The University of Utah is introducing significant changes to its campus dining plans for the 2026–27 academic year, replacing its current model with new plan options that shift how students use meal swipes and flex dollars.

The main goals of the changes are to expand retail dining options and eliminate meal transfer times. The changes in the next year are another shift towards President Taylor Randall’s goals of the College Town Magic initiative. University officials say the changes respond to student feedback, while also laying the foundation for a more connected campus dining experience.

Jeff Labrum, The U’s Chief Operating Officer, stated, “By making dining more accessible, flexible and thoughtful for student residents, the U is addressing practical needs and delivering another part of the lively, interconnected campus community that President Randall envisions for College Town Magic.”

Key changes to dining

Under the current 2025-26 dining structure, students on-campus choose from four primary meal plans that include a set number of weekly meal swipes. Along with the set weekly taps, students also have a fixed amount of $200 flex dollars each semester. Beginning in fall 2026, the university will replace the current system with a redesigned lineup. Changes affect both the amount of weekly swipes, as well as the flex dollar amount per plan.

In the 2025-26 academic year, students could choose from different “Swoop” plans, with the non-transferable weekly swipe options being 5, 10, 15 and 21. In the upcoming year, plan options will instead be 3, 10, 14 and 19, slightly decreasing most of the options. The new plans shift from the fixed amount of flex dollars to variable amounts. Now, flex will range from $750, $600, $350 to $200 depending on how many weekly taps are held.  “The changes to the plans allow students to choose a plan that aligns with their dining habits,” Ana Belmonte, associate director of communications for housing and dining programs, said.

One major difference is pricing. Several mid-tier plans see a significant increase in total cost, while offering more flexibility through higher flex dollar amounts. The Swoop 10 plan saw one of the largest jumps in cost, rising 31.9% ($1,872). The lowest-tier option, now Swoop 3, costs $1,500 more than the previous Swoop 5 plan, making it a 43.9% increase. The two remaining plans saw more moderate increases of 13% and 7.5% (Swoop 14 and 19, respectively).

Additionally, there are also plans to change the meal transfer time systems, getting rid of the time restrictions. “A dining plan holder can use all or none of their dining taps as a swap, up to four total taps [excluding flex usage] per day,” Belmonte said. 

Beyond the structural changes to meal plans, the U also plans on changing aspects of on-campus dining facilities. There are plans to expand dining hours, increase late-night options and create new vending machine concepts. “Housing and Dining Programs will introduce a swap option at retail locations that allows students to use a dining tap in exchange for a premium item, 2 mid-range items, or a meal set of three items,” Belmonte said.

Rationale and student feedback

As mentioned, the changes are part of a broader effort for “College town magic.” The initiative aims to create a more flexible and connected campus experience by prioritizing expanded dining hours and increased options. “The new structure lays the groundwork for a more dynamic college town feel where students can dine across campus and find food options that match their routines,” Labrum said. “These updates accommodate students’ daily schedules and the kind of dining they enjoy most — ultimately allowing for a more personalized campus lifestyle.”

Administrators say the redesign is also intended to make dining plans more adaptable to how students move throughout campus. “The goal of the 2026-2027 dining plan structure is to increase portability for students across campus food locations,” Belmonte said. “The changes are based on feedback from our annual Voice2Vision and Resident Satisfaction surveys, as well as input from the Dining Advisory Board and Residential Housing Association leadership.”

However, some students say the increased flexibility does not outweigh the rising cost of the plans and oppose the increase in pricing. Landon Brown, a freshman majoring in finance, said he is still deciding between plans for next year, but finds the pricing difficult to justify. “The lowest you’re paying is still like $18 a swipe, which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for the quality that they provide and what they provide,” Brown said. “I think either way, it’s way overpriced.”

Brown added that while he understands the university’s broader goals, he is skeptical of how the changes are being implemented.“I think the idea and the overall goals make sense. But the way they’re doing it really doesn’t make sense to me,” Brown said.

Greer Gunning, a first-year mechanical engineering student who plans to live on-campus next year, said the pricing ultimately pushed her to opt out of a meal plan entirely. “It’s like $3,000 a semester for three meals a week,” Gunning said. “$7,000 is more than what my tuition costs. I can go off campus and get a year’s worth of meals for half that price. I’ll have a kitchen, I can make three meals a day.”

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