First day of school
Welcome First-Years

We have what you need to thrive.

Penn Dining welcomes you to campus. We are eager to share our dining cafés with you and demonstrate that we are a culture driven to create food that is alive with flavor and nutrition, prepared from scratch using authentic ingredients.

Reasons to get excited

  • 18 Dining Locations
  • Quality Ingredients
  • Community Setting with Events
  • Flexible Usage
     

First-Year Options

Being on a dining plan creates a sense of community among the Penn students, faculty, and staff. Through two first-year plans with varying combinations of visits to the all-you-care-to-eat residential dining cafes and Dining Dollars (used primarily at our retail locations), we know you’ll find something that fits your palate.

  • Best for:

    Eating more meals at our retail locations.

    First-Year 187

    • 187 swipes per semester
    • $400 Dining Dollars per semester
    • Averages to 12 meals per week
    • Priced & contracted annually, billed per semester
    $6,960
    Annual cost, billed per semester.
    Includes 374 total swipes + $800 Dining Dollars
  • Best for:

    Eating the majority of your meals at our all-you-care-to-eat locations.

    First-Year 296

    • 296 swipes per semester
    • $125 Dining Dollars per semester
    • Averages to 19 meals per week
    • Priced & contracted annually, billed per semester
    $6,960
    Annual cost, billed per semester.
    Includes 592 total swipes + $250 Dining Dollars
Pick a Plan
Plan Benefits

Special diet? We’ve got you covered.

Penn Dining currently serves many students with food allergies or dietary needs and our registered dietitian nutritionist, Sarah Goff, is here to assist students with any dietary questions or concerns they may have.
Ingredients in bowls
Religious Diets

Kosher? Halal? Jain? We have options to meet your needs.

We have a strong partnership with the Office of the Chaplain & SPARC, The Spiritual and Religious Life Center on Penn's campus, as well as many partnerships with specific student religious organizations to support students dietary needs.
close up to hands reaching for a bowl of dates
Managing Your Plan

Visit Campus Express to sign up and manage your dining plan

At Campus Express Online you can sign up or change your dining plan, keep track of and add more swipes or Dining Dollars
Students at Hill house
Stay Informed

Want to know what's cooking?

Menu Mail sends you daily information about menu options and meal periods directly so you can always find what your craving.
hand holding phone for menu mail

Important Information

First-Year Need to Know

Pricing & billing information

Dining plans represent contracts for the entire Academic Year, but are allocated/billed per semester.  Fall 2026 billing will begin in July 2026.  Dining plans purchased prior to July 1, 2026 will be posted to students’ bursar bills by July 2026.  After that date, charges will be posted to students’ bursar bills on a rolling weekly basis.  Spring 2027 billing will first appear on students’ bursar bills by November 2026.  Spring 2027 plans purchased after that date will be billed on a rolling weekly basis.

Have more questions?

To see all of our FAQs about Dining please click here.

Are first-years required to have a dining plan?

First-year students are required to sign-up for one of the two First-Year Dining Plans. Students have until June 23, 2026 to select a plan. If you have not signed-up by that date we will automatically assign freshmen to the First Year 296 dining plan. Students wishing to change their dining plans may do so once during the Fall Change Period, August 25 to September 15, 2026, and once during the Spring Change Period, January 20 to February 10, 2027.

When does my Dining Plan start and end?

Aug. 17NSO Dining Plans Begin
Aug. 25Academic Year Dining Plans Begin
Aug. 25Fall Change Period Begins
Sep. 7Labor Day - limited operations
Sep. 15Fall Change Period Ends
Oct. 1-4Fall Break - limited operations
Nov. 26-29 Thanksgiving Break - limited operations
Dec. 17End of Fall Term - All cafes closed, Fall swipes/visits expire

What are Guest Swipes?

Guest Swipes allow you to share a meal with friends and family. All first-year dining plans include 10 guest swipes per semester. (The guest swipes are counted in the total semester allocation.)