All information below is for the 2024-25 academic year.
All residents living in University Residence Halls in the academic year are required to select a weekly dining plan. Your dining plan gives you a designated number of meals per week based on the plan you select. There are three options for you to choose from. Explore them and consider which option will fit your schedule and eating habits best. If you have questions or would like help finding the best fit for you, reach out to us at dining@housing.wisc.edu.
Meal plans for the 2025 Spring Semester begin Sunday, January 12, 2025.
"The dining halls had plenty of good vegetarian options! I'm vegetarian but all of my omnivorous friends get the vegan options pretty often because of their macros."
Drew S., Smith Residence Hall
Dining Plan Options
| Go10 | |
|---|---|
| Meals | 10 meals per week |
| can do up to 2 meal exchanges per week | |
| Guest Meals | None |
| Dining Dollars | $100 per semester |
| Go14 | |
|---|---|
| Meals | 14 meals per week |
| can do up to 4 meal exchanges per week | |
| Guest Meals | 3 guest meals per semester |
| Dining Dollars | $200 per semester |
| GoUnlimited | |
|---|---|
| Meals | unlimited meals per week |
| can do up to 6 meal exchanges per week | |
| Guest Meals | 3 guest meals per semester |
| Dining Dollars | $450 per semester |
- Meals Per Week – meals that a student is able to use during a calendar week that expire at the end of each week (only redeemable in Housing Dining markets). Can swipe every 30 minutes.
- Guest Meals – meals a student can use to bring a guest in to dine with them (redeemable only in Housing Dining markets)
- Meal Exchange – a meal a student can use at Flamingo Runs, The Bean & Creamery, Southeast Café, or Shake Smart for a combo/item or at Babcock Dairy and Wisconsin Union locations for a $5 credit that counts as a meal swipe (only redeemable in these Housing Dining, Babcock, and Union locations). Check out our meal exchange options.
- Dining Dollars – retail dollars that can be used at any campus food location, including any Housing Dining location or Wisconsin Union location (5% discount on all purchases)
Dining Plan Rates
Dining plan rates are available on our Billing & Rates page.
What's on Your Wiscard
You will use your Wiscard, your UW-Madison issued student ID, to manage your weekly meals, meal exchanges, dining dollars, and guest meals (if applicable with your plan). You will do this by swiping your card at check-out when prompted by the cashier. In addition, you can also use your Wiscard to access in-person services and purchase other non-food items on-campus and at other locations on-campus.
Your Wiscard contains three sets of funds that can be used in different ways:
Housing Meals
Can be used for meals at Housing Dining markets:
- Carson’s
- Four Lakes
- Gordon Avenue
- Liz’s
- Lowell
- Rheta’s
Includes:
- Weekly meals
- Meal exchanges*
- Guest meals
Details:
- Expire weekly (except guest meals)
- Can swipe every 30 minutes
- Best deal for meals
- Paid for in semesterly Housing bills
*Meal exchanges can be used at Flamingo Run, The Bean & Creamery, Southeast Café, Shake Smart, Babcock Dairy, and Wisconsin Union locations and will count against weekly meal count.
Dining Dollars
Can be used for food at any campus dining location:
- Housing Dining locations
- Housing Dining markets
- Flamingo Runs
- The Bean & Creamery
- Southeast Café
- Starbucks (Smith Hall)
- Shake Smart (Bakke)
- Wisconsin Union locations
- Memorial Union
- Union South
- Badger Markets
- Other Union-owned cafes and delis
Details:
- Expire at end of academic year
- 5% discount on food purchases
- Paid for in semesterly Housing bills
Wiscard Account
Can be used for any purchases at campus locations accepting Wiscard:
- Food
- Groceries
- Laundry
- Copies
- Books
- Apparel
- Technology
- Recreation
- Event tickets
Details:
- Money carries over throughout time at UW-Madison
- 5% discount on food purchases
- Must deposit separately – can add money at any time
Dining Meal Plan FAQs
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Can Dining Dollars be used at other campus locations?
Yes. Dining Dollars are retail dollars that a student can use at any food location on campus. This would include any Housing Dining venue or Union location. Think of them like cash on a debit card.
Can students change their dining plan at certain points of the year?
For the 2024-25 Academic Year, students can adjust their dining plan selection for the fall semester up until August 2, 2024.
To ensure all students have access to a sufficient number of meals for the fall semester, there will be a window for a meal plan increase from September 20 – 30 by emailing request to dining@housing.wisc.edu.
Students will have another opportunity in November 20 to December 15 to adjust their dining plan for the spring semester.
To view or change their current dining plan selection, students should log into My UW Housing, go into their 2024-25 application (select “Click here to get started”), and then click on “Dining Plan.”
Do unused meals for a week always expire, or is there any flexibility to carry over or flex to another week?
Unused meals expire at the end of the week and do not carry over to the next week. Your dining plan gives you a designated number of meals per week based on the plan you selected. We can help you decide on the right plan to fit your schedule and eating habits, ensuring you get the full value of your plan. Please reach out to us at dining@housing.wisc.edu.
Will any of the dining funds carry over at the end of the year if unused?
No, designated meals per week need to be used up within the week. In addition, all Dining Dollars need to be used up by the end of the academic year. They do not carry over to the next year.
I have purchased the GoUnlimited dining plan, can I share my meals with guest or my friends who have run out of meal for the week?
Meals are to be used for the student who purchased the plan and cannot be used for friends or guests. Students are not allowed to use another resident’s Wiscard. As part of the GoUnlimited plan, you will receive three guest meals per semester. These meals can be used for guests or friends. Once guest meals are used up, you can use your Dining Dollars to buy meals for others at the door price per meal.
If I have extra meals I haven't used for the week, can I "donate" them to someone else in need?
No. Meals aren’t transferable to other students. However, Housing Dining is a part of the Swipe Out Hunger program and residents are able to donate a meal swipe when making a purchase to support UW-Madison’s Badger FARE program. In addition, University Housing Dining takes any leftover unserved food from the Dining Markets and creates pre-packaged frozen microwaveable meals. These meals are available at no cost to any student on-campus facing food insecurity. To learn more about this program and where you can pick up food, see the Nutrition Access Program on our Food Recovery page or on Instagram and Facebook.
Are all meal periods counted as the same amount for residents?
Yes, for residents using their dining plan meals, all meal periods – breakfast, lunch, dinner, and brunch (served on weekends) – count as equal meals and will count as one of your weekly meals. If you are a non-resident or if you are using Dining Dollars or other funds to pay for a meal, there are different prices for different meal periods.
If I have used all of my meals for the week, what are my options for eating for the rest of the week?
If you use all of your designated meals for the week, you can use your Dining Dollars to purchase meals upon entry to the market at standard price. You’ll receive a 5% discount on food when using your Wiscard. If you run out of Dining Dollars, you are able to add money to your Wiscard online or by visiting the Wiscard Office.
In addition, University Housing Dining takes any leftover unserved food from the dining markets and creates pre-packaged frozen microwaveable meals. These meals are available at no cost to any student on-campus. To learn more about the Nutrition Access Program and where you can pick-up food, visit our Food Recovery page and follow the program on Instagram and Facebook.
What day and time will meal balances get renewed each week?
Our weeks run Sunday through Saturday. Weekly meal balances renew for the week every Sunday at 12:00 am.
Where can I go to see how many meals I have left for the week?
You can check your meal balance for the week along with your Dining Dollars balance at any time by visiting the Wiscard online account portal. In addition, after your Wiscard is swiped for entrance in the dining facility, you balance will flash on the POS machine.
What are meal exchanges?
A meal exchange is a meal a student can use from their dining plan at Flamingo Run or The Bean & Creamery for a set combination of items during certain hours. One exchange meal may be redeemed per day. The number of meal exchanges allowed per week will depend on your selected dining plan (2/week for Go10, 4/week for Go14, and 6/week for GoUnlimited).
Why are all residents required to have a dining plan?
Having a dining plan helps ensure that students get the nutrition they need to be healthy and successful, without having to worry about budgeting for food throughout the year. It also allows us to maintain lower housing rates for our residents, and gives students more value.
