
Meal Plans
Meal Plan Options
Whether you're an on-campus resident, a commuting student on campus five days a week, a part-time student, or faculty member in need of a quick bite, we offer a meal plan option that works for you!

Explore Dining Options
With over 30 operations on campus, you'll always be able to find something satisfying to enjoy!
All-You-Care-To-Eat Dining Commons: Meal Prices
University Park offers five all-you-care-to-eat dining commons, one in each housing area.
Meal Plan | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner/Brunch |
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Meal Plan Campus Meal Plan | Breakfast $3.05 | Lunch $4.60 | Dinner/Brunch $5.75 |
Meal Plan Campus Meal Plan guest | Breakfast $6.10 | Lunch $9.20 | Dinner/Brunch $11.50 |
Meal Plan LionCash | Breakfast $7.90 | Lunch $11.85 | Dinner/Brunch $14.75 |
Meal Plan Commuter Meal Plan | Breakfast $7.90 | Lunch $11.85 | Dinner/Brunch $14.75 |
Meal Plan Credit Card | Breakfast $8.75 | Lunch $13.15 | Dinner/Brunch $16.40 |
Meal Plan Children 6-10 years* | Breakfast $3.50 | Lunch $5.25 | Dinner/Brunch $6.60 |
*children under 6 are free
Meal Plan | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner/Brunch |
---|---|---|---|
Meal Plan Campus Meal Plan | Breakfast $3.15 | Lunch $4.75 | Dinner/Brunch $5.85 |
Meal Plan Campus Meal Plan guest | Breakfast $6.30 | Lunch $9.50 | Dinner/Brunch $11.70 |
Meal Plan LionCash | Breakfast $8.05 | Lunch $12.25 | Dinner/Brunch $15.05 |
Meal Plan Commuter Meal Plan | Breakfast $8.05 | Lunch $12.25 | Dinner/Brunch $15.05 |
Meal Plan Credit Card | Breakfast $8.95 | Lunch $13.60 | Dinner/Brunch $16.75 |
Campus Meal Plan Discount Structure
Campus Meal Plan members receive savings in the dining commons and at select locations:
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65 percent off cash price at all-you-care-to-eat dining commons
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65 percent off cash price on prepared items* at residential food service operations (located in housing areas)
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10 percent off cash price on prepared items* at specialty fast-casual locations in residential operations and specific HUB Dining options (Soup & Garden, Grate Chee, and Blue Burrito)
*Packaged and branded items are not eligible for any discount.
HUB Dining: Burger King, Slim Chickens, McAlister's Deli, Jamba, Starbucks, Hibachi-San, Panda Express, Cow & Cookie, and Sbarro's |
|
Cafe Laura |
Freshens |
Penn State Berkey Creamery |
Panera Bread |
Saxby's |
Starbucks |
Beaver Stadium |
Bryce Jordan Center |
Pegula Ice Arena |
Shake Smart - IM Building |
The Campus Meal Plan can also be used at any Penn State campus with a Campus Dining operation.

Overdraft Protection
The Campus Meal Plan offers an "overdraft protection" service if a student's dining dollar balance hits $0. If they make a purchase and there are not enough dining dollars available to cover the transaction cost, the system will automatically pull funds from their LionCash account to cover the cost of the purchase - and still offer the same discount structure. The register system will only process these transactions if the student has an active Campus Meal Plan and enough funds in LionCash to cover the purchase cost.
This feature is useful towards the end of spring semester. Rather than increase to a higher level, funds can be added to LionCash. Any dining dollars remaining in the Campus Meal Plan account at the end of spring semester will expire, whereas LionCash funds transfer year-to-year and do not expire at the end of spring semester.
Campus Meal Plan Cost
The Campus Meal Plan is comprised of two cost components:
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base cost (similar to a "membership fee") covers operational expenses. The base cost is paid up-front at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters and used by the University to cover mortgages, labor, supplies, etc. This covers the cost of business to be open and ready to serve students on demand.
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dining dollars is the amount of spendable funds available on the student's Penn State id+ Card to make purchases with. There are three (3) levels of spendable dining dollars. Campus Meal Plan holders will receive a discount on qualifying purchases at select operations.
The Campus Meal Plan is required for each semester that a student has an active Housing and Food Service (HFS) Contract, and will be charged to the student's LionPATH account at the beginning of each semester. The exception will be for students who purchase a Campus Meal Plan in the fall semester and use a credit card for payment; those plans are not automatically added to the student's spring account.
Level | Dining Dollars | Base Cost | TOTAL CHARGE |
---|---|---|---|
Level 1 | Dining Dollars $897 | Base Cost $1670 | TOTAL CHARGE $2567 |
Level 2 | Dining Dollars $1133 | Base Cost $1670 | TOTAL CHARGE $2803 |
Level 3 | Dining Dollars $1349 | Base Cost $1670 | TOTAL CHARGE $3019 |
Level | Dining Dollars | Base Cost | TOTAL CHARGE |
---|---|---|---|
Level 1 | Dining Dollars $947 | Base Cost $1710 | TOTAL CHARGE $2657 |
Level 2 | Dining Dollars $1191 | Base Cost $1710 | TOTAL CHARGE $2901 |
Level 3 | Dining Dollars $1414 | Base Cost $1710 | TOTAL CHARGE $3124 |