For Parents
When your son or daughter comes to Duke, there are always questions about university life, including selecting the best dining plan. To help select the right dining plan for your student's needs, check out these student profiles and complete a dining plan worksheet.
If you've got questions, contact Duke Dining Services at (919) 660-3900 or dining@notes.duke.edu.
Here are a few commonly asked questions:
Why are first-year students required to have a dining plan?
Socializing over a meal is a great way for students to forge strong relationships with peers and faculty. Duke's dining plan for first-year students provides meals at the Marketplace on East Campus, which allows social interaction in a comfortable setting close to first-year residence halls.
What is the first-year dining board plan?
First-year dining board plan meals include 12 meals each week (five for breakfast and seven for dinner or brunch). Students on the first-year plan can eat breakfast, lunch, dinner and brunch at the Marketplace on East Campus, which features numerous fresh food stations, or have dinner at the Freeman Center for Jewish Life, which specializes in kosher, vegetarian and vegan selections.
If students miss breakfast, which is served Monday through Friday in the Marketplace, they may apply the meal equivalency (valued at $6) on the same day in one of two ways: toward a made-to-order breakfast in the Great Hall on West Campus, or toward an a la carte lunch selection in the Marketplace on East.
First-year dining board plans range from $2,445 and $2,535 and include a range of food points that can be used at any on-campus eatery, Merchants on Points vendor, campus convenience store or vending machines.
First-year dining plans also come with four complimentary guest meals each semester at the Marketplace.
What dining plans are offered for upperclassmen?
Beginning with their second year on campus, students are able to select from five dining plans, ranging from $1,710 to $2,620, including a range of food points.
What if I don't estimate the right amount for my student's dining plan?
Students have until Oct. 31, 2009 to reduce or enhance their dining plan. Plus, to supplement any dining plan, additional food points can be added throughout the year in increments of $25.
What if a student misses breakfast at the Marketplace?
If a student misses breakfast, served Monday through Friday in the Marketplace, he or she may apply the meal equivalency (valued at $6) on the same day one of two ways: toward a made-to-order breakfast in the Great Hall on West Campus or toward an a la carte lunch selection in the Marketplace on East.What are food points?
Food points are used to supplement dining plans. Each food point is equivalent to $1 and is accessed with a DukeCard. They can be used to buy snacks and meals at any on-campus eatery, Merchants on Points vendor, campus convenience store or vending machines.
What happens to extra food points at the end of the semester?
Food points remaining at the end of fall semester remain in the account for use during spring semester. Spring semester accounts must be purchased in full, regardless of food points left from fall semester.
At the end of each academic year, students can apply for a food points refund based on the number of semesters they participated in a dining plan during that academic year. For each semester of participation in a dining plan during that academic year, students can receive a full refund for each 50 dining points that were not spent, along with half of the amount of any additional unused dining points. For example, a student who participates in the dining plan for both semesters of the academic year and has $200 in unspent food points is entitled to a $150 refund, which includes a $100 refund for the first 100 unspent points plus a 50 percent refund of the remaining $100.