Meal Plans

Living on-campus for the first time is exciting. We offer two all-access meal plans to make sure you have the dining options you need to succeed.

All first-year students living on campus with less than 28-credits, are required to select one of our unlimited plans for their first two semesters on campus. 

1. Cardinal Platinum:
   • Unlimited access to Clinton Dining Hall
   • One meal swipe per hour at Kent Café
   • 18 meal swipes in any retail location per week
   • $225 Dining Dollars
   • 12 guest passes
   • Cost: $3,465 per semester
2. Cardinal Premium (Default Plan):
   • Unlimited access to Clinton Dining Hall
   • One meal swipe per hour at Kent Café
   • 12 meal swipes in any retail location per week
   • $100 Dining Dollars
   • 8 guest passes
   • Cost: $3,340 per semester

Now you’re a pro at on-campus living! You may love the all-access of an unlimited plan, or you might decide that a plan with more Dining Dollars is the way to go. You’ve got options!

Second-year students living on campus with 28 or more credit hours can choose from the following plans:

1. Cardinal Platinum:
   • Unlimited access to Clinton Dining Hall
   • One meal swipe per hour at Kent Café
   • 18 meal swipes in any retail location per week
   • $225 Dining Dollars
   • 12 guest passes
   • Cost: $3,465 per semester
2. Cardinal Premium (Default Plan):
   • Unlimited access to Clinton Dining Hall
   • One meal swipe per hour at Kent Café
   • 12 meal swipes in any retail location per week
   • $100 Dining Dollars
   • 8 guest passes
   • Cost: $3,340 per semester
3. Cardinal Gold:
   • 200 meal swipes
   • $500 Dining Dollars
   • Est. 240 meals per semester
   • Est. 17 meals per week
   • Total: $3,050 per semester
4. Cardinal Silver:
   • 150 meal swipes
   • $450 Dining Dollars
   • Est. 200 meals per semester
   • Est. 14 meals per week
   • Total: $2,525 per semester

Okay, now you’re really a pro at on-campus living! You may love the all-access of an unlimited plan, or you might decide that a plan with more Dining Dollars is the way to go. You’ve got options, plus the additional Cardinal Bronze plan!

Third-year students living on campus with 64 or more credit hours can choose from the following plans:

1. Cardinal Platinum:
   • Unlimited access to Clinton Dining Hall
   • One meal swipe per hour at Kent Café
   • 18 meal swipes in any retail location per week
   • $225 Dining Dollars
   • 12 guest passes
   • Cost: $3,465 per semester
2. Cardinal Premium (Default Plan):
   • Unlimited access to Clinton Dining Hall
   • One meal swipe per hour at Kent Café
   • 12 meal swipes in any retail location per week
   • $100 Dining Dollars
   • 8 guest passes
   • Cost: $3,340 per semester
3. Cardinal Gold:
   • 200 meal swipes
   • $500 Dining Dollars
   • Est. 240 meals per semester
   • Est. 17 meals per week
   • Total: $3,050 per semester
4. Cardinal Silver:
   • 150 meal swipes
   • $450 Dining Dollars
   • Est. 200 meals per semester
   • Est. 14 meals per week
   • Total: $2,525 per semester
5. Cardinal Bronze:
   • 100 meal swipes
   • $350 Dining Dollars
   • Est. 130 meals per semester
   • Est. 9 meals per week
   • Total: $1,790 per semester

As a graduate student at SUNY Plattsburgh, we know your time is limited. That’s why we’ve created a special plan just for you! Whether you're living on-or-off campus, you can choose our Cardinal Grad plan to take advantage of on-campus dining on your schedule.

• Cardinal Grad:
  • 60 meal swipes
  • $75 Dining Dollars
  • Est. 66 meals per semester
  • Est. 4.7 meals per week
  • Total: $995 per semester

As an on-campus graduate student, you are eligible to elect any other residential meal plan if you would like more purchasing power than the Cardinal Grad plan offers. Additionally, if you live off-campus, you can purchase any on-campus or off-campus plan.

You’re off-campus now, but that doesn’t mean you don't miss your favorite breakfast order at Tim Horton’s or Halal Shack lunch between classes! You can add any on-campus meal plan above to your account OR choose an exclusive off-campus plan from the list below. Either way, you’ll still have access to all dining venues and events!

1. Burghy 850:
   • $700 Dining Dollars
   • $150 Cardinal Cash
   • Est. 5 meals per week
   • Total: $850 per semester
2. Burghy 550:
   • $450 Dining Dollars
   • $100 Cardinal Cash
   • Est. 3 meals per week
   • Total: $550 per semester
3. Burghy 275:
   • $225 Dining Dollars
   • $50 Cardinal Cash
   • Est. 1.7 meals per week
   • Total: $275 per semester

CAS is proud to offer affordable faculty and staff meal plan options.

Faculty 200

• $200 Dining Dollars
• 10 BONUS Meal Swipes
• Total Cost: $200

Faculty 100

• $100 Dining Dollars
• Four BONUS Meal Swipes
• Total Cost: $100

Details:

• Dining Dollars are accepted at all dining locations
• You may add additional Dining Dollars at any time
• Faculty/Staff Dining Dollars expire after 12 months of inactivity
• Bonus meal swipes expire at the end of the spring semester
• Plans may be purchased at any time, but you only qualify for bonus meal swipes once per semester.  
• Access your plan through your campus ID card

Meal plans are designed with your busy lifestyle in mind! To select the right plan, ask yourself these questions:

• How often do I eat? Do I normally snack in-between meals?
• What are my dietary preferences or restrictions? (Allergens, organic, made-without-gluten, vegetarian or vegan, diabetes, etc.) Use the Special Dietary Filter. This tool allows you to filter what you want to eat in your selected dining location.
• What is my budget?
• Do I want to eat the majority of my meals at the dining venues closest to my residence hall or apartment?
• Do I want to eat the majority of my meals at the dining venues that are closest to my class locations?
• Do I manage my money well?

Based on your answers, check out the meal plan options above and decide what will work best for you. Remember, meal plan options change depending on your earned credit hours.

During your first week on campus, re-evaluate your meal plan choice by asking yourself these questions:

• What are my campus activities around my meal hours?
• Do I want to eat where my friends are eating?
• Where do I prefer to eat?
• Is my meal plan working for me? Check your meal plan balance here.

The deadline to change your meal plan is Thursday, February 6 at 4 p.m. for the spring semester. Any changes after the deadline must be medical in nature and follow the process listed below under “How to Change Your Meal Plan for Medical Reasons.”

Please email, call or come see us with any questions!

What are Dining Dollars? What is a swipe? We’ve got the answers. Read on for details each part of your plan:

Meal Swipes:

• If your plan includes meal swipes, these swipes can be used for access to all-you-care-to-eat dining at Clinton Dining Hall and once-per-hour at Kent Café.
• They can also be used at retail locations for specials and combo meals.
  • Retail locations are: Cardinal Nest, Cardinal Market & Cafe, Ghost Kitchen, Halal Shack, Jamal's Chicken, Tim Horton’s, Einstein Bros. Bagels and Samuel D’s.
• Additional Meal Swipes can be purchased in blocks of ten
• Expire at the end of each semester
• Are tax exempt and non-transferable

Guest Pass

• Expire at the end of each semester
• You must accompany the guest using the pass

Dining Dollars

• May be used in any dining location
• Additional Dining Dollars may be added to meal plans
• Are tax exempt and non-transferable
• Unused Dining Dollars rollover from fall to spring semester and are forfeited at the end of the spring semester

Cardinal Cash

• Everyone with a SUNY Plattsburgh ID has a Cardinal Cash account
• Cardinal Cash is a declining prepaid debit account and may be used campus-wide and off-campus at select locations
• Cardinal Cash does not expire and rolls over from semester to semester as long as you're enrolled. 
• Additional deposits may be added to your account anytime

On-Campus Students

• Visit the Meal Plan Portal to review your meal plan assignment and to change your meal plan.

Off-Campus Students

• Add your meal plan selection to your student accounts bill.

Faculty & Staff

• Visit the CAS office in Clinton Dining Hall or call us to purchase a plan.

The deadline to change your meal plan is February 6 at 4 p.m. for the spring semester. Any changes after February 6 must be medical in nature and follow the process listed below under “How to Change Your Meal Plan for Medical Reasons.”

On-Campus Students

• All on-campus students are required to have a meal plan.
• First-year students are required to have either the Cardinal Platinum or Cardinal Premium plan for their first two semesters.
• To change your plan before February 6, visit the Meal Plan Portal
• Click on the Meal Plan Portal button on the left
• Log in using your campus credentials (Net ID and password)
• Once logged in, click on the Meal Plan Portal button and click the semester you'd like to select a meal plan for, under Manage Meal Plan
• The Portal will display your current plan. To change it, click 'Manage'. You'll see which plan options you're eligible for. Select the plan you want and follow the prompts through the confirmation/receipt page. You're done!
• Feel free to call, email or come see us with any questions

Off-Campus Students

• Call or visit Student Financial Services to change your plan by February 6.
• You can also email changes to [email protected] by February 6.

Faculty & Staff

• Visit the CAS office in Clinton Dining Hall or call us to change your plan.

Dining on campus is an integral part of your college experience and in nearly all cases, specific dietary needs can be accommodated by our dining services. Changes to the meal plan requirements are rare, but our process is applied equitably and consistently. If you have a new or ongoing dietary restriction of a medical nature and are interested in changing your meal plan, here is how to start the process.

Reasons a change will be considered:

1. There is a documented medical or dietary condition that cannot be accommodated by our campus dining services.

Reasons a change will NOT be considered:

1. Your request is submitted after the deadline (three weeks prior to the start of the semester), unless the medical condition has just been diagnosed and supported through medical documentation.
2. The documentation provided is not written or supported by a licensed medical doctor (MD), nurse practitioner (NP), physician assistant (PA) or a psychiatrist. These conditions require the expertise of a qualified medical professional and are considered to be in the medical domain.
3. Situations such as:
   1. Hours of service do not fit into my schedule, I have a job, I have an internship or I am student teaching.
   2. I don’t like the food in the dining facilities.
   3. My lifestyle conforms to a vegan or vegetarian diet.
   4. Cost of the meal plan or I do not use all my meals.

Reminder — Changes are made solely on documented health conditions that require special diets that cannot be accommodated by our campus dining services.

How to apply for a change or exemption for medical reasons:

1. Download and complete our Medically-Related Meal Plan Change Request Form. 
   1. Fill out pages 1-2 yourself and ask your medical professional to complete pages 3-4. Any further medical documentation provided must be on official letterhead or a prescription pad from the doctor.
2. Email our Dietitian, Sarah Yandow, MS, RDN, CDN at [email protected] no less than three weeks prior to the start of the semester.
   1. In your email, please explain the reason for your request, attach the completed change request form, and provide any other relevant supporting documentation.
   2. Information in from your medical professional must include the medical diagnosis, including the date of onset and any details related to dietary restrictions resulting from the diagnosis.
3. We will schedule a meeting with you to discuss your request. Please be prepared to discuss your dietary restrictions. If there are additional questions, you may be asked to complete a release of information for Sarah or our Student Health Center to contact your medical professional.
4. After the meeting, we will consult with our Student Health Center before coordinating with the CAS Executive Director, Catherine Keleher, for the consideration of your request.
5. Catherine will respond to you, via email, with the outcome of your request. Any changes will be made by CAS at that time.

A new request must be submitted prior to the start of each academic year. No request will be considered until all required steps have been completed.

Questions? Contact us and we can help!

It’s important to check your meal plan balance as the semester progresses by visiting your Cardinal Card Account. This will help you stay on track.

Yes. Any unused dollars are forfeited at the end of the spring semester.

If you live on-campus, yes. All students living on campus must have a residential meal plan. Meal plans are purchased each semester.

Yes, you can change your selection before the meal plan deadline each semester. Unfortunately, changes cannot be made after the deadline unless they are medical in nature and follow the process outlined above.

You can check your balance by visiting your Cardinal Card Account.

No, meal plans are non-transferable and for the sole use of the student whom it was issued to. You can treat a friend with a guest pass, Dining Dollars or Cardinal Cash. Misuse of a meal plan or ID card will be reported to UP and Student Conduct for further investigation.

Hand your ID card to the cashier and let them know whether you are using a swipe, Dining Dollars or Cardinal Cash.

Unfortunately not. But Dining Dollars carry over from fall to spring semester.

Please refer to the college’s withdrawal policy, but typically a prorated refund, following the meal plan refund schedule, is issued after review.

Visit Cost & Aid for additional information

Yes, you can!

Yes, you can add both. You can also add Cardinal Cash at any time.

Use the allergen filter when looking at the daily menus. You can also contact our campus dietitian. We will meet with you and can walk through our facilities with you to help you find safe options.

[email protected]

The Student Health Center or your community assistant can issue an authorized sick pass. A friend or the CA can bring your sick pass and ID card to the cashier at Clinton Dining Hall and pick up your meal.

If you have an academically-related reason (e.g., class conflict, student teaching assignment or nursing assignment), you can sign up for Meals on the Move. This allows you to pick up a bagged meal from Clinton Dining Hall. Please note Meals on the Move are not provided for students leaving campus for weekend trips or holiday breaks.