Like everything else at college, campus dining halls have become shockingly expensive

[FarCenter]

College is expensive.

And we're not just talking about the price of tuition. Meal plans and dining hall fees can cost students a pretty penny as well.

Money reports that undergraduate students who eat all of their meals on campus spend up to 85% more per day on food than they would likely pay if they cooked all their meals at home.

In 2015, students paid an average of $4,300 per academic year for a 19-meal-per-week plan, which averages to about $7.50 per meal, according to data from the US Department of Education. In comparison, Americans living on their own dole out less than $4 per meal on average — including the occasional restaurant meal! — according to the BLS. Hello, dining hall markup.

At some schools, the cost per meal can be even higher. Students at Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, end up paying around $12 per meal on-campus.

http://www.businessinsider.com/college-campus-dining-halls-shockingly-expensive-2017-1

[brooklynite]

1. ...in large part because of the expectations of the students.

Cafeteria chow is no longer acceptable; people want fancier food, low-fat and vegan options...

The $65 million Lulu Chow Wang Campus Center features floor-to-ceiling windows through which students can admire Lake Waban while enjoying made-to-order omelets for breakfast, Niman Ranch ham sandwiches for lunch, dinner entrees featuring local seafood, and, for dessert, all-you-can eat ice cream.

http://time.com/money/4636628/why-food-college-expensive/

[crazycatlady]

2. I read somewhere last month that some colleges make commuters buy meal plans

[MissB]

3. Yep.

We had to choose a meal plan for our kid this year. He can select from a number of different plans- the variation is in the number of meal swipes and the number of "dining dollars", though all the plans are similar in cost.

He currently has an extra $300 in dining dollars because he mostly uses the cafeteria (conveniently located in his dorm) for most meals. He will be buying lots of canned goods with his dining dollars to donate to the local food bank. Otherwise those dining dollars (likely to be $800) just go away at the end of the school year. Can't get a meal plan with just swipes, though you could get more swipes than dining dollars. But he only eats so much.

He has a full ride so we don't pay for his meal plan. (We do pay taxes on his room and board though.) At some point he will move off campus and have plenty of extra $ since his food costs will go down and they'll refund the room and board cost to him. He has to stay on campus this year.

[exboyfil]

4. Probably not entirely within the plan

but our family ate a bunch of meals off of our daughter's meal plan. They basically allowed multiple swipes for guests beyond the defined number of guest visits to her all you can eat dining hall (think Golden Corral). They also allowed multiple swipes for grab and go subs (think Subway with chips, drink, and cookie/piece of fruit).

One thing that college students do need is time. My daughter finished her engineering degree in two years on campus (she did her first two years while in high school). While dorms and food are expensive on campus, she realistically saved 1 to 1 1/2 hours per day on commute and food preparation. I would like to see lower cost/no frill dorm options and one pass cheaper cafeteria options, but being on campus does have some intrinsic advantages. I was on campus for my 3 1/2 years, and I do not regret it at all. I was in the dorm closest to my engineering building, and I appreciated the extra time it afforded me.

My younger daughter is a commuter student to her nursing school. Her dorm would be at the local university which is about the same commuter distance as our home. Since she also has to commute to clinicals, a dorm option obviously does not make sense. She is at home for now.