Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Meal plans are billed through SOLAR and paid similar to tuition / fees.

For questions about financial aid eligibility and coverage, visit stonybrook.edu/finaid.

New students are going through a transition, living away from home for the first time, making new friends, deciding on their book buying options, and learning to manage their time with classes, homework, and social activities. When new students are on a plan with “unlimited meals,” they don’t have to worry about budgeting Dining Dollars.

Any student living in a residence hall that is not a “cooking building” is required to select one of the resident meal plans offered by Campus Dining. This requirement has been in place for many years, and it was established to avoid health and safety issues in the residence halls.

The safety of our students is our number one concern. If students don’t have access to a proper dining facility, they may rely on cooking appliances in their residence hall rooms to prepare their meals. These appliances have been demonstrated to be fire hazards as they can overheat and cause fires, endangering the lives of our students.

Another main concern is sanitation. We would like students to live in the utmost sanitary conditions in the residence halls. The residence hall rooms do not have adequate facilities to prepare food in sanitary conditions and allow for proper cleanup, which may cause the presence of vermin as well as create insect infestations.

Although many buildings present cooking areas, these are meant for light cooking and are not fitted to withstand high traffic.

Buildings that require a meal plan:

• Amman
• Gray
• Irving
• O'Neil
• Benedict
• James
• Langmuir
• Lauterbur
• Hendrix
• Cardozo
• Chavez 
• Tubman
• Whitman
• Douglas
• Dreiser
• Chinn
• Toscannini
• Dewey
• Baruch
• Eisenhower
• Schick
• Hamilton
• Stimson
• Keller
• Greeley
• Wagner
• Yang

Buildings with Cooking Rooms (some rooms in these buildings might require a meal plan):

• Gershwin
• Hand

Students living in an on-campus apartment are not required to have a meal plan. Those buildings include:

• Chapin
• West
• Schomburg

Commuters are not required to be on a meal plan but may choose from any resident plan, as well as a variety of plans designed especially for them.

View and sign up for a Commuter / Apartment Meal Plan.

No, you will be placed on the same plan you selected in the fall. All meal plans selected are ANNUAL (fall and spring) agreements. Changes and cancellations must be made in writing to the ASA Services Office at mealplan@stonybrook.edu.

SBU Eats does its best to meet the needs of all guests. If you have any special dietary concerns, please feel free to visit our Campus Dining Dietitian for a FREE consultation. To set up a virtual appointment, please call (631) 632-9979 or visit the campus dining website.

For information regarding waivers and medical exemptions, please refer to the meal plan terms and conditions.

If you are a Jewish student or someone who keeps kosher and wants access to Delancey Street, please reach out to Jessica Lemons, Executive Director of Stony Brook Hillel, at jessica.lemons@stonybrook.edu

Students on an unlimited meal plan can use a swipe at dine-in as many times as they wish throughout the day.

If you are sick and cannot visit one of our dining locations, you can have a friend do it for you. Get a Sick Tray Form from your RA or RHD. Have the form completed and give it to a friend along with your ID card. Your friend will then be able to use your card to pick up a meal for you. Be sure the form is completed with all of the necessary signatures, or your card will be confiscated. This option is only available for short-term illnesses. If you need this service for a longer period of time, contact the ASA Services Office at 631-632-6517 or mealplan@stonybrook.edu.

No. The SBU Premium meal plan includes Guest Passes, which can be used to swipe in a friend or visiting family member at Dine-In locations.

If you do not have guest passes, credit/debit cards may be used to pay the door price at dine-in or for food and beverage items at any retail location on campus.

Yes! Dining Dollars may be used at Stony Brook University Hospital dining locations.

View East Campus Dining Locations

No. Meal Plan funds may only be used to purchase food and beverage items at on-campus dining locations.

Patrons may purchase non-food items using credit/debit or Wolfie Wallet.

No. Wolfie Wallet is a campus prepaid declining balance debit account encoded on your campus ID. It is a safe and convenient way to make food purchases from on- and off-campus merchants, make purchases from campus stores and vending machines, mail packages in the residential mailroom, and utilize print and copy services.

To learn more about Wolfie Wallet and to add funds to your card, visit stonybrook.edu/wolfiewallet

No.

Yes. Send an email to mealplan@stonybrook.edu to request the transfer of Wolfie Wallet funds to dining dollars.

If your card shows an error, stop by the ASA Student Services office, and we’ll help get it fixed. In the meantime, the SBU Eats team at East Side and West Side Dine-In will never turn away a hungry student.