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Carthage is proud to offer several meal plan options that match the diversity and lifestyle of our residential student community. First-year students are required to select either the Standard or the Premium Plans, so they can experience all of what Campus Dining has to offer without the risk of running out of meal swipes.

Sophomore, junior, and senior residential students are eligible to select from a wider variety of plans to match their lifestyle and dining needs.

Commuter students are eligible to purchase meal block plans at any time during the semester and can purchase meal blocks as needed throughout the academic year.

Residential graduate students do not have meal plans included in their housing fees. If you are interested in enrolling in a residential meal plan, please contact the Campus Dining team at dining@carthage.edu to learn more about the available options.

See all Carthage meal plan options

All residential students are required to purchase a meal plan.

Students select their meal plans during fall registration for the entire academic year. Students can switch their meal plans during the second week of the fall semester. Meal plan switches are not allowed outside of the designated time frame. Students wanting to switch plans should keep their eye on The Bridge (the campus e-newsletter) for directions on switching their meal plans during the designated week in the fall semester.

is a mobile and desktop application where students can log in to see their meal swipe and Birdie Bucks balances in real-time. If students spend the entirety of the Birdie Bucks issued with their meal plans, they can use the GET App to purchase Birdie Bucks +.

Regular Birdie Bucks included in meal plans are loaded onto a student’s card by semester. Unused Birdie Bucks included in meal plans will roll over from the fall to the spring semester but expire at the end of the academic year.

Birdie Bucks + (not part of meal plans) is additional cash added to a student’s card using the GET App and do not expire until a student graduates.

When purchasing a meal, students should indicating to the cashier if they are using Birdie Bucks or Birdie Bucks +.

Parents, guardians, or other relatives can add Birdie Bucks + to their student’s account at any time through the .

Option 1 — Adding Funds by Email Request

• Students must open the , go to their account, select “Request Funds,” and fill in the required information (name and email of who they are requesting to replenish their funds).
• The parent or family member will then receive a request for funds via email, which will prompt them to the GET Deposit Portal where they can add funds to their student’s account.

Option 2 — Adding Funds Using Student’s ID Number

• Parents can access the , where they can add funds to their student’s account using their student’s ID number.

Note: These options add Birdie Bucks+, not regular Birdie Bucks, to their student’s balance.

Your student will receive an email notification that the funds have been added to their account balance. Unused Birdie Bucks + added using the GET App carry over from term to term, year to year, as long as the cardholder is an active student at Carthage. 

Carthage recognizes that we need to meet the needs of students with food allergies. Utilizing specific recipes entirely free of the top eight allergens and gluten, Inspired Eats is a concept in the Caf for students with special dietary needs. Additionally, the Caf offers gluten-free and vegetarian options upon request. Campbell Student Union restaurants also offer select allergen-free options as part of their regular menu.

Students with severe, diagnosed food allergies or medical conditions can apply for a dining accommodation to ensure they have safe food options available to them beyond the general daily offerings. You can apply for a dining accommodation by visiting the Food Allergy & Dining Accommodation webpage.

Commuter students will have the opportunity to purchase a Meal Block Plan during fall registration. If a commuter student neglected to purchase a plan during registration or needs to buy an additional meal block, they can visit Student Financial Services on the 4th floor of Lentz Hall. Your meals will be available in one business day.

As a franchised partner, Starbucks is unable to accept Meal Exchanges. Students can use Birdie Bucks, cash, credit, or debit to purchase food and beverage items.

J-Term is a four-week session that occurs outside the 30-week academic year. During this period, the campus has a smaller residential student population, and campus dining locations operate on adjusted hours. During J-Term, Carthage offers several optional meal block plans specifically for J-Term so students can choose a plan that best fits their individual dining needs during these four weeks. Students will resume their normal plan when the spring term begins.

During breaks when residential halls close (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break), Campus Dining is not operational. Students applying to stay on campus during these breaks should plan accordingly to source their meals off campus.

During shorter breaks when residential halls remain open (Fall Break, Easter Break), campus dining locations operate on adjusted hours.

Students majoring in education that require an extended stay in a residence hall to complete their student teaching requirements should plan accordingly to source their meals off campus after the last day of the spring term.

Campus Dining shuts down after the conclusion of the spring term. For this reason, no meal plans are available during the summer. The Caf is open for external summer camps. Faculty, staff, and summer students/residents are welcome to pay the door rate to eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner when in operation for camps.