Frequently Asked Questions About Your Dining Experience

Can I use my meal plan to pay for guests?

Classic Meals are for your use only and cannot be used to bring in a guest. If you would like to bring a guest, you may use Dining Dollars, Illini Cash or a credit card.

Do my Dining Dollars Rollover if I don’t use them?

You may roll over a maximum of one week’s worth of your plan’s Dining Dollars into the following week (the maximum balance you can have is double your weekly allotment). Rollover of applicable dollars will occur automatically.

Note: If you change your meal plan, you can roll over up to one week's worth of your plan's current Dining Dollars to your new plan.

If you have a balance of Dining Dollars left at the end of the fall semester,  up to one week's worth of unused Dining Dollars will rollover to the first week of spring semester.

Does my meal plan work at all of the dining locations?

Yes!

University Housing meal plans are welcomed at all four dining hall locations, conveniently located around campus. For example, if you live in Allen Hall, but have a class over by the ISR dining center, you can go ahead and eat there using your meal plan!

Can I change my meal plan if it doesn’t work for me?

Yes!

The deadline to change meal plans for the Fall Semester is 11:00 p.m. (CST) on September 16, 2023.

Residents of Ashton Woods, Orchard Downs and Goodwin-Green: log in to MyHousing or send an email to the Family & Graduate Housing Office by September 12, 2023 if you wish to change your plan.  

You can change your meal plan for the Spring Semester starting on December 4, 2023. The deadline to change meal plans for the Spring Semester is 11:00 p.m. (CST) on February 10, 2024.

Residents of Ashton Woods, Orchard Downs and Goodwin-Green: log in to MyHousing or send an email to the Family & Graduate Housing Office by February 6, 2024 if you wish to change your plan.

Are children allowed to eat in the dining halls?

Bring your family!

Children under age 5 (accompanied by an adult) may eat for free in our dining halls.
The dining hall meal rates below are for children under age 12 (accompanied by an adult):

  • Breakfast: $5.04 includes sales tax
  • Lunch: $6.44 includes sales tax
  • Dinner: $7.11 includes sales tax

Meals paid for with credit card or Illini Cash are subject to sales tax. Meals for children paid for with Dining Dollars are not subject to tax.

Do I get charged for meals when I’m gone for breaks?

Standard meal weeks begin on a Sunday. At various times of the year when the meal week begins on a different day (e.g., opening week in the fall and after some break periods) your meal plan is prorated. This means you will have fewer meals during the week than you would in a regular week during the school year. When your meal plan rate was set, prorated weeks were already figured in, so you did not pay for them.

Prorated amounts are calculated by using a percentage of meals offered to the regular weekly allotment given.

Can I use Illini Cash at the dining halls and retail locations?

Yes!

It is not part of a meal plan but can be purchased as a supplement and is accepted in all dining locations. Swipe your i-card to use Illini Cash.

Can I transfer a classic meal or dining dollars to another person?

Classic Meals, Dining Dollars and Illini Cash are not refundable and cannot be transferred to another person.