Meal Swipes: Adding At Rutgers New Brunswick

Rutgers University in New Brunswick offers a wide range of meal plans for its students, faculty, and staff. Meal plans range from 50 to 285 meals per semester, with the option to add meals anytime throughout the semester. Students living on or off-campus can choose from various plans, including the 75 and 50 meal plans, while first-year students in residential dorms are required to have a minimum of 210 meals per semester. Upper-class students in residential dorms must have a minimum of 150 meals per semester. Rutgers also offers the flexibility to use meals for guests, with a limit of up to 10 meals per semester.

Meal plan options and costs

Rutgers University–New Brunswick provides a variety of meal plans for its students, staff, and faculty. Meal plans are available for students living on or off campus.

Meal Plan Options

First-year students living in residential dorms are required to have a minimum of a 210-meal plan per semester. Upper-class students living in residential dorms are required to have a minimum of a 150-meal plan per semester. Students living off campus can opt for the 75 or 50 meal plans if they want the convenience of an occasional on-campus meal.

Rutgers also offers the option to mix and match a Rutgers Dining Services meal plan with a Chabad meal plan to meet the Rutgers Dining Services meal plan requirements. For example, a first-year student can get a Rutgers 210 meal plan or higher, or they can get a Chabad Traditional 225 meal plan or higher.

Students can also use their meal plans at New Brunswick restaurants instead of dining halls through the Elevate app. Elevate offers meal plans with thousands of menu options from 24 New Brunswick restaurants.

Costs

The rates for meals are as follows:

• Breakfast: $14.00 plus 6.625% sales tax
• Lunch: $18.00 plus 6.625% sales tax
• Dinner: $21.00 plus 6.625% sales tax
• Brunch: $18.00 plus 6.625% sales tax

Rutgers students are tax-exempt by showing a valid student ID.

On-campus dining halls

Rutgers University–New Brunswick provides students with a variety of housing and dining options across its five campuses: Busch, College Avenue, Douglass, Cook, and Livingston. Rutgers Dining Services operates four dining halls and over a dozen retail operations on the New Brunswick/Piscataway campus.

First-year students living in residential dorms are required to have a minimum of 210 meals per semester, while upper-class students must have a minimum of 150 meals per semester. Meal plans range from 50 to 285 meals per semester and are available to students, faculty, or staff.

Students with meal plans can choose from four dining halls and have the option to use their meal swipes at various locations across all campuses. The dining halls include:

• Livingston Dining Commons
• Neilson Dining Hall
• Brower Commons Dining Hall
• Harvest Cafe at the IFNH building on Cook Campus

Themed nights, such as King Neptune Night, Friendsgiving, Holiday Buffet, and Midknight Breakfast, are also offered throughout the year in the dining halls.

In addition to the dining halls, students can use their meal swipes at other locations, including:

• Starbucks Truck
• Knight Wagon food truck
• The Rutgers Club
• Henry's Diner on Livingston Campus
• Kilmer's Market
• Red Pine Pizza (R.P.P.) at Douglass Student Center
• Sbarro at Livingston Student Center
• Woody's on Busch
• The cafes in the student centers on Douglass, Cook, and Livingston

Off-campus restaurants

Rutgers University–New Brunswick provides students with a variety of housing and dining options across its five campuses. Each campus offers a distinct living experience, ranging from large, lively residence halls to smaller, more intimate houses.

Students can use their Rutgers ID card as a university debit card with RU Express, which allows them to purchase meals at both on-campus and off-campus locations, with online ordering available. Meal plans range from 50 to 285 meals per semester and are available to any student, faculty, or staff who wish to take advantage of Rutgers Dining. Off-campus and university apartment residents may select any of the meal plans, including the 75 or 50 meal plans, but they are not required to have one.

RU Express is accepted at many off-campus locations, and deposits can be added to a student's RU Express account at any time throughout the semester.

The Elevate app also lets students use their meal plans at New Brunswick restaurants instead of dining halls. Elevate partners almost exclusively with independently owned local restaurants, and meals can be ordered in advance for convenience.

• Starbucks Truck: Get your favourite drink in the largest size and a snack on the side with just one meal swipe.
• Harvest Cafe: Located in the IFNH building on Cook Campus, Harvest Cafe offers healthy food options, including a Mediterranean grill with an array of veggies and spices.
• Woody's: With a $9 limit ($7 for breakfast), you can get cook-to-order grill and deli foods, pre-made meals, and snacks or a drink.
• Sbarro: Get a fast Italian meal for just one meal swipe. With different types of pizza, spaghetti, baked ziti, and a complementary breadstick, Sbarro is a great alternative to pasta takeout night.
• Knight Wagon food truck: Similar to the Starbucks truck, the Knight Wagon offers fat sandwiches with waffle fries and a drink for just one meal swipe.
• The Rutgers Club: Enjoy a delicious dinner from a pre-fixed menu. Reservations are required, and this option is only available on Monday nights.
• Henry's Diner: A classic diner experience with the option to use meal swipes, but remember to bring extra money for a tip!
• Kilmer's Market: A convenient store located right next to Henry's Diner where you can use your meal swipes to purchase convenience store items, cups of fruit, or deli-style sandwiches.
• Red Pine Pizza (R.P.P.): For two meal swipes, you get a large pizza pie, a 2-liter bottle of soda, and two bags of chips.

Guest meals

For example, if a student has a 50-meal plan and uses one swipe for themselves and one guest swipe, they will have 48 meals remaining.

Students can add meal swipes to their plan anytime throughout the semester.

Adding, reducing or cancelling a meal plan

Rutgers University offers a range of housing and dining options for students at New Brunswick. The university provides meal plans for students living on or off campus. Meal plans are "block plans", meaning that you decide in advance the number of meals you think you'll need for the semester.

Adding a Meal Plan

Meal plans may be added or increased anytime throughout the semester. Requests can be made at the RU Express/Board Plan Office or online. The online request form will only be available for the first two weeks of the new semester and may take up to five business days to process.

Reducing or Cancelling a Meal Plan

All requests to reduce or cancel your meal plan must be made by the end of the second week of each semester. Cancellation requests for unused meal plans made after the two-week change period but before the end of the 12th week of the semester will be allowed for a $50 cancellation fee. There are no refunds issued beyond the 12th week of the semester.

Meal Plan Options

Meal plans range from 50 to 285 meals per semester and are available to any student, faculty, or staff. Off-campus students and students residing in university apartments may select any of the meal plans, including the 75 or 50 meal plans, but they are not required to have one. First-year students living in residential dorms are required to have a minimum of a 210 meal plan, while upper-class students are required to have a minimum of a 150 meal plan.

Using Your Meal Plan

Students can use their meal plans at various dining halls, cafes, and restaurants across Rutgers' five campuses. Rutgers Dining Services prepares 35,000 meals daily, with dishes co-curated by the Culinary Institute of America with sustainability in mind. Students can also use their meal plans at off-campus locations through RU Express, a cash-free alternative that works like a debit card.

Frequently asked questions