FAQs

Fall 2025 dining plans will begin on Friday, August 29th, 2025 through dinner service on Friday, December 19th, 2025.

If you are assigned to a traditional or suite-style room, you’re required to enroll in one of the four residential dining plans (OPEN ACCESS +, OPEN ACCESS, WEEKLY 10+ or KOSHER). Each dining plan is designed to meet a variety of tastes and schedules. Each plan includes a combination of meals (to be used in the all-you-care-to-enjoy dining rooms) and Dining Points (to be used at on-campus eateries and City Convenience store locations) and 10 Guest Meals.

If you’re assigned to an apartment-style residence or live off campus, you are not required to enroll in a dining plan and you will not be automatically assigned to a dining plan, but you may choose from any of the dining plans above or three Campus Connector Plans.

No matter which meal plan you choose, you’ll eat well! Choosing a meal plan may seem daunting, but there are no wrong options. The best advice when deciding on a plan is to consider how many you’ll be eating in the all-you-care-to-eat dining rooms each week. If it is more than 10, our OPEN ACCESS or OPEN ACCESS + plan would be best. You’ll also want to think about your academic and social schedule.

If you live on campus in a traditional or suite-style room, you must enroll in one of the four residential dining plans. If you do not choose a meal plan, and you are required to have one, you will be assigned to the OPEN ACCESS plan. Students living off campus or in on-campus apartments are not required to select a meal plan but are welcome to sign up for any plan we offer.

The Campus Connector and Optional Dining Plans (only applies to Off-Campus or students in on-campus apartments) may cancel their meal plan by reaching out to the Terrier Card Office (tco@bu.edu)
on or before Thursday, September 25, 2025

Yes! In addition, to our OPEN ACCESS and WEEKLY plans, we also offer 3 CAMPUS CONNECTOR Meal Plans for non-resident and commuter students that provide the flexibility to visit our dining halls and our retail locations. All of these options are available to review on our website.

Residential students initially select their meal plan in the housing application. Students living off campus or in apartment-style rooms and who are currently enrolled in classes can choose a meal plan by visiting the Student Portal and selecting ‘My Student Life’ and then choose ‘Update Dining Plan.” Students without meal plans can purchase plans beginning the week of August 18th, 2025 in the student portal. Students with existing plan selections can upgrade plans beginning on Friday, August 29th, 2025 through Thursday, September 11th, 2025.

Students without meal plans can purchase plans the week of August 18th, 2025 in the student portal. Students with existing plan selections can upgrade plans beginning on Friday, August 29th, 2025 through Thursday, September 11th, 2025 by visiting the Student Portal and selecting “Add or Change your Dining Plan.”

During the change window, changes can only be made to a meal plan with the same or higher cost than the current plan.

If you live off campus or in an on-campus, apartment-style residence and you chose a dining plan or apartment plan, please refer to your plan agreement for policies regarding changes and cancellations. Since each plan has varying amounts of meals and points, additional costs may be incurred if meal and/or point usage is greater than expected levels at the time of the change. For more information contact the Terrier Card Office at 617-353-9966 or tco@bu.edu.

OPEN ACCESS + and OPEN ACCESS meal plan holders can enjoy a meal with us as many times as they wish! They can enter the dining hall multiple times a day, or even multiple times per meal.

The system used for Terrier Cards requires a figure to be set for meal balances, therefor, OPEN ACCESS + and OPEN ACCESS meal plan holders will see a balance of 20 meals reloaded daily.

Meal balances for the Weekly 10+ plan and the Kosher plan reset each Friday. Any meals not used before the following Thursday dinner period will not roll-over.

Our all-you-care-to-enjoy residence dining halls are designed to provide a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere for communal dining and social interaction among students. By enjoying meals together within these spaces, students can connect and build meaningful relationships, enhancing their overall college experience. In adherence to the University’s Terms and Conditions of the Residence License Agreement, food and related articles (with the exception of hand fruit and ice cream) are not permitted to be taken out of the residence dining halls. Our dining program is committed to minimizing food waste and promoting sustainable practices. By adhering to the no take-out policy, we aim to reduce unnecessary food waste and promote responsible consumption habits among our community.

Dining Points are dollars stored on your Terrier Card; 1 point = 1 dollar. They are a part of each meal plan and can be used to purchase meals at on-campus eateries through the Grubhub Campus app or for food purchases at City Convenience stores.

Convenience Points are dollars stored on your Terrier Card. They are separate from meal plans and not the same thing as Dining Points. In addition to dining locations, Convenience Points can be used for a variety of transactions such as vending or laundry services. Convenience Points can be added using the Student Link or added by using a credit card on the Give the Point page.

The Kosher plan includes access to our all-you-care-to-enjoy dining halls, as well as Shabbat meals, Passover Seders, and other festive meals, served at our Kosher dining hall, Granby Commons. All this plus $350 dining points per semester!

Dining Points, Convenience Points, and Meal Swipes are the preferred contact-less payment methods. Students can easily tap their Terrier ID card to enter residence dining rooms and one meal will automatically be deducted from your meal plan. Guests can download and set-up their Grubhub Campus Dining account from a mobile device to conveniently order and pay for meals at all on campus eateries.

For all plans, your Dining Points balance will carry over from the fall semester to the spring semester. Weekly 10+ or Kosher Plan members will receive meal balances each Friday and any un-used Meals from the week prior will expire. All Meal Plans will be made inactive at the end of the academic year. Any unused Meals, Dining Points, or Convenience Points given with a Campus Connector plan remaining at that time will be forfeited.

The Fresh Food Co. at Marciano Commons and the Fresh Food Co. at Warren Towers operate a gluten-free kitchen daily for lunch and dinner. The Fresh Food Co. at West Campus has a gluten-free ingredient station. All three of these dining rooms have gluten-free pantries that offer students a wide selection of gluten-free products anytime the dining hall is open. If you have an allergen, or would like to gain access to the gluten-free pantry, please contact the Sargent Choice Nutrition Center for a consultation.

Yes! Every dining room has a dedicated vegan station at every meal. As part of the menu rotation you’ll find different options throughout the day so what you see for dinner will be different than what you had for lunch. The vegan stations include create-your-own vegan stir fry with a multitude of different combinations to choose from. Fresh Fuel @ Granby Commons, located at 213 Bay State Road, is welcoming to all and offers two kitchens, one that is kosher and one that is vegan. The majority of items on our residence dining room menus are vegetarian-friendly. We offer vegan entrees, snacks, and dessert options in all of our dining rooms. You’ll find vegan selections at at variety of on campus dining locations across campus. Look for the green vegan logo and the brown vegetarian logo on menus and grab and go offerings. For more details about vegan and vegetarian dining, click here.

Yes! At 213 Bay State Road, you’ll find Fresh Fuel @ Granby Commons located on the 3rd floor. Here you will find a kosher and vegan menu served for lunch and dinner, plus Shabbat Dinners on Friday night and High Holiday celebrations as well.

We have many dining locations that are open late including Late Nite Café at Warren Towers, Late Nite Café at West Campus, and even Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers. You can always find what is open now on our website.

Our Rhetty To Go program is just what you need when you don’t have time to make it to the dining hall. You can place an order well in advance and select the time and location you’d like to pick it up. Options include breakfast, lunch, and dinner with sandwiches, salads, and entrees. There are even kosher, vegan, and gluten-free Rhetty To Go options.

Starting with Lobster Night in September, you’ll find plenty of fun and quirky dining experiences celebrating culinary creations from around the world. From National Cookie Day to Spicy Guacamole Day, there is a “food holiday” for everyone! Be sure to keep up with us on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook to be the first to find out about our experiences.

Yes! Residential meal plans include 10 Guest Meals. If you’d like to use a Guest Meal, just tell our cashier upon entry. Unused guest meals will rollover from Fall to Spring semester. Guests can also enjoy a meal with us by paying cash or card at the door. Keep in mind that our Warren Towers dining hall does require guests to pass through housing security.