Meal Plans
2021-2022 Residential Meal Plans
All students living in a residence hall will be required to purchase a Residential Hall Meal Plan. All first-year freshmen will be required to purchase a Residential Hall Meal Plan regardless of booking. Select your resident meal plan on your housing application.
Residential Hall Meal Plans
These plans offer access to the Dining Commons. They have meal exchange options (see table below) and Dining Dollars that can be used in retail locations.
| Plan | Cost | Access to the Dining Commons | Meals | Dining Dollars | Guest Meals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otter 7 days | $2,279 | Unlimited access Monday through Sunday | Unlimited | $150 | 5 |
| Otter 5 days | $2,279 | Unlimited access Monday through Friday | Unlimited | $350 | 5 |
| Otter 225 | $2,279 | Must use Meals or Dining Dollars to access | 225 | $425 | 5 |
Non-residential Hall Meal Plans
These Meal Plans offer a certain number of meals in the Dining Commons each semester, have meal exchange options (see below) that can be used in retail locations, plus Dining Dollars.
| Plan | Cost | Access to the Dining Commons | Meals | Dining Dollars | Guest Meals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otter 7 days | $2,279 | Unlimited access Monday through Sunday | Unlimited | $150 | 5 |
| Otter 5 days | $2,279 | Unlimited access Monday through Friday | Unlimited | $350 | 5 |
| Otter 225 | $2,279 | Must use Meals or Dining Dollars to access | 225 | $425 | 5 |
| Monterey Bay 140 | $1,961 | Must use Meals or Dining Dollars to access | 140 | $675 | 5 |
| Monterey Bay 100 | $1,511 | Must use Meals or Dining Dollars to access | 100 | $575 | 5 |
| Monterey Bay 70 | $1,405 | Must use Meals or Dining Dollars to access | 70 | $725 | 5 |
Please see meal plan requirements and terms.
2021-2022 Voluntary Meal Plans
| Plan | Cost | Meals | Dining Dollars | Guest Meals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal 50 | $742 | 50 | $375 | 3 |
| Coastal 35 | $663 | 35 | $385 | 2 |
| Coastal 20 | $424 | 20 | $250 | 2 |
| Coffee (used only at coffee locations) | $350 | 80 | $0 | 0 |
| Late Night Study Plan | $400 | 48 | $0 | 0 |
Purchase a Voluntary Meal Plan
Meal Exchanges
Meal Exchanges turn meals that can be used at the Dining Commons into meals you can use at retail dining locations. Meal Exchanges are limited based on total exchanges allowed and frequency. To use a meal at a retail location, you must buy a combo meal identified on each retail location's menu.
| Plan | Number of Meal Exchanges Allowed | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Otter 7 days | 112 | 1 per day (7 days a week) in any retail location |
| Otter 5 days | 80 | 1 per day (Monday to Friday) in any retail location |
| Otter 225 | 112 | Up to 3 meals (1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner)/day in any retail locations |
| Monterey Bay 140 | 70 | Up to 3 meals (1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner)/day in any retail locations |
| Monterey Bay 100 | 50 | Up to 3 meals (1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner)/day in any retail locations |
| Monterey Bay 70 | 35 | Up to 3 meals (1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner)/day in any retail locations |
| Coastal 50 | 25 | Up to 3 meals (1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner)/day in any retail locations |
| Coastal 35 | 16 | Up to 3 meals (1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner)/day in any retail locations |
| Coastal 20 | 10 | Up to 3 meals (1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner)/day in any retail locations |
| Coffee (used only at coffee locations) | 80 | Unlimited |
| Late Night Study Plan | 48 | Unlimited |
- Meal plan exchanges are loaded each day until allowable meal changes are consumed.
- Meal plan exchanges do not roll over day to day.
- All first-year freshmen, regardless of their booking location, are required to purchase a Residential Hall Meal Plan. All students living in Residence Halls (Cypress, Asilomar, Willet, Manzanita, Yarrow, Avocet, Tortuga, Sanderling) must have one of the required Residential Hall Meal Plans listed above. Students living in the North Quad Suites (Pinnacles and Vineyard) are required to purchase one of the Non-residential Hall Meal Plans. East Campus, Promontory, and Strawberry Apartments are not required to have the residence hall plans, but we recommend purchasing a residential or voluntary plan.
- Unlimited Meal Plans cannot be exchanged for retail value.
- Students can switch, upgrade, or downgrade meal plans through the first two weeks of school. The final date to make a change will coincide with the last day to request a room change in the residence halls. Students may only change to a plan that meets the
requirement in the housing contract. - Guests will not be subject to sales tax on purchases when using their Dining Dollars.
- If the housing and/or required dining plan is cancelled by a student, the refund policy will be in accordance with the housing contract. Refunds will be based on a prorated rate in conjunction with the housing contract.
- All unused Fall Voluntary Meal Plan tenders can only roll over to spring if and only if one has a Spring Voluntary Meal Plan on file, but all will expire at the end of the Spring Semester.
- All unused Residential Meal Plan meal tenders will expire at the end of each semester.
Guest Meals
- Each Residential Meal Plan will be provided five (5) Dining Commons guest passes per semester. Guest passes are in addition to the plan’s Dining Commons access. Guest meals will expire at the end of each semester.
- Dining Dollars and Otter Bucks are also accepted to purchase guest meals.
Voluntary Plans
- The current Voluntary Meal Plans can be purchased by any CSUMB student, faculty, or staff. An active campus ID card is required to purchase a meal plan.
- Meals and Dining Dollar tenders on all voluntary plans roll from fall to spring, but they will expire at the end of the Spring Semester.
Otter Bucks
- Students, faculty, and staff can purchase Otter Bucks at any time on the CSUMB website. This money can be used at the bookstore and all dining facilities.