Campus Dining

• Although in-person dining will be available, it will be limited, with tables physically distanced and chairs removed to promote a safer eating environment for diners and workers in accordance with federal, state, and local health and safety guidelines. Campus Dining has put in place enhanced protocols including — but not limited to — the use of masks by all guests and staff; increased cleaning of high-touch surfaces and restrooms using an EPA-approved disinfectant; additional hand sanitizer stations; installation of Plexiglas in key areas; and self-swipe card payments.
• New for fall 2020, students can access a mobile ordering and pickup option at select locations.

Yes, Meatless and Vegan options are served daily in all five of the dining commons. Each all-you-care-to-eat area offers a vegan entree, soup, and varying side dishes for each meal.  Salad bars also offer vegan protiens such as tofu, beans, and quinoa. For more information, please visit the Vegetarianism page.

We offer three different meal plan options: Campus Meal Plan, Commuter Meal Plan, or LionCash funds. Review our meal plan comparison to choose the plan that best suits your needs. 

The Campus Meal Plan provides easy purchasing and savings for students who regularly eat meals on campus. 

The Campus Meal Plan account is accessed via your Penn State id+ Card. Each time you visit a dining facility operated by Penn State Housing and Food Services, simply present your id+ card to the cashier, who will swipe the card through a reader. The reader will access your account, deduct the proper purchase amount, and display your new account balance.

Students have access to the greatest discounts when they use their Campus Meal Plan:

• 65 percent at Buffet to Go and All-You-Care-to-Eat locations
• 65 percent on prepared items* at food courts
• 10 percent on prepared items* at specialty fast casual operations such as Soup & Garden, Grate Chee, and Blue Burrito in the HUB, Bruno's at Behrend, The Outpost at Harrisburg, and coffee shops at campus locations

The Commuter Meal Plan and LionCash offer a 10 percent discount on the items and  locations listed above. Additional LionCash discounts may be available at off-campus participating locations.

*prepared items are meals, snacks, and beverages that are made by Campus Dining staff. This excludes menu items at nationally branded restaurants and cafes.

Campus Meal Plans are required for students living on campus who are not assigned to apartments with a full kitchen. The Campus Meal Plan must be purchased for each semester, and cannot be canceled.

Students assigned to apartments with a full kitchen and off-campus students who have purchased a meal plan may change their meal plan level until the Friday of finals week. Meal plans once purchased are binding, and balances are not refundable.

Students who withdraw or end their relationship with the University mid-semester may receive their remaining dining dollars and a prorated refund of the base cost. Any refund will be credited to the student account or to the credit card used to purchase the meal plan.

A meal plan cannot be transferred or assigned to another individual.

Campus Meal Plan dining dollars can be used at all Campus Dining locations across the commonwealth*, as well as at popular destinations at University Park such as Beaver Stadium, Bryce Jordan Center, Pegula Ice Arena, and Berkey Creamery.

Commuter Meal Plans can be used at all Campus Dining locations across the commonwealth*.

LionCash can be used at hundreds of merchants, both on and off campus. Visit https://idcard.psu.edu/merchants for a full list.

*Campuses offering Campus Dining locations:  Abington, Altoona, Beaver, Berks, Behrend, Brandywine, Dubois, Fayette, Greater Allegheny, Harrisburg, Hazleton, Mont Alto, New Kensington, Schuylkill, Scranton, Shenango, University Park, Wilkes-Barre, and York

Students can check and manage their meal plan balance online at idcard.psu.edu/manage-accounts. Available balances are also displayed at Campus Dining registers and on receipts, but understand that the registers display a combined meal plan and LionCash account balance.

If funds are running low, friends and family can add dining dollars or LionCash, too.

Remaining Campus Meal Plan funds at the end of the summer or fall semester will carry over to the next semester so long as the student has purchased any level of Campus Meal Plan for the next semester. Students living on campus are required to purchase a Campus Meal Plan each semester. 

Commuter Meal Plan funds carry over from fall to spring regardless of whether a spring commuter meal plan has been purchased.

If you have too many dining dollars, you can lower your campus meal plan level at any time until noon on the last Friday of the semester.

If your dining dollar balance is low, funds will automatically be pulled from your LionCash account (provided there are funds available in LionCash) and still provide the same discounted rate provided by your meal plan on any purchases.

All remaining Campus and Commuter Meal Plan funds at the end of spring semester are forfeited. Students who do not have an active Housing and Food Service (HFS) Contract for spring semester will have all remaining funds at the end of fall semester forfeited.

LionCash never expires and is available until you are no longer registered as a Penn State student.