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Meal Plan Terms and Conditions

2023 – 2024 Meal Plans

The University requires students residing in Cougar Village I, Cougar Village II, Cougar Place, Moody Towers, and The Quad (excluding The Quad Townhouses) to have a mandatory residential meal plan. By signing up for a meal plan, you have confirmed that you reviewed and agree to the meal plan terms and conditions. To choose a mandatory meal plan, residential students should log into AccessUH and click on the Cougar Card Connect icon.

Meal plan fees are determined per semester, and any selections made during the fall semester will automatically carry over to the spring. Students who do not plan on having a meal plan for the spring semester must cancel their meal plan selection prior to the first day of the spring semester. Only commuter and residential students who have terminated their housing agreement before the spring semester are eligible for this option. Students who experience issues with canceling their meal plan must send a written request to Auxiliary Services to assist with a manual meal plan cancelation prior to the first day of the spring semester.

  Important Information - Spring 2024

  Meal Plan Petition Period: January 16 - January 31

  Residents of mandatory housing facilities should make their meal plan selection by Wednesday, January 10.

  Meal plan changes and modifications are not allowed after the Official Reporting Day (ORD) of classes, January 31. 

 

A. Requirements

  1. Participants must be actively enrolled students with the University of Houston.
  2. All charges for Meal Plans or Cougar Cash Plans will be placed on the student’s myUH account and will be subject to the same payment deadlines and penalties as other university charges.
  3. Participants are divided into two groups:
    1. Mandatory Participants: Residential students living in Cougar Village I, Cougar Village II, Cougar Place, Moody Towers, and The Quad (excluding The Quad Townhouses) are contractually obligated by their Residential Services Agreement to be on a Residential Meal Plan. Mandatory participants are required to have a Residential Meal Plan each semester of the academic year; meal plans selected in the fall semester will carry over to the spring semester.
    2. Voluntary Participants: Any other student, including students living in UH Apartments: Bayou Oaks, Cambridge Oaks, Cullen Oaks, The Quad Townhouses, and University Lofts, can choose any Meal Plan offered. Meal plans selected in the fall will carry over to the spring semester.

B. Meal Plan/Cougar Cash – Mandatory and Voluntary Participants

Mandatory Participants – Residential Student Meal Plan/Cougar Cash Options:

  1. 24/7 Platinum Meal Plan allows unlimited entry into the Residential Dining Commons. The meal plan allows 1 meal exchange per day. Meal exchanges allow students to exchange a meal swipe for one meal at select UH Dining retail concepts. A complete list of locations accepting meal exchanges can be found online at the UH Dining website. Access to the dining facilities is limited to one meal swipe every 30 minutes. The 24/7 Platinum Meal Plan is accessible Monday – Sunday. The 24/7 Platinum Meal Plan expires at the end of each semester.
  2. 24/7 Gold Meal Plan allows unlimited entry into the Residential Dining Commons; it also includes an allotment of cougar cash. The meal plan allows 1 meal exchange per day. Meal exchanges allow students to exchange a meal swipe for one meal at select UH Dining retail concepts. A complete list of locations accepting meal exchanges can be found online at the UH Dining website. Access to the dining facilities is limited to one meal swipe every 30 minutes. The 24/7 Gold Meal Plan is accessible Monday – Sunday. The 24/7 Gold Meal Plan expires at the end of each semester.
  3. 24/7 Silver Meal Plan allows unlimited entry into the Residential Dining Commons; it also includes an allotment of cougar cash. The meal plan allows 3 meal exchanges per week. Meal exchanges allow students to exchange a meal swipe for one meal at select UH Dining retail concepts. A complete list of locations accepting meal exchanges can be found online at the UH Dining website. Access to the dining facilities is limited to one meal swipe every 30 minutes. The 24/7 Silver Meal Plan is accessible Monday – Sunday. The 24/7 Silver Meal Plan expires at the end of each semester.
  4. 24/5 Bronze Meal Plan allows unlimited entry into the Residential Dining Commons Monday - Friday; it also includes an allotment of cougar cash. The meal plan allows 1 meal exchange per week. Meal exchanges allow students to exchange a meal swipe for one meal at select UH Dining retail concepts. A complete list of locations accepting meal exchanges can be found online at the UH Dining website. Access to the dining facilities is limited to one meal swipe every 30 minutes. The 24/5 Bronze Plan is accessible Monday – Friday. The 24/5 Bronze Meal Plan expires at the end of each semester.  This meal is available to sophomore, junior, senior, and graduate students; this plan is not available to residential students of Cougar Village I, Cougar Village II, Cougar Place, Moody Towers, or The Quad (excluding The Quad Townhouses).

Voluntary Participants – Commuter Student Meal Plan/Cougar Cash Options:
  1. Cougar Cash ($250, $500, & $1,200, $1650) can be used in all dining facilities managed by UH Dining Services, which includes but not limited to the retail venues in the Student Center, Food Trucks, and at campus convenience stores. Cougar Cash can also be used at McAlister’s Deli and Shasta’s Cones & More. Cougar Cash cannot be used to purchase any tobacco products or alcoholic beverages. Cougar Cash is non-refundable (see Cougar Cash Restrictions below). Only the following students are allowed to choose any of the All Cougar Cash Plans:
    1. All non-residential students and students living in Bayou Oaks, Cambridge Oaks, Cullen Oaks, The Quad Townhouses, and University Lofts can choose any All Cougar Cash Plan offered.
  2. Block 100 Meal Plan allows you to eat at the on campus dining commons. It includes an allotment of Cougar Cash. The Block 100 Meal Plan is available to freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, and graduate commuter students. This plan is not available to residential students of Cougar Village I, Cougar Village II, Cougar Place, Moody Towers, or The Quad. Meals on this plan carry forward from week to week until all meals have been used. The Block 100 Meal Plan expires at the end of each semester. Meal exchanges at select UH Dining retail concepts are not included in this plan.
  3. Block 50 Meal Plan allows you to eat at the on campus dining commons. It includes an allotment of Cougar Cash. The Block 50 Meal Plan is available to freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, and graduate commuter students. This plan is not available to residential students of Cougar Village I, Cougar Village II, Cougar Place, Moody Towers, or The Quad (excluding The Quad Townhouses). Meals on this plan carry forward from week to week until all meals have been used. The Block 50 Meal Plan expires at the end of each semester. Meal exchanges at select UH Dining retail concepts are not included in this plan.

C. Meal Plan/Cougar Cash Restrictions

  1. All 24/7 and 24/5 meal plan holders are not allowed to share meal swipes with fellow students or guests.
  2. Cougar Cash balances will be forfeited after one year of inactivity.
    1. Cougar Cash cannot be used to purchase any tobacco products or alcoholic beverages.
      Cougar Cash balances are non-refundable.
    2. Cougar Cash balances continue to roll over from one semester to the next semester.
  3. Meal Plan and Cougar Cash participants are not allowed to transfer funds between any accounts.
  4. The Meal Plan and Cougar Cash accounts are separate accounts from your ShastaBUCKS (formerly known as “Flex”) account.
  5. Meal Plans and Cougar Cash Plans are non-refundable unless approved through the Meal Plan Petition process. Any refund is credited back to the student’s myUH account and will be applied to any outstanding balances. There will be no cash refunds for closed Meal Plan or Cougar Cash accounts.

D. Direct Debit and Credit Cougar Cash Purchase.

  1. Students, Staff, and Faculty are able to purchase Cougar Cash or make replenishment purchases to a current Cougar Cash Meal Plan at any dollar amount with the use of a debit or credit card via Cougar Card Connect. Cougar Cash purchased through Cougar Card Connect is not an official Meal Plan as listed in Section B and does not satisfy the mandatory meal plan requirement for residential students.
  2. Any refund request submitted for direct debit and credit Cougar Cash purchases through Cougar Card Connect may be subject to review at our discretion. Refund requests may be submitted to auxiliaryservices@uh.edu for up to five business days from the time of purchase. Requests submitted after the fifth business day from the time of purchase are not eligible for a refund. Cougar Cash replenishment purchases for a current Cougar Cash Meal Plan are non-refundable.
Required Documents:
  1. Email receipt received at the time of purchase.
  2. Bank statement showing that funds have been deducted. The statement must show that the charges have “posted” and are not “pending.”
  3. PeopleSoft ID number.
  4. A brief explanation of the request.

E. Cancellations

  1. Pre-move in cancellations: Full Refund. Meal plan refunds are not automatic once a student cancels a residential agreement. The students must cancel the meal plan in AccessUH or by contacting auxiliaryservices@uh.edu.
  2. Residential students who cancel their Residential Services Agreement by the 12th class day will be charged for Meal Plan and Cougar Cash usage. A daily rate charge may apply. Failure to cancel your selection or notify Auxiliary Services of pending housing changes via the meal plan petition by the 12th class day will result in the full charges remaining on your myUH account.
  3. All students who have withdrawn from the University will be required to provide official documentation from the University and submit a Meal Plan Petition and follow the process outlined below.
  4. Students that are granted a meal plan cancellation after the 12th class day of the current semester will be required to pay a $250 cancellation fee.
  5. Students that are requesting meal plan cancellations for a prior semester must show proof of non-enrollment for that term. Students who are granted a meal plan cancellation for a prior semester will be required to pay a $250 cancellation fee.
  6. Faculty and staff requesting a cancellation to their payroll deducted meal plans must sign and submit a meal plan close-out request form to Auxiliary Services. This form is required by UH payroll to halt recurring deductions for the faculty-staff meal plans. Due to the University’s decision to phase out the Faculty-Staff Block 5, 10, and 15 Meal Plans, faculty and staff will not be able to re-enroll into the program once their cancellations have been processed. Remaining meal blocks will stay active and available for use on the faculty/staff accounts. Remaining meal blocks are non-refundable. Staff and faculty may request a refund of remaining Cougar Cash balances if and only if they are separating from the University of Houston.

F. Meal Plan Petitions – Process and Guidelines

Students who are submitting a meal plan petition due to medically necessary dietary accommodations are required to submit documentation to verify eligibility. UH Dining Services will make every attempt to reasonably accommodate campus diners. Documentation must indicate a substantially limited ability to eat in the on-campus dining commons. Diagnosis, limitations, and severity, along with other specific information, should be documented according to the guidelines below. Students with medically necessary dietary accommodations must meet with the Campus Dietitian as part of the meal plan petition process. In the case of missing appointments with the dietitian, students are required to reschedule before the final ruling is made. Failure to show to a scheduled appointment with the Campus Dietitian will result in an automatic petition denial.

Allowed Meal Plan Changes

  1. Residential students of Cougar Village I, Cougar Village II, Cougar Place, Moody Towers, and The Quad (excluding The Quad Townhouses) may make one request to change to a different meal plan for which they are eligible by the Official Reporting Day (12th class day). Residential students may not cancel their meal plan or select a plan they are not eligible for unless approved through the meal plan petition process.
  2. Commuter students and residents of Bayou Oaks, Cullen Oaks, The Quad Townhouses, and University Lofts may request one change to their Meal Plan or Cougar Cash Plan by the Official Reporting Day (12th class day). Eligibility restrictions may apply for certain meal plans.
Meal Plan Petition Process
  1. Students requesting additional changes to their meal plan and students who are requesting medically necessary dietary accommodations with regard to their meal plan must submit a Meal Plan Petition.
  2. All petitions will be reviewed by a committee comprised of University of Houston staff members and UH Dining Services staff members.
  3. Students will be notified of the decision within 15 business days after submitting their petition.
  4. Approved meal plan petitions are effective for the full academic year.
  5. Petition approvals and recommendations are a one-time exception per student. Students granted approval or are given accommodations based on recommendations from the meal plan petition committee will be required to maintain a meal plan for the next academic year if they decide to reside on campus at Cougar Place, Cougar Village 1, Cougar Village 2, Moody Towers, or The Quad (excluding The Quad Townhouses).
Meal Plan Petition Guidelines
  1. Students submitting a meal plan petition due to medically necessary dietary accommodations must meet with the UH Dining Services Registered Dietitian. During the confidential session with the Campus Dietitian, foods routinely consumed and avoided as well as symptoms associated with the stated condition will be discussed. The UH Dining Services Registered Dietitian has a responsibility to maintain the confidentiality of the evaluation. Students must bring necessary medical documentation to their dietitian sessions. The dietitian, UH Dining Services Executive Chef, and UH Dining Services management team may meet with the student to determine the extent to which the student can be accommodated in the dining commons.
  2. An Auxiliary Services representative will contact the student via email to coordinate a meeting with the UH Dining Services Dietitian. If the student does not respond to the meeting request within 5 business days or fails to attend a scheduled meeting without notifying Auxiliary Services within 24 hours of the appointment, the meal plan petition will be denied.
  3. Medical Documentation (if applicable):
    1. Professionals conducting assessments, rendering diagnoses, and making recommendations for appropriate accommodations for students must be qualified to do so.
    2. Examples of qualified medical professionals include board-certified allergists, medical doctors, physician assistants, and/or nurse practitioners. Please note that documentation acceptance is at the discretion of the dietitian and documents from other health professionals may not be accepted.
    3. Medical or clinical diagnosis that require a dietary accommodation need must be identified by a licensed professional in the appropriate area of specialization.
    4. Clearly define the impact of the condition on the student's dietary needs.
    5. Severity factors of the dietary need must be stated.
    6. Meal plan petitions must be directly related to the individual's substantial limitation.
    7. All documents should be on letterhead, typed, dated, signed and otherwise legible.
    8. Documentation that is incomplete or does not specifically follow the guidelines above, or not specific may result in the denial of the student's request.
  4. Report to Auxiliary Services
    1. After all the proper documentation has been received, the Campus Dietitian with UH Dining Services will provide final recommendations to Auxiliary Services.
For more information regarding Mandatory Residential and Voluntary Commuter Meal Plans, contact Auxiliary Services at (832) 842-9053.

These Terms and Conditions are subject to change without notice.

Updated: August 2023