Spring 2021 Meal Plan
Meal plans are available to all undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty and staff. All Vanderbilt students living in university housing are required to participate in a meal plan based on their cohort year. See below for meal plan components and rates for the 13-week semester between January 19, 2021 and May 11, 2021.
| FIRST-YEARS | SOPHOMORES | JUNIORS | SENIORS |
|---|---|---|---|
| The 21 Plan | The 19 Plan | The 19 Plan | The 14 Plan |
| 21 on-campus meals per week | 19 on-campus meals per week | 19 on-campus meals per week | 14 on-campus meals per week |
| $ 225 Meal Money per semester | $ 275 Meal Money per semester | $ 275 Meal Money per semester | $ 325 Meal Money per semester |
| $ 2,686 per semester | $ 2,666 per semester | $ 2,666 per semester | $ 2,385 per semester |
All meal plans include 5 guest meals, for use at any time during the semester.
Nonresidential students, including undergraduates opting out of on-campus housing, will have the ability to purchase the 14 or 19 meal plans, but will not be required to do so. In addition, nonresidential students, faculty, and staff have the option to purchase flex meals which are prepaid blocks of meals, redeemable at any Campus Dining location.
| Purchase Undergrad Student Flex Meals | Purchase Grad Flex Meals | Purchase Fac-Staff Flex Meals |
In addition to our meal plans, students can use debit spending accounts for food purchases:
- Meal Money — Money in this account is non-taxable (at the dining halls) for students living on campus and can be used at on-campus dining facilities, Munchie Marts, food trucks and Taste of Nashville restaurants. Unused Meal Money from the fall semester can be rolled over to the spring, but must be depleted by the end of the spring semester or the money is forfeited.
- Commodore Cash — Money in this account is taxable and fully refundable. It can be used in dining facilities, book stores, Munchie Marts, Sarratt ticket desk, post office, athletic concessions, Outdoor Recreation Center, Taste of Nashville locations, food trucks and at vending, laundry and copier machines.
Faculty Staff Meal Plan
Available to Vanderbilt Faculty, Staff, Graduate and Professional Students
Graduate and Professional Students are not required to purchase a meal plan, but are offered at a bundled discounted rate and are good at open Vanderbilt Campus Dining locations. Any selection will be billed to your student account and may be purchased here.
Faculty and Staff who wish to purchase a meal plan, you can do so with a credit card here.
Log in with your VUNetID and Password and follow the instructions. Please note meals are non-refundable, and are not transferable.
Please note that due to COVID-19 safety protocols, access to dining halls may be limited to undergraduate students during the initial weeks of the fall 2020 semester. Changes to this plan will be communicated via Campus Dining social media and news page.
2020-2021 Meal Plan Start & Stop Dates
Spring 2021 Meal Plan start date is Tuesday, January 19, 2021. Meal plans end at the end of day on Tuesday, May 11, 2021. Meal money is able to be used until Saturday, May 15 at 11:59 PM.
Meal Plan FAQ’s:
All Vanderbilt students living on campus are required to participate in a meal plan. On-campus students will be automatically be enrolled in a meal plan based on a student's cohort year at Vanderbilt. Example: Sophomores receive the Sophomore Plan, with 19 meals per week.
If you are a Vanderbilt student living off campus, you do not need to purchase a meal plan but can opt-in to any residential meal plan. They are the same plans that are offered on campus, yet are subject to TN state sales tax.
Meal plans are a required component of the residential undergraduate cost of attendance and exceptions are not granted.
(Students residing at OHARE at the Village at Vanderbilt are considered on-campus for the purposes of meal plan requirements)
To purchase a meal plan, visit: vanderbi.lt/mymealplan
All Vanderbilt students living on campus are required to have meal plan. Students are automatically enrolled into a meal plan based on your year at Vanderbilt. Example: Sophomores receive the Sophomore Plan, with 19 meals per week.
If you are a Vanderbilt Student who lives off campus, you do not need to purchase a meal plan but can purchase any of residential meal plan. They are the same plans that are offered on campus, yet are taxed.
For off-campus students who wish to purchase a meal plan or those who want to upgrade your meal plan, you may do that here.
Students with an undergraduate meal plan (21, 19, or 14) receive an allotment of meals each week. Meals reset weekly at 11:59pm Sunday.
For the 2022-23 academic year, there is no daily limit on the number of times you can redeem a meal. Students can redeem meal swipes up to three times per 60 minute period. This meal swipe policy will be consistent in all Campus Dining locations, including dining halls, cafes, and Munchie Marts.
Students enrolled in the optional All-Access plan can swipe in and out of residential dining locations as many times as they wish. Students enrolled in the optional All-Access plan can swipe once per day at any retail location, in addition to enjoying unlimited visits in Residential dining halls.
Vanderbilt takes great pride being named "Best Overall Food Allergy Program, 2021" by MenuTrinfo. Most all of our food in dining halls have allergens clearly marked, and can be viewed on our NetNutrition menu builder at vu.edu/menus. In addition, all residential dining halls are certified peanut and treenut free, with the exception of Rothschild. For further questions, please reach out to our Registered Dietitan, for assistance on navigating your way through Vanderbilt's dining facilities. Emily Svennevik, MPH, RD, LDN at dietitian@vanderbilt.edu.
As of Spring 2023, students not enrolled in the All-Access plan are limited to five meal swipes per day.
Vanderbilt Campus Dining takes its role seriously in providing healthy and nutritious options for all students - including those with unique dietary preferences or allergies. To help find menu options that fit everyone's unique needs, we encourage students to visit our NetNutrition menu planning tool at vu.edu/menus. For more comprehensive information regarding special dietary requirements and how to navigate any accommodatoins, our Registered Dietitian, Emily Svennivik, is available to meet privately and confidentially with students. Emily can be reached via email at dietitian@vanderbilt.edu. For quick nutrition questions, you can now text Emily directly - simply text "AskEmily" + your question - to 55744 from your mobile device.
Faculty staff can buy meals in bundles of 10 using a credit card here.
These are two different accounts with separate funds.
- Meal Money is an additional debit spending account available for food purchases. Meal Money can be used at on-campus dining locations, vending and Munchie Marts as well as off-campus participating Taste of Nashville restaurants. With the student VU Meal Plan, you will receive an alotted amount per semester of Meal Money.
- Commodore Cash is a debit spending account which can be used to make cash-free purchases at any campus location that accepts the Commodore Card (your student, faculty or staff ID). This account does not come with the VU Meal Plan, but may be added as you see fit. Money on this account is taxable and is fully refundable. The locations to use Commodore Cash include:
- Dining Locations
- Vanderbilt Bookstore
- Vanderbilt Printing Services
- Munchie Marts
- Vending
- Laundry and Copier Machines
- Sarratt Ticket Desk
- Post Office
- Athletic Concessions
- Outdoor Recreation Center