PLS-6G: Meal Plans Configuration

Last updated: October 5, 2026

Overview

In this module, you'll configure meal plan options within your housing cycle. You'll assign the meal plans you created system-wide, set up meal plan selection phases that define when students can choose their dining options, and configure proration relative to your residence period.

What you'll learn:

  • How to assign meal plans as components of your cycle

  • How to create meal plan selection phases

  • How to configure proration relative to residence dates

  • How to set default meal plans and manage student changes

Time: 8 minutes

The Meal Plans Tab

The Meal Plans tab connects the dining options you created system-wide to your specific cycle, organizing which meal plans students can select and when they can choose them.

Navigation: In the cycle editor, click the Meal Plans tab.

System-Wide vs. Cycle-Specific: Meal plans are created once system-wide (covered in PLS-5 homework), then assigned to specific cycles. The same meal plan can be used across multiple cycles, or different cycles can offer different meal plan options based on population needs.

Assigning Meal Plans to Your Cycle

Available Meal Plans

Field: Available Meal Plans

Select which meal plan options students in this cycle can choose from during meal plan selection phases.

  1. Click the Available Meal Plans dropdown or selection area

  2. You'll see all meal plans configured system-wide

  3. Select the plans you want available in this specific cycle

Example selections:

  • Unlimited Meals - $2,500/semester

  • 14 Meals Per Week - $2,000/semester

  • 10 Meals Per Week - $1,500/semester

  • Commuter 5 Meals - $800/semester

Strategic considerations for different cycle types:

  • First-year cycles: Often include only higher-tier required plans (Unlimited, 14/week)

  • Upperclassmen cycles: May include more flexible options (10/week, 5/week, optional enrollment)

  • Graduate cycles: May offer minimal plans or make meal plans entirely optional

  • Non-resident cycles: May offer commuter-specific options without room assignment

Must Create Plans First: If you don't see any meal plans in the dropdown, you need to create them first in Admin › Setup › Meal Plans. Complete PLS-5 homework before attempting to assign meal plans to your cycle.

Meal Plan Settings

Prorate Meal Plans

Toggle: Prorate Meal Plans

Controls whether meal plans are prorated when assigned after the residence period has already begun.

When Enabled (Prorated):

  • Student assigned meal plan on October 1 (mid-semester)

  • Residence period: August 15 - December 15 (17 weeks total)

  • Weeks remaining when assigned: 8 weeks

  • Prorated charge = (8 / 17) × $2,000 = $941.18

When Disabled (Full Charge):

  • Full semester charge applies regardless of assignment date

  • Student assigned October 1 still pays full $2,000

Best Practice - Enable Proration: Enable proration for fairness. Students joining housing mid-cycle shouldn't pay for weeks they weren't enrolled. Proration calculates charges based on the residence period you defined in PLS-6A.

Billing Integration: If proration is enabled, verify your SIS billing integration correctly processes prorated amounts. Incorrect proration calculations can cause billing discrepancies and student complaints. Test with your finance team before activating.

Allow Self Meal Plan Removal

Toggle: Allow Self Meal Plan Removal

Controls whether students can remove their meal plan selection themselves or if admin intervention is required.

When Enabled:

  • Students can remove their meal plan from their portal during selection phases

  • Useful for voluntary meal plan systems where enrollment is optional

  • Students manage their own dining enrollment without contacting staff

When Disabled:

  • Only admins can remove meal plans

  • Students must request removal through the housing office

  • Provides more control over meal plan enrollment and policy compliance

Most common setting: Disabled. Most institutions require admin approval for meal plan changes to ensure policy compliance (e.g., first-years must maintain a meal plan throughout the cycle).

Creating Meal Plan Phases

Meal plan phases define the activity windows when students can select or change their meal plan within your cycle.

Why Meal Plan Phases?

Meal plan phases organize when meal plan selection is available:

  • Control when meal plan selection opens and closes

  • Create different selection windows for different student populations

  • Set default meal plans that auto-assign if students don't actively select

  • Align meal plan selection timing with other phases (room selection, application)

Creating a Meal Plan Phase

  1. In the Meal Plans tab, find Meal Plan Phases

  2. Click "Add Phase"

  3. Configure the phase:

Phase Name: Clear name (Example: "Fall 2025 Meal Plan Selection")

Start Date: When selection opens (e.g., April 1, 2025)

End Date: When selection closes (e.g., August 1, 2025)

Applicability Tags: Which students can select during this phase

  • Example: "First-Year" for required meal plan selection

  • Example: No tags for all students in the cycle

Default Meal Plan: Auto-assigned if student doesn't select by deadline

  • Example: "14 Meals Per Week" (mid-tier option)

Phase Dates vs. Residence Period: Meal plan selection phases occur BEFORE the residence period (e.g., April-August selection for August-May residence period). Students choose their meal plan months before actually living in housing and using dining services.

Default Meal Plan Strategy

The default meal plan is critical for ensuring all students who require a meal plan receive one, even if they don't actively select during the phase.

Example policy implementation:

  • Institutional policy: All first-years must have a meal plan

  • Default assignment: "14 Meals Per Week" (mid-tier option)

  • Student options: Can upgrade to Unlimited or adjust to 10/week during phase

  • Phase closes: August 1, 2025

  • Auto-assignment: Any first-year without a selection gets 14/week on August 2

Communication strategy:

  • Email students: "Select your meal plan by August 1 or the 14 Meals/Week plan will be assigned"

  • Provide clear deadline and consequences

  • Send reminders as deadline approaches (2 weeks, 1 week, 3 days before)

  • Clarify that they can upgrade/downgrade but cannot avoid having a plan

Multiple Meal Plan Phases

You can create multiple phases to organize selection for different student populations:

Example: Tiered Meal Plan Selection

Phase 1: First-Years (Required)

  • Dates: April 1 - August 1, 2025

  • Tags: "First-Year"

  • Default: "14 Meals Per Week" (ensures compliance)

Phase 2: Upperclassmen (Optional)

  • Dates: April 1 - August 1, 2025

  • Tags: "Sophomore" OR "Junior" OR "Senior"

  • Default: None (meal plan is optional for upperclassmen)

Result: First-years must have a meal plan (default applies if they don't select). Upperclassmen can choose to enroll or opt-out entirely.

Meal Plan Selection Timing

When should meal plan selection open?

Meal plan selection typically has a long window and can overlap with other phases:

  • Can overlap with application: Students can select meal plans after applying

  • Can overlap with roommate phase: Students can select while finding roommates

  • Can overlap with room selection: Students often select meal plans alongside choosing rooms

  • Should close before move-in: Finalize meal plans 1-2 weeks before move-in for dining services planning

Example timeline for a Fall 2025 cycle:

  • Application phase: March 1 - April 15, 2025

  • Meal plan selection phase: April 1 - August 1, 2025 (4-month window)

  • Room selection: May 1-15, 2025

  • Move-in: August 14-16, 2025

  • Residence period: August 15, 2025 - May 15, 2026

Long Selection Windows Work Well: Unlike room selection (which benefits from short, intense windows), meal plan selection can have longer windows spanning months. Students can take their time deciding, and longer windows reduce "I forgot to select" issues and support requests.

What Happens Without Meal Plan Phases

If you don't create meal plan phases:

  • Students may not see meal plan selection options in their portal

  • Meal plans may need to be assigned manually by admins for each student

  • No self-service meal plan selection available

  • Increases administrative workload significantly

Best Practice: Always create at least one meal plan phase if students should select their own meal plans. Even if meal plans are optional for the cycle, provide the self-service selection interface to reduce admin workload.

Meal Plans Configuration Checklist

Before leaving the Meal Plans tab, verify:

  • ✓ Selected all meal plans that should be available in this cycle

  • ✓ Verified meal plans were created system-wide first (PLS-5 homework)

  • ✓ Configured "Prorate Meal Plans" toggle based on institutional billing policy

  • ✓ Set "Allow Self Meal Plan Removal" based on whether students can opt-out

  • ✓ Created at least one meal plan phase with appropriate dates

  • ✓ Phase dates occur before the residence period (students select months before move-in)

  • ✓ Set default meal plan if meal plans are required for specific populations

  • ✓ Used applicability tags if different populations have different requirements

  • ✓ Ensured meal plan selection window allows sufficient time (2-4 months typical)

  • ✓ Coordinated meal plan deadline with dining services for planning and ordering

Meal Plans Ready: Students can now select their meal plan during the phases you configured within your cycle. Next, you'll set up finance settings and fees that connect to the housing and meal plan activities you've organized.

Key Takeaways

  • Meal plans are created system-wide, then assigned to specific cycles as components

  • Different cycles can offer different meal plan options based on population needs

  • Meal plan phases define activity windows when students can select plans

  • Phase dates occur before the residence period (selection in spring for fall residence)

  • Default meal plans auto-assign to ensure required students have plans

  • Proration calculates fair charges based on residence period dates

  • Allow self-removal gives students control over optional meal plans during phases

  • Meal plan selection can overlap with other phases (application, roommate, room selection)

  • Long selection windows (2-4 months) reduce forgotten selections and support tickets

Common Questions

Students can't see meal plan options. Why?

Two common causes: (1) Meal plans weren't assigned to the cycle in the Available Meal Plans field, or (2) No meal plan phase has been created. Both must be configured for students to see meal plan selection in their portal.

Can I require meal plans for some students but not others within the same cycle?

Yes. Create multiple meal plan phases with different applicability tags. Set a default meal plan for populations where it's required (first-years), and no default for populations where it's optional (upperclassmen). The tags control who sees which requirements.

What happens if proration is enabled but my SIS doesn't support it?

The prorated amount calculates correctly in Housing.Cloud based on residence period dates, but if your SIS integration doesn't process prorated charges correctly, you may see billing errors or discrepancies. Verify your integration handles proration before enabling, and test with your finance team.

Can students change their meal plan after selecting?

During the meal plan phase window, yes (subject to "Allow Self Removal" setting). After the phase closes, changes typically require admin intervention. Some institutions create a second phase mid-semester for adjustment periods.

Do meal plans work with non-resident cycles?

Yes! Non-resident cycles can include meal plans. This is commonly used for commuter students who purchase meal plans without living on campus. The same configuration applies—assign plans to the cycle and create selection phases.

How does proration know what dates to use?

Proration calculates based on the residence period dates you defined in PLS-6A. If a student is assigned a meal plan on October 1 and your residence period is August 15 - December 15, it prorates based on weeks remaining from October 1 to December 15.

What's Next: PLS-6H

Now that you've configured meal plans as a component of your cycle, you're ready to set up finance settings and fees that trigger based on housing activities.

In PLS-6H: Finance & Fees Configuration, you'll learn:

  • How to configure automated costs tied to assignments

  • How to override bed type costs within your cycle

  • How to create cycle-specific fees (application fees, deposits)

  • How fees integrate with your billing and payment workflows

Continue to PLS-6H →