Student Meal Plans

Meal Plan Policies and Procedures

Meal Plan Account

The Meal Plan is an account on your UNCW One Card. The UNCW One Card may only be used by the individual identified on the card. Students must present their card to the cashier each time they use it in order to obtain services at any dining venue, food truck, or convenience store.

  • Only the ONE CARD holder may utilize their meal plan and may not sell, loan, or allow their card to be used by others.
  • Students can use their Meal Plan at all Dining Services locations on campus. To view where All Access Meals, Teals Meals, Guest Meals, and Food Dollars may be used, visit Where Can You Use Your Meal Plan?

Dietary Needs or Restrictions

If a student has special dietary needs or restrictions, Campus Dining can accommodate the student to make sure they get the most out of their Meal Plan. For any dietary and/or nutritional concerns, please engage the Dietary Needs Committee by first emailing dietaryneeds@uncw.edu or by calling 910.962.7621.

Check Meal Plan Balance

How to Check Your Meal Plan Balance:

  1. Login to the UNCW One Card Online Management Center (link can also be found under account management on the One Card webpage).
  2. You will see a number of cards listed on the left. Scroll down to find your meal plan.
    1. Your Food Dollar balance will be reflected on the bottom right of the correct meal plan card listed somewhere in the middle. Select the card and scroll back up to see transaction information.
    2. Your Meals balance (if applicable) will be reflected by selecting the correct meal plan card listed at the bottom. Scroll back up to see available balance and transaction information.

Meal Plan Contract

Meal Plans are semester plans. Each semester portion is billed to the Student Account. The fall semester meal plan will be automatically assigned to you for the spring semester. Changes, according to housing type, are permitted during the change period. All meals expire at the end of each semester.

Food Dollar Rolling/Expiration

Unused Food Dollars will roll over to the next semester meal plan only if you purchase a meal plan for that semester. Rolling occurs from summer to fall and fall to spring only. All unused Food Dollars expire at the end of the spring semester. 

  • Unused Food Dollars will be rolled into the following semester account, as explained above, after the meal plan change period for a semester. 

Meals Availability and Expiration

All Access Meals

All Access Meals provide students unlimited access to the dining halls (Wagoner Hall, Dub's Cafe, and The Shore Dining Hall). All Access Meals expire with the meal plan at the end of the semester. 

Teal Meals (Hawk Silver or Hawk Gold)

Teal Meals on the All Access Plans may be used at select retail locations. They are allotted on a weekly basis and do not roll from one week to the next. Teal Meals reset every Sunday morning. All meals expire with the meal plan at the end of the semester. 

Teal Meals or Dining Hall Meals (Block 125, Block 80, or Block 50)

Meals on Block Plans may be used as Teal Meals at select retail locations, or as dining hall meals at Wagoner Hall, Dub's Cafe, or The Shore Dining Hall. Meals are allotted on a semester basis. All meals expire with the meal plan at the end of the semester. 

Meal Plan Billing to Student Account

Any student signed up for a Fall Semester meal plan will automatically be assigned the same plan for the spring semester. Students may change their automatically assigned Meal Plan, according to their housing type, prior to the end of the change period.

The Meal Plan and meal plan add-ons (All Access Meals, Teal Meals, Food Dollars) are billed to the Student Account, and charges are due on the next E-Bill due date. For a list of E-Bill due dates, visit https://uncw.edu/studentaccounts/charges/due-dates.html 

Meal Plan Tax Information: The North Carolina Tax Simplification and Reduction Act (Session Law 2013-316) repealed the meal plan tax exemption effective January 1, 2014. As a result, the sales of prepared food and food served to students in university dining facilities are now subject to sales tax. The current sales tax rate is 7.00% (NC State tax rate of 4.75% and New Hanover County tax rate of 2.25%).

  • NC Sales Tax is charged on the Meals portion only at the time of meal plan purchase. Food Dollars will be taxed as they are used.

On-Campus Required Students

All Students living in Required Housing (Sandpiper, Pelican, Terrapin, Loggerhead, Belk, Graham, Hewlett, Schwartz, Cornerstone, Keystone, Innovation) are required to have a Hawk plan (Gold, Silver or Bronze; All Access meal plan). The default meal plan for these locations will be the Hawk Silver, meaning students will have the option to either upgrade their plan to the Hawk Gold or downgrade their plan to the Hawk Bronze.

All Students living in the University Suites are required to have at least the Block 125 meal plan. The default plan for students living in this location will be the Hawk Silver, but students will have the option to either upgrade to the Hawk Gold or downgrade to the Hawk Bronze or Block 125.

If On-Campus Required students do not select their Fall 2022 meal plan by July 1 or Spring 2023 meal plan by November 28, the Hawk Silver plan will be automatically assigned. Students can change their defaulted meal plan to another On-Campus Required meal plan option during the meal plan change period.

On-Campus Voluntary or Off Campus Students

Students living in Seahawk Landing, Seahawk Village, or Seahawk Crossing, and all students who live off campus are not required to purchase a meal plan but may select any Meal Plan offered.

Meal Plan Upgrades

Adding Food Dollars

Food Dollars may be added to any meal plan after the meal plan change period ends until the last day of class (see academic calendar). Add-On Food Dollars are billed to the Student Account. 

  • How to Add Food Dollars:
    • Email mealplans@uncw.edu
    • Include your student ID number and the amount you would like to add, either $50, $100, or $200.
    • All requests will be processed manually. Please allow 1-2 business days for processing. A confirmation email reply will be sent once the account has been updated. 

Adding Meals

Block 50, Block 85, or Block 125 plans may add Meals to their plan after the meal plan change period until the last day of class (see academic calendar).

Email mealplans@uncw.edu to add on Meals, include your student ID number and the number of meals you would like to add. All requests will be processed manually. Please allow 1-2 business days for processing. A confirmation email reply will be sent once the account has been updated. The cost for add-on Meals will be billed to the Student Account. 

  • 10 Meals for $95 + tax
  • 20 Meals for $180 + tax
  • 50 Meals for $385 + tax

Important Dates

Meal Plan start and end dates per meal plan period, and meal plan change period dates (if applicable). 

Academic Year 2022 - 2023

Fall 2022 Meal Plan

Plan Start
Change Period
Plan End

August 19

April 6 -

September 2

December 18

Spring 2023 Meal Plan

Plan Start
Change Period
Plan End

January 6

November 7 -

January 20

May 14

Meal Plan Changes During the Change Period

Students may change their semester Meal Plan, according to their housing assignment, prior to the end of the change period.

2022-23 Term
Meal Plan Change Period Start Date
Meal Plan Change Period End Date
Fall 2022

April 6

September 2
Spring 2023

November 7

January 20

PLEASE NOTE: Meal Plan changes are not permitted during the summer sessions.

Important Change Period Information

To change a meal plan, students should log in to MySeaport, select the Students tab (at the top of the page), then select the Submit a Student Meal Plan Application link (in the middle under Housing, Dining & Transportation). Changes are processed within 2-3 business days. 

  • Students living in On-Campus Required Housing (Sandpiper, Pelican, Terrapin, Loggerhead, Belk, Graham, Hewlett, Schwartz, Cornerstone, Keystone, Innovation) may change their meal plan to one of the Required Housing meal plans: Hawk Bronze, Hawk Silver, Hawk Gold.
  • Students living in the University Suites may change their meal plan to the Hawk Bronze, Hawk Silver, Hawk Gold, or Block 125.
  • Students living in On-Campus Voluntary Housing (Seahawk Crossing, Seahawk Landing, Seahawk Village) or students living Off Campus, may change to any meal plan offered.

Meal Plan Cancellations

Cancellations occur only if a student has graduated or withdrawn from the university, or if a Voluntary Housing or Commuter student elects to cancel their automatically assigned Spring semester meal plan prior to the end of the change period. 

All other emergencies or situations will be handled on an individual basis by contacting the UNCW One Card and Meal Plan Office at 910.962.3560 or mealplans@uncw.edu.

Reviewed December 2022 | M.Allred