Finance/Economy/Business

College Students Are Paying More Than Ever to Eat in Campus Dining Halls

The average college meal plan now costs $5,656 per year — making it one of the most expensive line items on a student’s bill after tuition and housing.

That’s according to a new analysis from private student loan company Education Loan Finance, or ELFI, which examined meal plan costs at 150 colleges and universities across the country. The snapshot tracks with the most recently available government statistics, which show the average meal plan for students living on campus at a four-year public college was about $5,400 during the 2022-2023 school year. At private colleges, the typical charge was even higher — topping $6,200.

The rising cost of campus dining comes at a time when students and families are growing increasingly frustrated with the overall price of college. Tuition, dorm fees and other mandatory expenses have consistently outpaced inflation, and multiple surveys reveal growing public skepticism about whether a degree is actually worth the cost. On top of that, current and future students will have to navigate a shifting financial aid landscape due to changes introduced in Republicans’ massive new spending plan, which President Donald Trump signed into law last month.

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Meal plan fees have climbed alongside tuition

Meal plan prices have steadily climbed alongside tuition, housing and just about everything else. Since 2017, the average annual meal plan cost at public colleges has jumped from $4,666 to $5,472 — a 17% increase before adjusting for inflation. Over roughly that same period (from the 2016-2017 academic year to 2022-2023), average in-state tuition at public four-year colleges rose by about 20%, from $9,670 to $11,610, according to College Board data.

While skipping the meal plan is often floated as a way to save money, that option isn’t actually on the table at many campuses. In fact, the ELFI study found that 98% of schools require incoming students to purchase a meal plan, limiting their control over their college costs — even if they’re not seeing the value. Of the 75 public and 75 private schools evaluated in ELFI’s study, only three did not require first-year students to buy a meal plan — the University of Florida, the University of Georgia and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

On top of being a required expense at most campuses, meal plans often offer little flexibility. Many schools don’t refund unused dining dollars or meal swipes. Leftover funds from the fall semester typically roll over, but they usually expire by the end of the academic year. Students who don’t use their full plan still pay the full cost up-front, further padding university revenue.

The one area where students have some flexibility is when choosing a meal plan. Many colleges offer different tiers, allowing students to opt for fewer meals per week or limiting dining dollars to lower the overall cost. Instead of selecting an unlimited plan — that typically runs on the higher side — students can choose a cheaper option, especially if they plan to eat some meals in their dorm room or grab food off campus occasionally.

Still, even the most affordable plans can be pricey. The $5,656 price tag cited in the ELFI study reflects the average cost of the lowest-tier meal plan for first-year students in the 2025-2026 academic year. (Lower-tier plans usually limit students to one or two meals per day, often with a fixed number of swipes per week or semester).

For colleges, the guaranteed buy-in ensures a dependable revenue stream, especially when schools typically enroll thousands of new students each year. Some of this revenue may flow back to colleges through contracts with third-party providers like Sodexo or Aramark, which many institutions use to outsource campus dining services to reduce operational costs. But as the Hechinger Report noted in a 2017 story, these contracts often lack transparency — and there’s no requirement that any savings be passed on to students.

Are students getting their money’s worth?

At roughly $5,600 per year, the average college meal plan breaks down to about $622 per month over a standard nine-month academic year. That’s far more than what many students would likely spend on food outside a campus setting.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recommended food plans, for example, a moderate spending plan for a typical male student would cost about $3,424 over nine months, while a female student might spend closer to $2,892. That’s 39% and 49% less, respectively, than the average cost of a college dining plan.

Notably, the ELFI study points out that these USDA estimates are based on modest but nutritionally adequate diets — not extreme budgeting. Even if you look at the USDA’s more expensive “liberal” spending category, the monthly total is still lower than what many colleges are charging.

On the other hand, the USDA spending guidelines don’t factor in the time spent grocery shopping, cooking or cleaning up — tasks that students don’t have to do if they have a meal plan. But for students and families already stretched thin financially, those conveniences can come at a cost that’s hard to swallow.

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