FAQs

Anytime Dining Plan members enter by waving their hand over the biometric scanner to enjoy great Maryland Dining. Visit any dining hall, any time we're open, any number of times a day - enjoy any amount of anything we're serving. The limit is that we do not permit carryout. 

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Our goal is to provide delicious, healthy and nutritious meals in a safe environment. We expect that everyone entering the dining halls will follow current campus COVID 19 protocols. 

We follow campus recommendations and Health Department protocols. There have been periods of time when masks were required unless seated and eating at a table. At this time, we do not expect dining halls guests to wear masks.

Note that any Terp may decide to wear a mask. We ask you to respect each person's decision - mask on or mask off -  as you enjoy your dining experience.

Students living in traditional on campus housing have Resident Dining Plans. These dining plans are designed to provide you with the food you need and want throughout the semester – from the first day you arrive on campus until the last day of finals. 

• We offer four Resident Dining Plans: Base, Plus, Preferred and Premium.
• The upgraded three plans include Dining Dollars to use at cafes and shops around campus. 

All resident dining plans have, as their starting point, Anytime Dining. Any time we're open, any of three dining halls, any amount of anything we're serving, any number of times a day. 

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We may need to make temporary modifications to this plan in order to satisfy health and safety concerns, but we're sure you'll get plenty of food and great value from your Plan! 

To enter a dining hall, you must pay at the entrance, then you can explore as you like and enjoy anything we're serving.

You can enter after paying the door price, or as the guest of a plan member using one of their passes. We accept Dining Dollars, Terrapin Express, and credit or debit cards.

Three dining halls – Yahentamitsi, South Campus Dining Hall and 251 North will be open starting on move-in day. These are the locations included in the Anytime Dining program. 

You can also find cafes, markets and food courts on campus - most accept Dining Dollars and all accept Terrapin Express. 

We will monitor and follow all campus, county, state and CDC protocols. Please come in to any of the campus dining halls, select your meal and sit down for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Eight or more serving stations will be ready - each with its own ever-changing daily menu.

Yes, there is! Click on the Summer 2024 Quick Guide to get a complete list of operations, hours and payment types accepted.

251 North and South Campus Dining Hall each include a station called the Purple Zone – serving food free from the most common eight allergen and gluten. Cooks wearing purple chef jackets have received extra training in providing for students with allergies and the Purple Freezers are stocked with allergen-free food for self service.

We list recipes, ingredients and allergens for all items served as part of the resident dining program on our website and on nutrition.umd.edu. Menu boards and counter cards are labeled with icons showing which allergens are contained in that item. You can eat confidently and without additional help at the Purple Stations and following the counter cards. And you are welcome to ask the Purple Team for advice. 

We provide additional accommodations for allergies and special diets on an individual, case-by-case basis and are prepared to support you as much or as little as you would like. To find out more about our nutrition programming, go to our dedicated nutrition page.

Visit nutrition.umd.edu for menus, ingredients and allergens for all the great food served in the dining halls. Filter your search by clicking on the icon in the upper right and selecting the icons that match the way you want to eat. Before you stop in for a meal, we suggest you look at the menus to get the best meal with the least delay in the serving area.

No! We are running our full menu. You have plenty of choices at every meal. Check out our Instagram page to see photos taken by dining hall staff of the food they’re serving.

It is likely that you’ll find your favorites and keep going back to them over and over again until you’re ready to try something new! Each location will have its own menu, and starting the third week of the semester, Terrapin Favoirte Specials, Chef Station Takeovers and Special Events. Menus will be available online so that you can find what you want on campus before you head out for a meal. Terrapin Favorites will be on Instagram and tweeted out every day. If you’re interested, follow UMDDining on Instagram and Twitter. 

At every location, we will offer choices that include classic favorites, vegetarian food and food that is allergen-free. We will serve fresh vegetables, homemade curries, freshly cooked side dishes and dessert from the Maryland Bakery. 

Three dining halls offer unlimited access to Anytime Dining Plan members and all-you-care-to-eat access to Connector Plan members,  Faculty/Staff Plan members and guests. We do not permit carryout from the dining halls. 

To get fresh carryout, visit 10 cafes on campus and 3 campus markets. These locations offer fresh carryout, packaged snacks, candy and other items. 

Up to 100 Dining Dollars will roll over from Fall to Spring. All Dining Dollars expire at the end of the Spring Semester. They are not refundable. However, you don't need to leave any behind! Use them in campus convenience shops to stock up for next semester. 

Yes you can! There is no limit to how many plans you can purchase or how “empty” your existing plan has to be before you buy an additional plan. Connector Plans rollover Fall to Spring and expire at Spring Graduation. 

A safety precaution built into the computer program to avoid accidentally duplicating purchases is that you can purchase one plan in each forty eight hour period.

We strongly suggest that you take the time to calculate the rate at which you’ll use your plan, remembering that your goal is to empty the plan and end the academic year at about the same time.

If you have not registered with the biometric entry system, you need to do so. Enroll today to enjoy quick, touch-free access to campus dining halls.

Register in the South Campus Dining Hall Building, Monday – Friday 8:30am – 4:00pm. We are in the Dining Plan Office just below the dining hall – face the entrance to the dining hall but don’t go in. Instead, turn right and come halfway down the exterior stairs and in through the glass doors. The Dining Plan Office is straight ahead.

If you believe you should be exempt from this requirement, please email diningplan@umd.edu with your explanation.

You can purchase or change your dining plan starting a few weeks before the semester starts and until 2 weeks into the semester. If you have requested on-campus housing, then you have already selected and purchased a dining plan.

You can purchase Dining Dollars starting a few weeks before the semester starts until about a month before the Spring semester ends. This gives you enough time to use the Dining Dollars before the end of the Spring semester.  

Please view the calendar for precise and up to date information.

Either go online to dining.umd.edu, and  select “Dining Account ” to access online services or visit the Dining Services Dining Plan Office, downstairs from the South Campus Dining Hall. We would be happy to talk you through the process.  

Please view the calendar for precise and up to date information.

Students living in traditional on-campus housing must have a resident dining plan. The minimum requirement is the Base Dining Plan. Participation in resident dining is part of belonging to the Maryland Resident Community and its intent is to provide worry-free access to food – every day from the start of the semester until the last day of finals. Connector Dining Plans, Dining Dollars and Terrapin Express do not meet that intent, and do not fulfill that requirement.

Students who choose not to live on campus are not required to have a dining plan.

Up to 100 Resident Dining Dollars roll over from Fall to Spring.

Dining Dollars purchased in bundles roll over from Fall to Spring.

All Dining Dollars expire at the end of the Spring semester .