Meal Plans and Dining Policies

Since Cornell is a residential college, all students, with the exceptions noted below, are required to take the full board plan. Arrangements and requests for exceptions listed below must be made through the Residence Life Office.

The following students may request a full or partial board plan, or may opt out of the board plan:

• Students who meet one or more of the following exemptions of the residence requirement and who opt not to live in College-owned or College-leased housing, including:
  • Students who live at the primary, permanent residence of their parent or guardian in or very near Mount Vernon.
  • Married students.
  • Students who have children.
  • Students who have completed eight semesters in residence.
  • Students who are 24 years of age or older by September 1 for that academic year.
  • Students with special medical needs, as verified by a doctor’s completion of the Documentation of Medical/Psychological Conditions form and recommended by the Director of Student Health Services or the Director of Counseling.

The following students may request a full or partial board plan (but may not opt out of the board plan):

• Students authorized to live off campus through the off-campus lottery.
• Students who live in 10^th Avenue Apartments, Harlan House, Armstrong House, and the Sleep Inn. 

Students who participate in approved off-campus courses can request meal refunds for specific time periods. Information about meal refund requests is available on the Registrar's Office website.  Request forms can be downloaded from the Registrar's at  Resources for Students page.

Additional information about dining policies can be found on the Cornell Dining Services website.