A Dining Plan unlocks delicious meals, beverages, snacks, and more, at the dining locations across campus. Your Dining Plan includes meal swipes and dine dollars, conveniently loaded onto your PennWest OneCard. No need to carry additional cards or cash!
Pennsylvania Western University Dining Services offers a wide variety of convenient, nutritious meals to support health and wellness, and accommodate a range of dietary needs. Choose from different menus and services styles across our campuses. Each of the PennWest campus common dining halls (Gold Rush at California, Eagle Commons at Clarion, and Van Houten at Edinboro) offers a multitude of stations including a full salad bar, roots (vegetarian and vegan options), pizza, a grill station, home-styles (classic comfort food), and clarity (all items prepared free of the nine major allergens). PennWest also has plenty of retail dining options available including Starbucks, We Proudly Serve locations on each campus. Need something quick in between classes or a late-night snack? Dine dollars, a declining balance account associated with the dining plans, can be used to make a purchase at any on-campus dining or vending location.
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Dining Plans
With so many things on your mind, you may not have given much thought to how you will be eating when you are on campus - but we have! It is our goal to keep students happy and healthy by providing meals that are nutritious, quick, convenient, and delicious. The best way to eat on campus is with a dining plan tailored to fit your needs.
With your Dining Plan, you receive many benefits and perks, including:
- A variety of nutritious and delicious foods made fresh by our culinary team
- Healthy choices available across campus
- Special events with themed meals and exclusive offers for Dining Plan members
- Casual atmosphere-- perfect for studying or hanging out with friends
- Dine dollars can be used to make a purchase at any on-campus dining or vending location
- Conveniently loaded onto your PennWest OneCard-- no need to carry additional cards or cash
Choose a PennWest Dining Plan today and leave the cooking to us!
The following Dining Plans are available to all students. Students residing in on-campus housing are required to contract for one of the weekly plans listed below.
| 19 Meal Plan | 19 meals per week with $225 dine dollars |
| 14 Meal Plan | 14 meals per week with $225 dine dollars |
| 10 Meal Plan | 10 meals per week with $225 dine dollars |
In addition to the plans listed above, the following Dining Plans are available to Reinhard Village residents, Vulcan Village residents, and commuter students.
| 75 Block Plan | 75 meals per semester with $125 dine dollars |
| 40 Block Plan | 40 meals per semester with $125 dine dollars |
*Note: Dining Plan charges are subject to change without prior notice and such changes shall take precedence over existing charges. All charges are subject to Council of Trustee approval.
Dining Plans include two components: meal swipes and dine dollars.
- Dining Plans offer meal swipes in either a weekly amount or a semester block.
- For the weekly plans, the count of meals resets every Monday morning.
- For a block plan, it is up to the student to budget the number of meals over the entire semester. All meals expire at the end of the semester.
- Meal Swipes give you access to the all-you-care-to-eat dining hall, along with the ability to use meal exchange or meal equivalency at campus retail dining locations. For all dining plans, there is a 5-minute buffer between allowable meal swipes.
- Meal Exchange lets you convert a meal swipe for a designated meal combo at retail dining locations.
- Meal Equivalency allows you to use your meal swipe at retail dining locations in exchange for a $7.50 credit toward the cost of your purchase.
- Dine Dollars is a declining balance account associated with the dining plan to purchase items a la carte or pay for purchases exceeding the meal equivalency amount at campus dining locations. Dine dollars may be used at any PennWest dining location. Unused dine dollars roll over from the fall semester to the spring semester. Any remaining dine dollars balance at the end of the spring semester is non-refundable and cannot be transferred.
- Guest Meals let you swipe someone into the dining hall as a guest. If you run out of meals, you can also use guest meals for yourself. All student Dining Plans come with five (5) guest meals per semester for use in the all-you-care-to-eat dining hall.
- The meal week runs from Monday to Sunday. No credit shall be given to students for meals missed on any Dining Plan.
Dining Plan adjustments can be made up to the close of business on the Friday immediately preceding the start of the semester. All Dining Plan reductions or/and cancellation (cancellation option only available those not required to participate in the Dining Plan program by the housing contract) requests must be completed by the close of business on the Friday immediately preceding the start of the semester. Dining Plan increases or additions occurring after the close of business on the Friday immediately preceding the start of the semester thru 4:00 pm on the first Friday of semester may be assessed a fee based on the adjustment. Log into the my.pennwest.edu portal and select the Housing and Dining tab to complete a contract or change request during the applicable contracting and adjustment periods. After the adjustment period ends, changes decreasing the Dining Plan will no longer be accepted for the current term. Changes increasing or adding a Dining Plan after the start of the semester may require prepayment of the additional charges.
Sign up for a Dining Plan
Sign up for a Dining Plan by completing the following steps:
(note: students are notified via email as to when the Dining Plan contract is available via the portal for plan enrollment)
- Log into myPennWest
- Click on the “Housing and Dining Portal”
- Click on the drop-down arrow for “Contracts” and select the appropriate Dining Services contract.
- Review the information then type your name or use the pad to sign (note: if you are under 18, an email will be sent to your parent/guardian, with a link for that person to co-sign)
- Click on the "Continue" button
- Select your desired Dining Plan and click on the “Submit” button
No payment is necessary to add a Dining Plan prior to the semester start. The charge will be added to your student account. Students are responsible for checking the Student Accounts Portal in myPennWest for their updated student account balance.