First-year students living on campus at the University no longer have the option to purchase the Silver 125 meal plan. The University quietly replaced it with the Silver 150 — a more expensive plan that also raises the cost per meal.
Students living on campus are automatically enrolled in the All-Access Plan, which costs $2,308 per semester and provides unlimited dining hall swipes. For non-Greek students, the Silver plan is the only cheaper alternative, giving them a way to lower their costs. Greek students may downgrade further, but only after joining a fraternity or sorority, when they become eligible for the Essential 55 plan.
The change, which took effect this fall, increased the cheapest residential plan’s total cost by $437. Students now get 25 more meal swipes per semester, though each swipe costs more than before. Under the old Silver 125 plan, students paid $1,513 for 125 meals, or about $12.10 per swipe. The new Silver 150 plan costs $1,950 for 150 meals, raising the per-swipe cost to $13.
According to Bama Dining, students who wanted to downgrade to the cheaper Silver 150 plan had to do so in myBama between their Bama Bound session and July 12. The only exception is for students who attend the final Bama Bound sessions on Aug. 11 and 12, who have until Aug. 29 to email Bama Dining and request the Silver 150 plan.
This isn’t the first time the university has changed its meal plan structure. In 2021, all on-campus students were required to purchase a meal plan, and they were notified a full school year in advance.
Kristina Partridge, then director of University Dining Services, defended the 2021 change in a Crimson White article, saying the revenue “goes directly to the University to benefit the dining program and campus facilities,” including expenses such as utilities, maintenance, equipment, renovations and building new dining venues.
This time, however, students were not directly notified before the more expensive Silver 150 took effect.
Alexander Endorf, a senior majoring in economics, finance and political science, said he first learned about the change when he reviewed his student bill.
“I first found out about the plan change when I received notification about my student bill being due,” he said. “I reviewed the bill and noticed that it said Silver 150 instead of Silver 125 – and that I was being charged $437 more than last semester.”
Endorf said he searched his email and Bama Dining’s website but found nothing about the change, calling it “a complete broadside” and saying the University should have emailed students at the beginning of the summer, with an explanation to “every student signed up for housing in the fall.”
Endorf called the change a “money grab,” saying students should have access to lower-cost options.
“If you’re going to expand the Silver 125 plan, you should simultaneously give students access to lower-level plans like the Bronze 90 or 55-meal swipe plans,” he said. “Commuters have this — why shouldn’t on-campus students?”
The Bronze 90 plan costs $1,248 per semester, while the Bama 55 plan costs $777 — both significantly cheaper than the Silver 150, though neither is available to on-campus students.
Andrew Watling, director of University Dining Services, defended the change.
“The University of Alabama annually reviews meal plan pricing and analyzes usage trends among current students and peer institutions,” Watling said. “Data indicated that students on the 125 plan often exhausted their meals and resorted to Bama Cash, Dining Dollars or plan upgrades mid-semester. The Silver 150 plan better reflects student usage patterns and aligns with offerings at other universities.”
He added that although the per-meal price of the Silver 150 plan increased to reflect rising costs of goods, the All-Access plan “remains the most cost-efficient option for dining on campus,” noting its price has not increased in two years.
Endorf said stronger advocacy is needed for students regarding changes that affect their student bills.
“Maybe those running for SGA should advocate for students on real issues like this instead of pushing for free buses to the strip or free transportation to the airport,” he said.
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