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Meal Plans

Green Farm Salads at The Atrium
Green Farm Salads in The Atrium at Eickhoff

Residential Meal Plans

As defined in the Annual Residence Hall and Dining Service Contract, a meal plan is required for all residential students at The College of New Jersey. For additional information on meal plan balances and usage guidelines, visit TCNJ Dining’s page.

The general timeline for meal plans to be changed is from the start of room selection in late February/early March through early July for the fall semester and from late October to early November for the spring semester. Specific dates for meal plan changes are advertised through e-mail and on the housing website.

20For additional information on meal plan guidelines or the change process, see the sections below.

Campus Town Dollars

Every meal plan will now include $100 in Campus Town Dollars. This will be a separate charge from the indicated meal plan. Students can elect to add more points onto their Fall Bill during initial meal plan selection. Students with eligible meal plans will be able to add to their Campus Town Dollars wallet via The Office of Student Accounts / Card Services website.

An initial list of the establishments slated to be participating partners in this new program can be found below:

  • Frutta Bowl
  • Red Berry
  • Mexican Mariachi
  • Crepes & Churros
  • Mr. Wish
  • Barnes & Noble Cafe
  • Jersey Mike’s
  • IndiGrill
  • Yummy Sushi

*IMPORTANT NOTE: Campus Town Dollars is not affiliated with Sodexo, please contact Housing directly for information or questions at housing@tcnj.edu 

Note: look for this logo at the Shoppes at Campus Town to identify participating partners! 

Participating Partner Logo

Frequently Asked Questions

How does meal equivalency impact my meal plan?

Meal equivalency does not change your meal plan, but is an enhancement to the meal plan for students on the Meals Per Week plans. Meal Equivalency gives more flexibility to enjoy other on campus dining locations. Usage of meal equivalency will also students to maximize points available on their specific meal plan.

How does Campus Town Dollars impact my meal plan?

The Campus Town Dollars program provides diners with more flexibility. Cardholders may now elect to have an occasional meal in one of the Campus Town restaurants for a change of pace. 

Do I need to change my meal plan?

No, students do not need to change their meal plan to participate in the Campus Town Dollars program. Campus Town Dollars is added to the meal plan. Students may not elect to cancel only the Campus Town Dollars portion of the meal plan.

How do I upgrade my Campus Town Dollars?

Online deposits are active at this time! The Campus Town Dollars component is available through Student Accounts’ office.

Are the Campus Town Dollars required?

Campus Town Dollars are only required for meal plan card holders. Students have persistently asked us to create a meal program that included access to The Shoppes at Campus Town. In consultation with Student Government for the creation of this program, we have ensured that all meal plans include access to Campus Town Dollars. However, we made every effort to keep the costs down. We ensured that the legacy meal plans stayed well below the 6% food inflation rate to leave room to create a program we believe gives students the greatest access to meal services at The College of New Jersey.

Meal Plan Guidelines

  • Students who do not pick a meal plan for the fall semester will be automatically assigned 15 Meals per Week by Residential Education and Housing.
  • Students may select a different meal plan for the spring.  If a new meal plan is not selected for the spring, the student will retain the same meal plan from the fall.
  • In the rare circumstance where a student has a spring assignment, no fall or spring meal plan, and does not log on to change/pick a meal plan for the spring semester, the student will be assigned 15 Meals per Week.
  • The Apartment Plan is only available to juniors and seniors living in Phelps and Hausedoerffer. Residents who select this plan but do not meet the criteria will have their meal plan changed.  In this instance, residents would be given the same meal plan from the fall semester for the spring.

Full details of which meal plans are available to students can be seen by logging on to My Housing and accessing the meal plan step.

How to Change Your Meal Plan

  • Log onto My Housing.
  • Select your application for the current academic year.
  • Click on Selecting a Meal Plan from the steps at the top of the page.
  • Select the meal plan you would like from the drop down menu.  Please be careful if you use the scroll on your mouse this will change the selection on the drop down menu unless you click on the page outside of the drop down menu.
  • Click “Save & Continue”.
  • You will be taken to the Application Status page that will show the meal plan you selected. You will also receive an e-mail confirmation that your meal plan has been changed.  We recommend saving this e-mail for your records.
  • If the Fall or Spring bill has already been posted you will no longer be able to change your Meal Plan in MyHousing and have until the first Wednesday after that semester starts to email our department at housing@tcnj.edu asking to change your Meal Plan. No Meal Plans will be changed after the set deadline for each semester.

If you are a non-residential student and are interested in purchasing a meal plan, please see the TCNJ Dining website for details on their Block Plans or sign up for a Commuter meal plan my logging in to My Housing.  Since non-residential students are not required to have a Meal Plan you need to sign up for a meal plan for the entire academic year if you choose.  Points associated with the different commuter meal plans are available as long as you are registered for an active commuter plan. If you do not sign up for a Commuter Meal Plan for the Spring semester any unused points from the Fall would be forfeited after a Meal Plan audit is completed.    Please note that the Block meal plan and Meals per Week plans are different from one another in usage, set-up, and cost.

Please do not hesitate to call our office at (609) 771-2301 or e-mail us at housing@tcnj.edu with any questions or concerns that you may have.

Meal Plan Modification

If any students have a change in their circumstances after the signing of the Annual Residence Hall and Dining Contract, a Meal Plan Modification may be requested. Meal Plan Modifications can be requested due to documented disabilities, chronic medical conditions, food allergies, or religious beliefs. In addition to the request form, additional documentation will be required. If students would like to discuss the process and their case, a meeting can be scheduled with the Meal Plan Modification team to do so upon completion and submission of the Meal Plan Modification Form.

All decisions are granted on a case-by-case basis for Fall 2023 only.

Contact

Residential Education and Housing
Eickhoff Hall, Room 114
The College of New Jersey
PO Box 7718
2000 Pennington Rd.
Ewing, NJ 08628

609.771.2301 Phone
609.637.5165 Fax
housing@tcnj.edu
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