-per-week plan is usually significant.
Sometimes, students may realize after they have purchased a plan that they require a meal plan that includes more meals. Colleges will often allow students to establish a student account that they can access with their student identification card. Student identification cards with this function have a strip similar to a credit card on the back. When swiped, the card accesses prepaid funds at on-campus facilities. Extra funds in the student account can supplement smaller meal plans; however, this method may be more costly than purchasing an increased number of meals in the base meal plan.