Missouri State University

Skip to content Skip to navigation
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Family Connection

Drew Minnis – The Difference Between Dining Dollars and Your Meal Plan

July 22, 2021 by Priscilla Childress

A commonly asked question from family members of incoming students is, “How do I know my child is going to be able to eat while at college?” There is a straightforward answer. You won’t. To prevent students from not eating, Residence Life, Housing, and Dining Services require all students living in community style or suite-style housing to purchase both a meal plan and Dining Dollars package. But what is the difference between these? That is what we will look at today! Drew Minnis

When your student filled out their housing application, they were required to select how many meals per week and Dining Dollars they wanted for the upcoming semester. The price for a meal plan will vary based on the number of meals per week. The options range from ten meals per week to unlimited meals. The chart below shows all the options and their respective prices for either a semester or academic year.

I cannot tell you which package to choose, as that depends on the personal needs of your student. If you are entirely unsure, keep in mind that meal plans can be raised or lowered during the first three weeks of each semester. After the third week, meal plans can only be increased until the start of the next semester. Side note, the weekly meal balance resets Monday morning before breakfast.

Meal plan Semester Yearly
Unlimited meal/week $1,297 $2,594
19-Meals/week $1,212 $2,424
14-Meals/week $1,190 $2,380
10-Meals/week $1,175 $2,350

Now on to Dining Dollars, formerly known as Boomer Meals. Dining Dollars are a dollar-for-dollar declining balance plan, much like a checking account. The amount purchased will be loaded onto the student’s BearPass card to be used around campus. Every time a purchase is made, that amount is subtracted from the balance left on the account.

The balance can be checked at the time of sale or from the student’s My.MissouriState.EDU portal. Keep in mind that Dining Dollars can only be used at vendors listed here. Below you can find the four different amounts you can load onto your BearPass card. You can see that the more you buy, the more bonus Dining Services gives you!

Price Bonus Total Value
$280 $27 $307
$215 $21 $236
$165 $16 $181

To conclude, the part you have all been waiting for…my personal opinion on Dining Dollars and Meal Plans. I highly recommend that all incoming students purchase a meal plan and dining dollars for their first year on campus. I suggest that you start with 10-Meals per week and the $280 Dining Dollar package. My reasoning for the lowest meals per week selection is because why spend more money than you need to? You will always be able to increase this plan from your My.MissouriState.EDU account during the semester, but you can only decrease it for the first three weeks.

I honestly do not think the first three weeks will be long enough for you to decide which Meal Plan is best for you, so start at the bottom! For the Dining Dollars, my main reason for selecting the most expensive package is that the more you spend, the more bonus you get in return! I would guess that most students use all their Dining Dollars since getting a coffee at Starbucks every day will add up pretty quickly. Dining Dollars roll over every semester until the following summer, so you can lower the package for your second semester if you need to!

(submitted by Drew Minnis – Sophomore | Department of Hospitality Leadership | 2021 SOAR Leader | Vice President of Operations | Social Fraternity | Sustainability Committee Senator | Student Government Association Member | Student Affairs Advisory Board Member | Building Manager | Foster Recreation Center)

Filed Under: 2021, college life, Dining, Uncategorized

Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent Posts

  • A Chat with Chase – The Start of a New Semester
  • How to Encourage Your Student to Stay Fit and On Track during the Holidays
  • A Chat with Chase – Setting Yourself up for a Successful Semester
  • Spotlight on Khloee Lathrum – SOAR Leadership Assistant
  • Encourage your student to become a SOAR Leader!

Categories

  • 2020
  • 2021
  • 2022
  • 2023
  • academics
  • baseball
  • Bear Claw
  • Bear POWER
  • Bears LEAD
  • career center
  • college life
  • community service
  • Consider this…
  • counseling center
  • COVID-19
  • Dining
  • disability resource center
  • Family Events
  • family weekend
  • financial aid
  • first generation student
  • Fraternity and Sorority life
  • Health and Wellness
  • Housing and Dining Services
  • Immersion Programs
  • involvement
  • leadership
  • LGBTQ
  • move-in
  • Multicultural Programs
  • Plaster Student Union
  • Public Affairs
  • Residence Life
  • Safety and Transportation
  • SGA
  • SOAR
  • Spring Family Day
  • Student Affairs
  • Student Conduct
  • student employment
  • study away
  • Sustainability
  • Tradition of the Month
  • Uncategorized
  • Ursa Experience

Tags

academic advisor academics ask Priscilla athletics baseball Bear Claw Bill and Lucille Magers Family Health and Wellness Center career center communication counseling center COVID-19 Dean of Students FAFSA family weekend financial aid first generation student football Foster Rec Center Fraternity & Sorority Life Housing internships involvement leadership Meyer Library Missouri State Bookstore Office of Student Engagement Plaster Student Union professors Public Affairs Mission Residence Life scholarship. financial aid sleep SOAR Soar Leader stress student Student Activities Council Student Affairs student employment Student Government Association study away taylor health & wellness Traditions Council Ursa Experience - Maroon & White Overnight welcome weekend

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
Make your Missouri statementMake your Missouri statement
  • Last Modified: July 22, 2021
  • Accessibility
  • Disclaimer
  • Disclosures
  • EO/AA/M/F/Veterans/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity
  • © 2013 Board of Governors, Missouri State University
  • Contact Information