Frequently Asked Questions

All resident students are required by the University to purchase a Resident Dining meal plan, with the exception of students living in the Hillside and Susquehanna communities. All students living in residence halls are automatically enrolled in Plan C and it will be included on your student bill.

Students living in Hillside, Susquehanna, or off campus may purchase one of the Commuter/Off-Campus Apartment meal plans. Click here for more information.

There are many benefits to having a Resident meal plan! One of the biggest benefits is receiving a significant discount on prepared food items in the Resident Dining Halls on campus. Another benefit is the ability to choose a meal plan that reflects your unique eating habits. We offer a variety of dining experiences in our 31 dining locations including vegetarian, vegan, allergen-friendly, Kosher, and Halal, as well as healthy & balanced meal options. Unlike traditional meal plans, there are no limits on how often or when you can dine; as long as there are Dining Dollars on your meal plan, you have unlimited access to meals.

Adding Dining Dollars to your meal plan is easy; in person at the Meal Plan Office located in the Union Undergrounds, by calling 607-777-6000, or online. If you have any unspent Dining Dollars at the end of a semester, the balance will carry over as long as you purchase a new meal plan the following consecutive semester.

All students living in residence halls are automatically enrolled in Plan C. This will be included on your student bill.

Students living in Hillside, Susquehanna, or off campus may purchase one of the Commuter/Off-Campus Apartment meal plans. Click here for more information.

Your Binghamton University picture identification card is linked to your meal plan. It works like a debit card and can be used to pay for your food purchases at any Binghamton University Dining Services location on and off-campus.

Resident meal plans are made up of a Membership Fee and Dining Dollars. The Membership Fee covers the non-food costs associated with operating your four Resident Dining Halls (Appalachian, C4, CIW, and Hinman). This includes labor, supplies, maintenance, utilities, and paper.

Dining Dollars are the amount that can be spent on your food purchases. This varies based on the meal plan you choose. Since the Membership Fee covers all non-food costs, you receive a significant discount on prepared food items at any of the four Resident Dining Halls.

Students can purchase a meal plan online here, or in person at the Meal Plan Office, located in the Union Undergrounds.

If you have a balance from a previous semester of $100 or more, check out our no-purchase enrollment options here.

Learn more about our Faculty/Staff Meal Plan here.

Students can dine at a variety of locations on and off-campus. We currently have 27 on-campus dining locations including Resident Dining Halls, cafés, an on-campus restaurant, convenience stores, and The MarketPlace. Meal plans are accepted at any of these locations, as well as our 4 off-campus locations: ITC Café, Jazzman’s at the Pharmacy School and the Downtown Center, and the Decker School of Nursing and Health Sciences Café.

Hours of operation can be found here.

No. The meal plan can only be used at Binghamton University Dining Services locations.

Yes, you may use your credit card at any of the Resident Dining Halls, however, you will pay 1.8 times the posted price for prepared food items.

You can add Dining Dollars to your meal plan at any time, either online through the Cardholder Account Center, in-person at the Meal Plan Office located in the Union Undergrounds, or by contacting the Meal Plan Office at 607-777-6000. You will not be charged any additional fees for adding Dining Dollars - the amount of money added goes directly to your Dining Dollars amount.

Click here to view our meal plan budget card.

Contact University Police at 607-777-2393. In addition, you should put a temporary hold on your account by accessing your account here, calling the Meal Plan Office 607-777-6000, or by visiting the Meal Plan Office in the Union Undergrounds.

If you find your ID card you must go to the Meal Plan Office to have the temporary hold removed.

Yes. All our Resident Dining Halls offer well-balanced, healthy menu choices, including vegetarian and vegan options daily. Our registered dietitians are available for free consultations to assist with finding options for any dietary needs or preferences.

Alexa Schmidt, RD, CDN, alexa.schmidt@sodexo.com

Julie Lee, MS, RD, CDN, julie.lee@sodexo.com

Binghamton University Dining Services works to provide a variety of menu options for students, faculty, and staff who have food allergies, food intolerances, and/or special dietary needs. We can accommodate special dietary needs (i.e., gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free) at any Resident Dining Hall. While you may speak to any of the management staff in our facilities, if you ever have any questions about menu items, we strongly encourage you to reach out to our Registered Dietitians, Alexa Schmidt, RD, CDN, alexa.schmidt@sodexo.com and Julie Lee, MS, RD, CDN, julie.lee@sodexo.com, who can provide free consultations to help you with a general plan. Send them an email to set up a meeting.

Additionally, the Simple Servings stations located in C4 Dining Hall & Appalachian Dining Hall provide safe and appetizing food choices for our customers with food allergies or food intolerances. Foods offered at this station are free from the FDA's most common allergens of peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, wheat, soy, milk products, and eggs. All foods offered are made without gluten-containing ingredients.

Refunds of dining plan payments are permitted only during the first nine weeks of the semester under the following circumstances:

1. A student withdraws from the University
2. A student obtains a medical exemption from the dining plan from the University physician.

Students who register but do not attend the University receive a full refund of the entire dining plan payment.

The dining plan refund is computed on a prorated basis of the membership fee and the unused portion of the current semester dining dollars. Carryover balances will not be refunded.

For the purpose of prorating the membership fee, weekly increments are used and students eating for part of the week are charged for the full week. Refunds are prorated according to the following schedule:

Week 1: 85% Week 2: 75% Week 3: 65% Week 4: 55% Week 5: 45% Week 6: 35% Week 7: 25% Week 8: 15% Week 9: 5%

Due to New York State tax laws, no refund will be provided to students who have excess Dining Dollars in their account after the ninth week of the semester, when they graduate, or leave the University for any reason. More information is available at our Meal Plan Office.

Yes, Dining Dollars will carry over semester to semester and year to year as long as you purchase a meal plan each consecutive semester. If you do not purchase a new meal plan consecutive semesters, you will lose your carryover.

**Please note that carryover Dining Dollars will not be available until after the first week of classes for the semester.

Due to New York State tax laws, no refund will be provided to students who have excess dining dollars in their account after the ninth week of the semester, when they graduate, or leave the University for any reason.

The Meal Plan is specifically used for food on campus at Binghamton University Dining Services locations. BUC$ is a pre-paid debit card that can be used in locations such as the Bookstore, Library, Student Shops, etc. More information about BUC$ can be found here.

Yes, you can use BUC$ in any of our 31 dining locations. However, those purchasing prepared food items within any of our Resident Dining Halls will be charged 1.8 times the posted item price. Sales tax will also be applied towards the total purchase.

Yes, you can transfer money to your meal plan from your BUC$ account by contacting the Meal Plan Office at 607-777-6000. However, you cannot add money to your BUC$ account from your meal plan.

We will have one Resident Dining Hall serving our community from the first day of the fall semester through the end of spring exams for all of our students. So our employees can spend holidays with their families, we will not operate on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. We will also be opening some retail outlets as the business warrants. You may use your meal plan at any open location.

As break approaches, visit our Hours of Operation page for updated information.

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