UNM Meal Plan Policies

Meal Plan Policies for Academic Year 2022-2023
as of 5/30/22

Student agrees that the meal plan selection portal, RLSH housing contract/ACC lease agreement, and these Terms and Conditions, shall constitute the Meal Plan Agreement.

1. Mandatory Participation - Freshmen Resident Meal Plan Requirement

Student acknowledges and agrees that a Full Access Meal Plan purchase  is a required condition for first year college experience freshmen living on central campus.

Freshmen living on central campus in Residence Life and Student Housing or Casas del Rio are required to purchase a Full Access Meal Plan.

  • Freshmen residents who do not select a meal plan, will default to the Lobo 15 weekly plan, which will be charged to the resident’s Bursar account.
  • Failure to use the meal plan does not relieve the student from financial responsibility.
  • Meal plan termination – Student may only terminate their meal plan if there is an accompanying housing agreement or lease termination which will be verified through RLSH or ACC. Students must email mealplans@unm.edu to terminate their meal plan. Student will be charged a prorated weekly rate plus actual used dining dollars upon proper housing agreement/lease and meal plan termination,
A $100 cancellation fee will apply when cancellations are made after the first three weeks of the semester.

Please see the Freshman Residency page for more information on the policy that determines standing.

Note: Student is still considered a “First Year College Experience Freshmen” regardless of the number of credit hours that may academically classify them as a sophomore or higher. For any questions regarding the Meal Plan options, please contact the Meal Plan Desk at 277-1362 or mealplans@unm.edu. 

2. Voluntary Meal Plan Selection

Upperclassmen living on campus and non-resident students may choose any available meal plan option.  For any student who purchased a voluntary Community plan, all meal plan values will carry over from Fall semester to Spring semester.  Unused meal plan values will be removed from all plans at the end of the spring semester. Students are considered voluntary meal plan holders if student is a non-resident, an upperclassmen living in Housing, Transfer/Non-Traditional Upperclassmen, students who do not enroll right after high school such as Military, Mission assignment (Religion) or their graduation date is after 12 months.

3. Change Period

Student may change the meal plan selection at any time during the first three weeks of the semester through the online meal plan management portal. Meal plan holders unable to make the changes through their account online should contact the meal plan help desk via email at mealplans@unm.edu or by visiting the LoboCard Office.

First Year Experience freshmen must hold a Full Access Meal Plan and will only be permitted to change between Unlimited or Weekly plans.

Additional fees for usage of dining dollars may apply when the newly selected plan offers a lower amount of dining dollars than the usage from the previously held plan.

4. Meal Plan Term of Agreement + Expiration of Unused Balances

For first college experience freshmen, if Student begins occupancy in the residence hall during the Fall semester, this agreement to hold a Full Access meal plan shall be for a term of one academic year. If Student begins occupancy during the Spring semester, this agreement shall be for one semester.

Full Access meal plans are valid for the academic semester of purchase and shall expire at the end of the semester of purchase. Unused dining dollars from Full Access meal plans purchased in Fall may be rolled over to the Spring semester when a meal plan is purchased for the Spring semester. 

Upperclassmen Community meal plans are active for the academic year of purchase and shall expire at the conclusion of the Spring semester. 

Faculty and Staff Community meal plans are active until the balances are used or until the employee has separated from the university. Faculty and Staff Community meal plans are eligible for prorated refunds for unused balances through the academic year of purchase. Refunds are unavailable after the conclusion of the spring semester of the academic year of purchase. 

5. Payment

Meal plans are billed to the Bursar account of the student and are subject to the terms and conditions of financial responsibility for The University of New Mexico. 

Please visit  https://bursar.unm.edu for more information on billing and payment plans.

6. Meal Service/Hours of Operation

Meal service will commence the day the residence hall opens for occupancy and will end with lunch on the last day of the semester. Limited or no meal service will occur during University recesses, between semesters and over holidays. Hours of operation for University breaks and holidays may be found at food.unm.edu.

7. Meal Plan Termination

In the event that Student terminates the student housing contract or lease agreement, Student may also terminate their meal plan agreement by informing the Meal Plan help desk via email. A notice of release from Student's housing contract or lease agreement will be issued by the RLSH or ACC to confirm cancellation eligibility.  Student will be charged a prorated weekly rate plus actual used dining dollars upon termination of a student housing contract or lease agreement and this meal plan contract
A $100 cancellation fee will apply to students who cancel after the first three weeks of each semester. 

Meal plan requirement exception requests will be directed to the Food Service department. For dietary restriction based cancellations, Student will be directed to the La Posada Chef to accommodate their dietary needs.  If their dietary needs cannot be met, student will be directed to the Accessibility Resource Center for approval. Exceptions will be made on a case by case basis. If permission is granted to cancel the meal plan, student will be charged a prorated weekly rate plus actual dining dollar usage.

Faculty and Staff Community meal plans are eligible for prorated refunds for unused balances through the academic year of purchase. Refunds are unavailable after the conclusion of the spring semester of the academic year of purchase. 

8. Adjustments

The LoboCard Office will use its reasonable best efforts to process adjustments caused by termination of this agreement or modification of a meal plan with the Bursar’s Office within five business days.