All juniors and seniors living on campus will be required to purchase a University meal plan beginning in the Fall 2026 semester, effectively axing the “independent” dining option and eliminating the two University-sponsored meals per week that upperclassmen previously received regardless of dining affiliation.
The decision to eliminate the free meals for upperclassmen is due to “ongoing budget reduction measures,” which most recently included the decision to discontinue Wintersession. The wider changes to the dining landscape follow a 2024 study by the Huron Consulting Group, which proposed that the University review independent status and require campus dining plans for students living on campus.
In an email to the Classes of 2027 and 2028, Vice President for Campus Life W. Rochelle Calhoun, Dean of the College Michael D. Gordin, and Vice President for University Services Chad L. Klaus outlined housing and dining changes that they said are meant to “promot[e] community in the residential dining halls; support students’ ability to maintain their connections during mealtimes, break periods, and late meals; and strengthen a sense of belonging.”
Notably, the Class of 2029 was not sent the memo.
Going forward, the University will offer the following three campus dining plans: Unlimited, Block 160, which will include ten meals per week, and Block 32, which is two meals per week and is only available to students in an eating club or co-op. Previously, upperclassmen had the option of the unlimited plan or a Block 105 plan.
The cost of the Block 32 plan is not yet clear and the memo did not clarify whether guest meals were affected. The current Block 105 plan and unlimited plan both allow for 10 guest meals per semester.
Financial aid packages for juniors and seniors will be adjusted to include both the price of their eating club meal plan and Block 32, the memo said. The pricing plan will align with current per-meal rates and students will have the option to add blocks of 10 meals to non unlimited plans. In a significant change, all meal swipes will be usable during fall and spring breaks and during Late Meal and Late Dinner.
The overhaul to the dining policy is accompanied by major changes to the housing system. The University will eliminate the “independent” status option in room draw, which normally gives students not in an eating club or co-op priority for dorms like Spelman Hall and Lockhart Hall equipped with more accessible kitchens.
The new room draw process will assign each student a single draw time during which all available rooms will appear. Students can still form groups for room draw, but will not be required to, and draw times will continue to be distributed randomly by class year.
“Ending the independent status for room draw will address challenges that independent students have reported related to food access and isolation concerns,” the memo asserted.
The new policy may significantly increase traffic in campus dining halls next academic year, as Hobson College, which will have a new dining hall, will not yet be open.
In the Class of 2025, The Daily Princetonian’s senior survey found that 18 percent of students were independent. Around 9 percent chose one of the University meal plans.
The University will host two information sessions for students during midterms week on Tuesday, October 7 at 1 p.m. in McCosh 64 and Wednesday, October 8 at 6:30 p.m. in Frist Multipurpose Room C.
The email concluded by saying, “We believe these changes will improve your residential experience.”
Hayk Yengibaryan is a head News editor, senior Sports writer, and education director for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Glendale, Calif. and typically covers breaking news and profiles. He can be reached at hy5161[at]princeton.edu.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
Correction: A previous version of this article suggested that two free meals can currently be used for Late Meal and Late Dinner. This is not true, and will change with the Block 32 plan. The ‘Prince’ regrets this error.
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