Meal Plan Cancellation Policy

Overview

Meal plan contracts are for the entire academic year, including both fall and spring semesters. Students who are eligible and wish to cancel for the spring semester may submit a request when the Housing & Dining Portal opens each October for spring changes. Eligibility to cancel meal plans is determined based on where the participant lives and usage factors. A submitted request is subject to review and does not guarantee approval.

Who is Eligible to Cancel?

Students living in University residence halls (Haynie, Hewett, Manchester, Watterson, Wilkins, and Wright):

Students living in residence halls are required to have a meal plan and may only cancel under the following conditions:

• May request cancellation after cancelling the student’s University Housing contract in accordance with University Housing contract terms and conditions
• May request cancellation upon withdrawal from the University. The University Housing contract must be cancelled before meal plan can be cancelled

Students living in Cardinal Court, Fell or School Street apartments, or off-campus:

Students living in Cardinal Court, Fell or School Street apartments, or off-campus have the option to purchase a meal plan and may cancel under the following conditions:

• May request cancellation  between fall and spring semester
• May request cancellation during the fall or spring semester before any meals or flex dollars are used and prior to the meal plan change deadline
• May request cancellation upon withdrawal from the University

How to Request a Cancellation

1. Submit a cancellation request through the Housing & Dining Portal.
2. Keep proof of the confirmation that the request was submitted (print or save to computer).
3. If the portal is unavailable, contact Event Management, Dining, and Hospitality (EMDH) by emailing MealPlans@IllinoisState.edu to request a cancellation form.
4. EMDH will review the request following the Meal Plan Terms & Conditions and contact the student once reviewed.

Review Outcome

• If the student is ineligible, EMDH will notify the student. The meal plan contract and all associated costs will remain active.
• If the student is eligible, EMDH will process the cancellation and assess any applicable charges using the rules below. 

Student Privacy & Communication

Cancellation requests must be sent from the student’s official Illinois State University email account (ULID@ilstu.edu). EMDH may discuss the student’s meal plan account only with the student through that email account.

Cancellation Charges

An approved cancellation does not always result in a full refund. The amount charged depends on the meal plan type, when the student became eligible to cancel, and the student’s meal and flex dollar usage.

Meal plan participants who are eligible for cancellation can submit a cancellation request through the Housing and Dining Portal. Meal plan participants are responsible for printing and retaining proof of confirmation of the cancellation. If the portal is not available, please contact MealPlans@ilstu.edu to obtain a cancellation form.

Once a cancellation request has been submitted, Event Management, Dining, and Hospitality (EMDH) will verify is the request for cancellation complies with the University’s On-Campus Housing Policy and the University Housing and Meal Plan Contract Terms and Conditions.

If the participant is deemed ineligible for cancellation, they will be notified and their contract along with any associated costs will remain active.

If the participant is eligible to cancel the meal plan contract, the cancellation will be processed and charges assessed based on the following information.

Submission of a cancellation request does not confirm or guarantee the cancellation is approved. Meal plan participants will be notified once the request is reviewed. 

Meal Plan Contract Cancellation Details

If a meal plan participant is deemed eligible for cancellation of the meal plan contract, the meal plan participant will be held responsible for cancellation charges as outlined below:

Cancellation Date 

For fall and spring meal plans, the cancellation date is whichever of the following occurs later:

1. The last date the student used the meal plan (meals or flex dollars)
2. The last date the student was eligible to cancel the meal plan

For summer meal plans, the cancellation date is whichever of the following occurs later:

1. The last day of the week that the student used the meal plan (meals or flex dollars)
2. The last day of the week the student was eligible to cancel the meal plan

Cancellation Charge Formulas

Cancellation Date	Type of Plan	Formula
Prior to start of meal period/ No meal usage	Unlimited, Traditional, and Block	No charge
After start of meal period	Unlimited, Traditional	(total cost of meal plan less flex dollars)/number of days in the meal period*number of days completed+flex dollars used
	Block	(total cost of meal plan less flex dollars)/total meals in plan*number of meals used+flex dollars used

For a complete description of the cancellation policy, see Section III.D of the Meal Plan Contract Terms and Conditions.

After Cancellation Approval

EMDH will email the student after the cancellation has been processed. Student Accounts will handle any credit from prior payments or any remaining charges. Questions about the student account balance should be directed to Student Accounts at (309) 438-5643.

Additional Steps within the University

This process cancels the meal plan contract only. Depending on the student’s circumstances, the student may need to contact other University departments. Students withdrawing from the University should review the University Withdrawal Checklist for possible next steps.

Meal Plan Questions

MealPlans@IllinoisState.edu

Student Account Questions

StuAccts@IllinoisState.edu  
(309) 438-5643