Frequently Asked Questions

First-year student housing on campus includes The Summit, University Village, and University Village Suites at the Kennesaw Campus, and Howell Hall, Hornet Village and University Courtyard at the Marietta Campus. Upper class student housing includes Austin Residence Complex (ARC), KSU Place I and II at the Kennesaw Campus and University Courtyard, University Columns and University Commons at the Marietta Campus.

If you live in on-campus housing, a Meal Plan is part of your on-campus room and board. Once Housing and Residence Life fees are applied to your student account, residential students receive a default Meal Plan based on your earned credit hours, and the cost is charged to your student account, which you can view on Owl Express. 
 
If you live off campus, purchasing a Meal Plan is easy through our mobile ordering app. Please note that it will take 24 to 48 hours for a Meal Plan charge to appear on your student account, but your Meal Plan is activated at the top of each hour if the semester is in session.

1. Download the Transact Mobile Ordering app
2. Select Kennesaw State University Dining
3. Log in with your KSU student email address and password
4. Mix and match Meal Plan and Dining Dollars amounts to create your personalized plan
5. Apply the cost to your student account or pay with a debit/credit card

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Checking the balance of your Meal Plan (and Dining Dollars account) is easy! First, log in to the Meal Plan Portal using your KSU email address and password. Next, confirm your login using Duo. Once you’ve logged in, the system will display your Meal Plan, how many entries you’ve used, and how many you have remaining. The system will also provide a detailed overview of your Dining Dollars transactions and balance.

If your want to add more entries or Dining Dollars, it is easy to do through our mobile ordering app. Keep in mind this will not take the place of your current plan but add on to your current balance.

1. Download the Transact Mobile Ordering app
2. Select Kennesaw State University Dining
3. Log in with your KSU student email address and password
4. Select a Meal Plan or Dining Dollars amount
5. Apply the cost to your student account or pay with a debit/credit card

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Yes! Meal Plans allow access to both The Commons (Kennesaw Campus) and Stingers (Marietta Campus) dining halls. Dining Dollars can be used at any restaurant on either campus.

Certain types of financial aid may be applied to board expenses (this is how Meal Plans are classified). Students are urged to be proactive in working with the Office of Student Financial Aid to secure aid that can be used for board expenses. Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship does not cover Meal Plan expenses.

Meal Plans are valid for only the semester for which they are purchased and any unused entries are forfeited at the close of the semester. Unused Dining Dollars carry forward from fall to spring semester only, and any unused Dining Dollars will expire on the last day of the spring semester's finals. Summer entries and Dining Dollars are valid during the summer semester only.

Meal Plan charges for both residents and commuters are used to support our award-winning dining facilities. University Dining supports local businesses and food providers, national retail brands and over 500 staff members to assure our residents and commuters can focus on class, and not where they will get their next meal. Meal Plan charges help maintain our facilities and purchase needed equipment to run our operations.

If you live on campus, you are automatically assessed a default Meal Plan based on your earned credit hours. Residents with fewer than 60 earned credit hours will receive a Weekly 12 plan ($1,910 per semester). Residents with 60 or more earned credit hours will receive an Access 50 Meal Plan ($505 per semester). To learn more about your Meal Plan options, click on "Meal Plans," then "Residential Student Meal Plans" in the left navigation bar.

First, as stated by the Student Government Association (SGA) in their Meal Plan recommendations, the addition of a Meal Plan and dining hall at KSU will enhance the quality of campus life and increase student involvement on campus. Second, based on funding restrictions, the State of Georgia does not provide funding for auxiliary enterprises, which includes the construction of The Commons and Stingers. The combination of these factors led the Cabinet to approve the existing Meal Plan requirements, which became effective in Fall 2009.

Residential Meal Plans are automatically added each semester as part of your on-campus housing package; however, the cost of your Meal Plan is applied as a separate charge to your student account.

Residential students can change or upgrade their Meal Plan through the academic drop/add deadline. Summer Meal Plans are optional. To change or upgrade your Residential Meal Plan, log in to Owl Express, click the "Student Services" tab, and then click "Meal Plan Selection." Once you've completed your Meal Plan change, you will receive a confirmation notice on your screen.

Students are unable to cancel their Meal Plan while residing on campus. The Meal Plan costs are included as a part of each residential student's License Agreement. To proceed through KSU's Housing Application, all students must review and acknowledge several terms and conditions, including the financial responsibilities of on-campus living and the current year's residential Meal Plan requirements.

At this time, financial exemptions are not offered; however, if you have a medical or religious dietary restriction, please submit a Meal Plan Exemption form. If you are experiencing difficulties covering the cost of tuition, fees and other expenses like your Meal Plan, students are encouraged to consult with the Office of Financial Aid to see if additional aid is available to them.

Tuition and Fees   Cost of Attendance

No. The system will notify University Dining of your room cancellation. This takes about 24 to 48 business hours after Housing and Residence Life processes the cancellation.

Dining Dollars is a declining balance account that is loaded to your Talon Card and can be used to make sales tax–free food and beverage purchases on campus. You can save money by using Dining Dollars at any of our restaurants, The Market and many vending machines on campus. Students can also use Dining Dollars to receive a discounted door rate at The Commons or Stingers. Dining Dollars may be added at any time and carry over from the fall to spring semester. Any unused Dining Dollars will be forfeited after the last day of the spring semester's finals.

Dining Dollars are available only to currently enrolled students. All University Dining facilities do accept KCash, debit and credit cards.

All-you-care-to-eat privileges when dining in do not include take out. If you would like to dine in and then take a box for later during the same visit, the cost is two Meal Plan entries.

No. All take-out containers for food must be provided by University Dining. Outside containers for food and beverages are not permitted.

Guests are permitted one take-out container per visit. The container may not be overfilled, and the lid must be able to close completely. All served items (e.g., steak, grilled chicken, hamburgers, etc.) will be limited to one portion per guest.

If you misplace your take-out container, the replacement containers cost $15.

To purchase via an auto deducted Meal Plan payment, download the Payroll Deduction Form and return it to the Meal Plan office in The Commons or the Stingers front desk or click here to submit your form via DocuSign. Alternatively, Meal Plan contracts are available in the Meal Plan office.

We are able to accommodate a variety of food-related allergies and preferences. We do realize, however, that there are some students with severe medical restrictions that we may not be able to accommodate. You can find our cancellation request form on the Meal Plan Documents page.

We encourage residential students to utilize our complementary Takeout Club program during the weeks of Ramadan. The Takeout Club is an excellent option for those observing the holiday. It is completely free with your Residential Meal Plan. To sign up, simply visit the Meal Plan office at any point during the semester. Through the Takeout Club, you can use your Meal Plan entries (swipes) to bring food home.

If you require further accommodation beyond the Takeout Club program, you may request a partial Meal Plan exemption. Please note that all Meal Plan exemption requests are reviewed by the Meal Plan exemption committee. Approval is not automatically guaranteed, but we will carefully consider your request. To submit a request, please fill out the Meal Plan exemption form, which can be found on the Meal Plan Documents page.

All Ramadan accommodation requests must be submitted at the beginning of the Spring semester. We will not be accepting Ramadan requests after Spring Break, so make sure to submit your request in a timely manner.

Students with Meal Plan entries can use their entries to bring guests into the dining hall. The Meal Plan holder must be present and dining with their guests. To promote safety in our dining halls, all KSU students, faculty, staff and guests are required to present a photo ID or Talon Card upon entry.

To request a refund for your Non-Residential/Commuter Meal Plan, you must contact University Dining using the provided contact form. Once we receive your refund request, our Meal Plan operations manager will review it promptly. Expect an email response within 24 to 48 business hours, providing you with more information regarding your refund status.

Please note that submitting a refund request does not guarantee automatic approval. Refunds requested after the add/drop period will incur a $35 termination fee, along with any applicable usage fees. Additionally, refunds will not be processed beyond the 60% completion date of the semester, in accordance with the KSU Institutional Refund policy.

For more details on refund deadlines, you can refer to the "Withdrawal Dates & Refunds" calendar available on the registrar’s website.  

Comprehensive Meal Plan refund policies are also outlined in the meal plan terms and conditions. To access the terms and conditions, please visit the Meal Plan Documents page.

Unfortunately, students are unable to make changes or remove their Non-Residential/Commuter Meal Plan on their own. To request a change or removal for your commuter Meal Plan, you must reach out directly to University Dining using the contact form provided. Please note that requests made by phone or in-person will not be accepted, as we require the contact form for proper documentation. Once you've submitted the form, our Meal Plan operations manager will carefully review your request and respond via email within 24 to 48 business hours, providing you with more information on the matter.

Access plan entries (swipes) are only valid for the semester they are purchased in. Any entries not used will expire on the last day of services for the semester. There are no refunds for unused entries past the contract period they were purchased in per the Meal Plan terms and conditions.