Living on campus immediately makes you part of a close-knit community with other students with whom you can make new connections and build potentially life-long relationships. The huge variety of delicious and nutritious food available through our residential dining program offers a shared space and common experience that can nurture and encourage these connections.
Creating communities within the Residential College Experience is an essential part of student life at USC. That is one reason why our Cardinal Meal Plan is anchored in the three residential dining halls. However, there are variety of meal plans offered and you can choose the one that best fits your campus lifestyle.
Meal Plan Options for Summer 2024
Any USC summer student may purchase a Dining Dollar Block of $250 or $500 at a 10% discount throughout Summer 2024.
- $250 Dining Dollar Block: Costs $225
- $500 Dining Dollar Block: Costs $450
- Summer Dining Dollar Blocks may be used starting Thursday May 9, 2024. Please note that Dining Dollar Blocks DO NOT roll over into the Fall 2024 semester and reset on Friday, August 16, 2024
- Everybody’s Kitchen (EVK) will be open from May 20th through August 16th
- Dining Dollars are accepted at Residential and Retail Café venues. Please check the “Hours of Operation” page for all open locations
Meal Plan Options for Fall 2024 / Spring 2025
Meal plans are assigned based on class standing. Students whose residential location does not require a meal plan may choose to participate in any plan on an optional basis.
First Year Students
- All first year students living in University Housing will be assigned the Cardinal Meal Plan.
- Residents may elect to upgrade their meal plan.
- All plan changes must be submitted by September 3, 2024 for Fall 2024 and by January 23, 2025 for Spring 2025.
Sophomore, Juniors, and Seniors
- All sophomores, juniors, and seniors living in USC Housing Apartments will be assigned the Apartment Meal Plan when they confirm a USC Housing contract.
- Residents may elect to upgrade their meal plan.
- All plan changes must be submitted by September 3, 2024 for Fall 2024 and by January 23, 2025 for Spring 2025.
Cardinal Plan
The Cardinal Meal Plan gives you unlimited access to our residential dining halls, no matter how often you'd like to visit them. They offer a comfortable space and a variety of food choices for a meal, a snack, a visit with friends or a convenient place to work on a class project. Since you may need to grab a quick meal between classes when you re not near a dining hall, the Cardinal Meal Plan also includes two Campus Center Meal Swipes per week that can be used for meal combos at many locations at the Ronald Tutor Campus Center.
What you'll get:
- Unlimited Residential Meal Swipes + plus 7 guest swipes per semester
- 2 Campus Center Meal Swipes per week at Seeds Marketplace, Filone's, Slice Shop, TacoTaco, Burger Crush, and C&G Juice Co., located at the Ronald Tutor Campus Center (these swipes do not roll over week to week, they reset every Sunday)
Trojan Plan
Some students may want a meal plan primarily composed of Dining Dollars, but with a small amount of Residential Meal Swipes. If that best fits your needs, then the Trojan Plan is for you.
What you'll get:
- 60 Residential Meal Swipes per semester
- $3,385 Dining Dollars per semester
Apartment Plan
All sophomores, juniors, and seniors living in USC Housing Apartments will be assigned the Apartment plan when they confirm a USC Housing contract. This plan includes 40 Residential Meal Swipes plus $150 Dining Dollars per semester. Residents may elect to upgrade their meal plan.
If you exhaust your Apartment plan and decide that you want more Residential Meal Swipes, you can purchase a new Apartment, Community 25, or Community 50 plan when the Residential Meal Swipes run out. Any unused Dining Dollar or swipe balance will reset at the end of the semester.
Graduate students are not required to purchase a meal plan.
What you'll get:
- 40 Residential Meal Swipes
- $150 Dining Dollars per semester
Community 25 and 50
The Community plans are great options for students who are not required to have a meal plan but would like one that offers the combination of Residential Meal Swipes with Dining Dollars. You may purchase a new Community plan once the previous plan has been exhausted. Dining Dollars and Residential Meal Swipes from these two plans roll over from the Fall semester into the Spring semester.
Community 25:
- 25 Residential Meal Swipes
- $50 Dining Dollars
Community 25:
- 25 Residential Meal Swipes
- $50 Dining Dollars
Dining Dollar Block
If you'd like to switch things up as your campus lifestyle evolves, you can add an extra block of 250 or 500 Dining Dollars to your plan at any time during the semester. This Dining Dollar block is offered at a 10% discount. Please note that Dining Dollar Blocks reset on the last day of the semester and do not roll over.
What you'll get:
- $250 or $500 worth of Dining Dollars
Important Information
Dining Dollars
Dining Dollars may be used at any USC Hospitality location that does not serve alcohol. This includes residential dining halls, retail cafés, and coffee shops.
Dining Dollars, as part of the Trojan, Apartment plans, and separately purchased Dining Dollar blocks, reset at 5pm on the last day of finals the end of each semester and do not roll over to the next semester. Dining Dollars and Residential Meal Swipes, as part of the Community 25 and 50 plans, do roll over from the Fall semester to the Spring semester and reset at the end of the school year.
Residential Meal Swipes & Campus Center Meal Swipes
Residential Meal Swipes can only be used in the three Residential Dining Halls. Campus Center Meal Swipes may be used at select retail dining venues in the Ronald Tutor Campus Center. All Meal Swipes as part of the Cardinal, and Apartment plans reset at 5pm on the final day of each semester and do not rollover. Meal Swipes as part of the Community 25 and 50 plans, do roll over from the Fall semester to the Spring semester and reset at the end of the school year. All meal plans reset at 5pm on the final day of the semester.
Residential Dining
If you would like to use Dining Dollars, Discretionary, or a credit/debit card for entry at any of the residential dining halls, Fall 2024/Spring 2025 pricing is as follows:
- Breakfast: $12.99
- Lunch: $17.39
- Dinner: $17.59
Meal Upgrade
To upgrade your meal plan, please use the USCARD SERVICES WEBSITE. Please upgrade your Fall meal plan by September 3, 2024 for Fall 2024 and by January 23, 2025 for Spring 2025.
Donating Meal Swipes
We have partnered with Undergraduate Student Government, USC Student Basic Needs and Trojans Give Back to support fellow Trojans who are food insecure. At the end of each semester, we provide an opportunity to donate Dining Dollars and Meal Swipes that you may not use to this program. These funds are used to support the programs provided by USC Student Basic Needs and assist USC students experiencing food insecurity.
Important Dates
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- August 17, 2024 - December 18, 2024: Fall 2024 Meal Plan is effective
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- September, 3 2024: Deadline to upgrade Fall 2024 Meal Plan
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- January 9, 2025 - May 14, 2025: Spring 2025 Meal is effective
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- January 23, 2025: Deadline to upgrade Spring 2025 Meal Plan
* Please note that the Residential Dining Halls will be closed during winter recess. One residential dining hall will be open during Spring recess 2025.
Special Dietary Accommodations
If you require special dietary accommodations due to food allergies, medical needs, or religious needs please contact the USC HOSPITALITY REGISTERED DIETITIAN for more information prior to the start of the semester. There are multiple ways Campus Dining can safely accommodate your needs! If you have a tree nut or peanut allergy, it is recommended that you live close to Parkside Dining Hall. This facility does not use any peanut/tree nut products as ingredients. Residences close to Parkside include Arts & Humanities, Parkside International, and Parkside Apartments.
Freshmen with special dietary needs that are living in USC Housing apartments with full kitchens may be eligible for a meal plan downgrade from the Cardinal Plan to the Apartment Plan. For more information regarding eligibility, please contact the USC HOSPITALITY REGISTERED DIETITIAN.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Students will automatically be enrolled in a default Meal Plan through the USC Housing contracting process. Following this process, students who would like to upgrade to another meal plan may do so online via the USCARD SERVICES WEBSITE. If a meal plan is upgraded during the Fall Semester, that upgrade will apply to the Spring Semester as well, unless otherwise notified. All meal plan changes must be submitted by September 3, 2024 for Fall 2024 and by January 23, 2025 for Spring 2025.
Changes not made by these dates will result in assignment of the default meal plan for the remainder of the semester. All required meal plans reset at the end of each semester. Remaining funds cannot be refunded, transferred, or sold. Cardinal, Gold, Trojan, Apartment plans, and Dining Dollar blocks reset on the last meal plan day of each semester and are not refundable or transferable. Campus Center Meal Swipes as part of the default Cardinal plan reset each Sunday and do not roll over from week to week.
Students assigned the Apartment meal plan may purchase an additional Apartment plan AFTER their original plan has been depleted. Unused Residential Meal Swipes & Dining Dollars do not roll over from semester to semester.
The Community 25 and 50 meal plans are available to all USC Students who are NOT required to have a meal plan. These plans may be renewed at any time during the academic school year; however, they will reset at the end of the Spring semester. Community plans are the only meal plans available during summer semester and reset at the end of that semester. Dining Dollar Blocks are available to any USC student and do not roll over from semester to semester.