Skip to content

2024-2025 UC Merced Residential Meal Plans

                                                        

A student will never go hungry with a UC Merced meal plan.

Each of our residential meal plans include unlimited entries into the Pavilion and Yablokoff Wallace Dining Centers, which offer rotating menus of healthy, nutritious meals at a variety of dining stations throughout the day.

Cat Dollars, a debit system included with each unlimited plan, also give residents the flexibility to purchase food and additional items at campus locations, including Lantern Cafe, Bobcat Snack Stop, and food trucks visiting campus.

Dining Services is committed to fighting food insecurity on. Unlimited plans allow residents to stop at the all-you-care-to-eat dining center seven days a week. Grab a bite to eat between classes or eat a full meal with friends, entry into the Pavilion and Yablokoff Wallace Dining Centers are included with every meal plan. Please click here for more information about meal plans for those not living on campus.

Located in the heart of one of the most fertile agricultural regions in the world, our chefs strive to provide customers with locally sourced, sustainable meals whenever possible. We’re also happy to work with residents to accommodate any special dietary requests. Please contact Student Accessibility Services for health-related medical needs and allergen considerations. Please contact dining@ucmerced.edu for religious prohibitions or other nutritional requirements.

Students living on campus are required to purchase a meal plan. Meal plans are only valid for the plan holder and are not transferable. Exemptions from purchasing a meal plan for students living on campus are granted only under extraordinary circumstances. Please click here for information about appealing a dining contract.
 

2024-2025 Meal Plan Rates

About Meal Plan Rates

  • All on-campus residents must have a meal plan.
  • Students may use their unlimited all-you-care-to-eat meal plan in the Pavilion Dining Center.
  • Cat Dollars are flexible spending funds that can be used for food locations on campus, campus store purchases and printing.
  • Cat Dollar funds are loaded prior to each semester. Cat dollars carry over from semester to semester and year to year.
  • Cat dollars are only refunded when you separate from the university.

Academic Year Meal Plan Contract Pricing

Unlimited Meal Plan Name

Total Price per Semester

Included Cat Dollars per Semester

Guest Passes per Semester

Total Price per Academic Year

Included Cat Dollars per Academic Year

 Guest Passes per Academic Year
Unlimited 85*

$2,710

$85

 3 $5,420 $170 6
Unlimited 250*

$2,875

$250

 3

$5,750

 $500 6
Unlimited 400*

$3,025

$400

 3

$6,050

 $800 6
Unlimited 500*

$3,125

$500

 3

$6,250

 $1,000 6
Unlimited 600*

$3,225

$600

 3

$6,450

 $1,200 6

*Proposed rates; subject to revision; *"Unlimited" access is defined as one entry per hour to the all-you-care to-eat dining halls per hour for the patron, during hours of operation*

For information on previous rates, please click here.

For 2024 Summer Session Rates, please click here
 

If you have any questions or concerns related to your dining experience, please contact us at dining@ucmerced.edu.
 

Cat Dollars

Cat Dollars can be purchased and added to a CatCard at any time. One Cat Dollar is equivalent to $1 U.S. dollar. For more information about depositing CAT Dollars into an account, please visit the CatCard website.

Cat Dollars can also be used at various locations, including the University Store, for supplies, to print documents, and for some other campus expenses.

Cat Dollars cannot be used to pay your student bill.

 

Cat Dollars

Details:

  • Roll over from year to year
  • Do not expire and are available to use after moving off campus
  • Can be refunded when you separate from the university

Locations that accept CAT dollars:

Cat Dollars cannot be

used to pay your student bill.

 

Guest Dining at UC Merced

The Pavilion and Yablokoff Wallace Dining Centers accept residential and non-residential meal plans, as well as Cat Dollars, credit cards, and debit cards. View Pavilion and YWDC menus here. For those without a meal plan, entry for breakfast costs $11.95, entry for lunch costs $12.88, and entry for dinner costs $13.95.

Please visit our Frequently Asked Questions section for more information, or reach out to us at dining@ucmerced.edu with any questions or concerns.

For a full review of estimated cost of attendance, please visit: https://financialaid.ucmerced.edu/cost-attendance