For details on what meal plans we offer and how to get a meal plan, please go to the Meal Plans page.
Your Redbird ID Card (University ID) is encoded with information regarding your meal plan. You must carry your Redbird ID Card with you in order to access the residential dining centers or use your flex dollars.
There are two full service residential dining centers located on campus. You may use your meal plan in both of these locations, no matter where you live: Watterson Dining Commons and Marketplace at Linkins Center. Flex dollars, which must be spent on food or drink, may be used at all dining venues in Bone Student Center; Starbucks in the Student Fitness Center; Subway shops located on campus; sandwich shops located in the State Farm Hall of Business and Centennial Hall, and vending machines in the residential areas.
Review our calendar to see when our dining centers are open for students with meal plans. The calendar is updated periodically so you can check back later for future semester dates and times.
All meal plan options will allow carry out. However, the Unlimited Access Meal Plans allow a maximum of 3 carry out meals per day. A carry out meal is defined as one entrée, two side dishes, one dessert and one beverage.
You may use flex dollars to pay for a guest meal. Door rates for the 2021-2022 academic year are $6.70 for breakfast, $9.40 for lunch, and $10.70 for dinner. State law requires that all guest meals be charged tax. Our 2022-2023 prices will be available in summer 2022.
Meal plans can be changed on the housing/dining portal, please refer to the Meal Plans page for information on deadlines.
Yes, these meal plans may be charged to your student account. Please visit the Student Accounts website for more information.
You may review your usage in my.illinoisstate.edu. Click Finances and then select Redbird Card. It will show your transactions and balances. This information is also stored in the cash registers at the dining centers and retail locations. You may ask for your balance when you visit our venues.
You may add money to your Redbird Dollars Account through the Redbird Card Office. All retail dining locations accept Redbird dollars.
All meals expire at the end of the semester.
Flex dollars remaining at the end of the fall semester will roll over into the spring semester providing a meal plan is retained for the spring semester*. All flex dollars expire at the end of the spring semester and are non-refundable.
If you choose to cancel your meal plan for the spring semester, your flex dollars will expire at the end of the fall semester.
*Students living in traditional residence halls are required to have a meal plan.
Any access into the dining center is considered a meal whether you eat a bagel, a slice of pizza, a salad, a dessert or a beverage. In general, students on a block plan or traditional plan will not want to come into the dining center for a small snack or beverage since they have a limited number of meals they can eat in a semester or week. These students might prefer to purchase beverages and snacks from the retail restaurants on campus or vending machines in the residence halls using their flex dollars. Students on unlimited meal plans are allowed to enter the dining centers as often as they like, so they may choose to come in more frequently for a drink or snack between meals.
Please keep in mind that Unlimited Access Plans allow a maximum of three carry out meals per day.
Students that were living in the residence halls can cancel their meal plan once they have moved out of their room.
Students that were living in Cardinal Court or Fell/School street can cancel their meal plan if they have not used any portion of their meal plan (meals or flex dollars).