Dining Policies and Schedule for 2025-2026

Meal plans for the academic year will be billed in two segments: Fall Term and Winter/Spring Term. Summer meal plans will be billed once, in July.

Summer Meal Plans

Open selection period for meal plans begins on April 5, 2025 and ends on May 15, 2025. Students may elect to add a Summer Meal Plan at any time during the summer. The total number of purchased Summer Meal Plan swipes will be available starting at breakfast on Thursday, June 5, 2025 and any unused swipes will expire after dinner on Friday, August 29, 2025.

Note: Cancellations after May 15, 2025 are not permitted.

Summer Meal Plan Schedule

  • Begins
    • Thursday, June 5, 2025
  • Ends
    • Friday, August 29, 2025

Fall Term Meal Plans

Open selection period for meal plans begins on May 9, 2025, and ends on June 15, 2025, for Fall Term. Information regarding default meal plans can be found here. If you have extenuating circumstances, please contact mealplans@wlu.edu.

Note: All changes requested after June 15, 2025, will be assessed a $50 administrative fee.

Fall Meal Plan Schedule

  • Begins
    • Undergraduate: Saturday, August 30, 2025
    • Law School: Monday, August 25, 2025
  • Thanksgiving Break (Undergraduate and Law)
    • Meals will end on Friday, November 21, 2025, and resume on Saturday, November 29, 2025. At least one campus dining venue will remain open over break and will be available for those students who are on campus.
  • Ends
    • Undergraduate: Friday, December 12, 2025
    • Law School: Monday, December 15, 2025

Winter/Spring Term Meal Plans

Open selection period for meal plans begins on October 10, 2025, and ends on October 31, 2025, for Winter/Spring Term. If you have extenuating circumstances, please contact mealplans@wlu.edu. Note that most students do not make changes during this period. If you do nothing, your fall meal plan will automatically be assigned again for winter/spring.

Note: All changes requested after October 31, 2025, will be assessed a $50 administrative fee.

Winter/Spring Meal Plan Schedule

  • Begins
    • Undergraduate: Saturday, January 3, 2026
    • Law School: Monday, January 12, 2026
  • February Break (Undergraduate and Law)
    • Meals will end on Friday, February 20, 2026, and resume on Saturday, February 28, 2026. The Marketplace will be open over break and will be available for those students who are on campus.
  • Spring Break (Undergraduate)
    • Undergraduate: Meals will end on Friday, April 17, 2026, and resume on Saturday, April 25, 2026. The Marketplace will be open over break and available for those students who are on campus.
  • Ends
    • Undergraduate: Saturday, May 23, 2026
    •  Law School: Thursday, May 14, 2026

Dining Meal Plan Additional Information

Meal Plan Flex Dollars must be used each semester as they do not carry over from Fall Term to Winter/Spring Term.

The First-Year Full Board Dining Plan permits the holder 24 meals per week in The Marketplace during normal operating hours. After The Marketplace closes in the evening, holders of this plan may use a meal swipe in Café 77, Fireside, or Foodside (a maximum of one meal exchange per after-hours period). The Full Board plan also includes 10 guest meals per semester.

All Upper-Division Meal Plans (Full, 20, 15, 10, and 5) allow for meals to be used at any venue during normal operating hours. A meal swipe equates to one all-you-care-to-eat meal at either The Marketplace or Sorority Dining (for members and their guests), or a meal exchange at any retail venue. Breakfast will be exchanged at a value of $9.00. Brunch, lunch, and dinner will be exchanged at a value of $11.50. Meal exchanges are valid for scratch-made or bulk-dispensed products. Commercially pre-packaged items such as bottled beverages, candy bars, etc. are not eligible for purchase under meal exchange.

The Law 1000 Plan includes $500 in Meal Plan Flex Dollars each semester. Any funds not used during the Fall Semester will not carry over to Spring Semester.

The Law Campus Connection Plan includes $100 in Meal Plan Flex Dollars each semester. Any funds not used during the Fall Semester will not carry over to Spring Semester.

If you hold any meal plan, you may add tax-exempt Food Flex Dollars to your plan at any point during the academic year. Additional Food Flex Dollars added may be carried over from Fall Term to Winter/Spring Term but must be spent by the end of the academic year (in accordance with state law).

Students staying on campus and not taking a class for Spring Term (i.e. "Spring Option") may choose to keep their meal plan. In these cases, Dining Services will cover the required tax so you have easy access to food while you are on campus. Spring Option students will receive an email from Dining Services prior to the start of spring term requesting their preference on keeping or dropping their spring meal plan.


Virginia Law does not permit refunds of unused portions of your Meal Plan Flex Dollars or Food Flex Dollars. You should plan to use all Meal Plan Flex funds by the end of each semester and all Food Flex funds by the end of the academic year.