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Your Meal Plan Options

Let’s find the plan that’s made to order for you

Just think: Within a five-minute walk of the Jumbo statue, you’ll find nine different dining venues. You can choose from ever-changing, truly global menus that support your dietary needs and preferences.

All first-year and sophomore AS&E students living on campus are required to be on a meal plan. See meal plan options specific to your year below.

See Tufts Dining's Policies and Procedures

Let’s find the plan that’s made to order for you

Just think: Within a five-minute walk of the Jumbo statue, you’ll find nine different dining venues. You can choose from ever-changing, truly global menus that support your dietary needs and preferences.

All first-year and sophomore AS&E students living on campus are required to be on a meal plan. See meal plan options specific to your year below.

See Tufts Dining's Policies and Procedures

First-year Students

If you’re a first-year undergrad, you're auto-enrolled in the Premium Plan for your school. 

Call the Tufts Dining office at 617-627-3566 or send us an email with any questions. We're here to help!

On mobile devices, these charts are best experienced in landscape view.

First-year Options: Tufts Premium Plan SMFA Premium Rhino Bucks Plan SMFA Plan A
What do you get per semester? 400 swipes (about 3 meals/day) + $75 JumboCash

267 swipes (about 2 meals/day) + $699 Rhino Bucks + $75 JumboCash

See SMFA Plan Guide

Up to 5 swipes/ week at Carm and Dewick +  75 Emmanuel College Meals + $1,300 in SMFA Meal Money + $300 RhinoBucks

See SMFA Plan Guide
$ per semester? $3,818 $3,818 $2,255
Tufts AS&E First-year Students Required. Auto-enrolled n/a n/a
SMFA First-year/ Boston Campus n/a n/a Required. Auto-Enrolled
SMFA/NEC First-year/ Medford Somerville Campus Required. Auto-enrolled. SMFA/NEC students may request to instead opt into SMFA Premium Rhino Bucks. Contact Dining Office. Contact Dining Office to opt into the SMFA Premium Rhino Bucks Plan. n/a
Need extra swipes? $94 for 10 meals 
Buy Extra Swipes		 $114 for 10 meals
Buy Extra Swipes		 n/a
Where can I use this meal plan's swipes? • Fresh at Carmichael • Dewick-MacPhie • Hodgdon Food-on-the-Run • Pax et Lox • Kindlevan Café • SMFA Café • Commons Late Night Tufts Dining Meal Swipes: Fresh at Carmichael, Dewick-MacPhie 

Emmanuel College Meals (up to 5 per day): Marian Hall, Muddy River, Joe Di’s

Important Dates

Sophomores

Sophomores living on campus are required to be on a meal plan. Choose from the options based on your school/campus below.

Soph Options:

 Tufts Premium Plan 220 Plan 160 Plan SMFA Premium Rhino Bucks Plan SMFA Plan A SMFA Plan B
What do you get per semester? 400 swipes + $75 Jumbo Cash 220 swipes (about 2 meals a day) 160 swipes (about 10 meals a week)

267 swipes (about 2 meals a day) + $699 Rhino Bucks + $75 Jumbo Cash

See SMFA Plan Guide

Up to 5 swipes/ week at Carm and Dewick +  75 Emmanuel College Meals + $1,300 in SMFA Meal Money + $300 RhinoBucks

See SMFA Plan Guide

Up to 2 swipes/ week at Carm and Dewick +  50 Emmanuel College Meals + $900 in SMFA Meal Money + $200 RhinoBucks

See SMFA Plan Guide
$ per semester? $3,818 $3,459 $2,544 $3,818 $2,255 $1,543
Tufts AS&E Soph Yes Yes Yes n/a n/a n/a

SMFA Soph/ Boston Campus

 n/a n/a n/a n/a Yes Yes
SMFA Soph/ Medford Somerville Campus Yes Yes Yes Yes n/a n/a
Need extra swipes? $94 for 10 meals 
Buy Extra Swipes		 $157 for 10 meals
Buy Extra Swipes		 $159 for 10 meals
Buy Extra Swipes		 $114 for 10 meals
Buy Extra Swipes		 n/a n/a
Where can I use this meal plan's swipes? • Carmichael • Dewick-MacPhie • Hodgdon Food-on-the-Run • Pax et Lox • Kindlevan Café • SMFA Café • Commons Late Night Tufts Dining Meal Swipes: Fresh at Carmichael, Dewick-MacPhie 

Emmanuel College Meals (up to 5 per day): Marian Hall, Muddy River, Joe Di’s

Enroll in SIS by 01/13/23  Important Dates 

After 01/13/23, to enroll in Spring Meal Plans: Call 617-627-3566 or send us an email with your name, ID number, current academic level, and the meal plan you'd like. 

Juniors and Seniors (Tufts/SMFA/NEC ); Tufts Graduate Students

Junior, Senior, Grad Options:

Tufts Premium Plan

220 Plan

160 Plan

100 Plan

80 Plan

40 Plan

What do you get per semester?

400 swipes (about 3 meals a day) + $75 JumboCash

Best Total Value

220 swipes (about 2 meals a day)

160 swipes (about 10 meals a week)

100 swipes (about 6 - 7 meals a week)

80 swipes (about 5 meals a week)

40 swipes (about 2 - 3 meals a week)

$ per semester?

$3,818

$3,459

$2,544

$1,646

$1,320

$664
Need extra swipes? $94 for 10 meals 
Buy Extra Swipes		 $157 for 10 meals 
Buy Extra Swipes		 $159 for 10 meals 
Buy Extra Swipes		 $165 for 10 meals 
Buy Extra Swipes		 $165 for 10 meals 
Buy Extra Swipes		 $166 for 10 meals 
Buy Extra Swipes
Where can I use this meal plan's swipes? • Fresh at Carmichael • Dewick-MacPhie • Hodgdon Food-on-the-Run • Pax et Lox • Kindlevan Café • SMFA Café • Commons Late Night

Enroll in SIS by 01/13/23  Important Dates 

After 01/13/23, to enroll in Spring Meal Plans: Call 617-627-3566 or send us an email with your name, ID number, current academic level, and the meal plan you'd like. 

Additional plans available for SMFA/NEC Students

See the SMFA Meal Plan webpage for more information. Please note: unused Fall Term SMFA Meal Money and Rhino Bucks included in your meal plan roll over to Spring term. Meal Money and Rhino Bucks included in your meal plan left in your account at the end of the school year is non-refundable, so be sure to use everything up before the end of Spring term.

SMFA Only

SMFA Premium Rhino Bucks Plan

SMFA Plan A

SMFA Plan B

Who’s eligible?

For SMFA/NEC combined degree students living on the Medford/Somerville campus

For SMFA BFA and MFA students

What do you get per semester?

267 swipes + $699 Rhino Bucks + $75 JumboCash

Best Total Value

Up to 5 swipes/ week at Carm and Dewick +  75 Emmanuel College Meals + $1,300 in SMFA Meal Money + $300 RhinoBucks

Up to 2 swipes/ week at Carm and Dewick +  50 Emmanuel College Meals + $900 in SMFA Meal Money + $200 RhinoBucks

$ per semester?

$3,818

$2,255

$1,543
Need extra swipes? $114 for 10 meals 
Buy Extra Swipes		 n/a n/a
Where can I use this meal plan's swipes? • Fresh at Carmichael • Dewick-MacPhie • Hodgdon Food-on-the-Run • Pax et Lox • Kindlevan Café • SMFA Café • Commons Late Night Tufts Dining Meal Swipes: Fresh at Carmichael, Dewick-MacPhie 

Emmanuel College Meals (up to 5 per day): Marian Hall, Muddy River, Joe Di’s

Enroll in SIS by 01/13/23  Important Dates

After 01/13/23, to enroll in Spring Meal Plans: Call 617-627-3566 or send us an email with your name, ID number, current academic level, and the meal plan you'd like. 

Graduate/Fletcher

Enjoy meals with the campus community at our Dining Centers – Fresh at Carmichael and Dewick-MacPhie. You'll find delicious, healthy food choices for a wide variety of tastes and eating preferences. Use at your leisure– Tufts Dining Graduate and Faculty 25 Meals never expire.

Meal Plan

What’s Included

Cost

  

Graduate/Fletcher Lunches

25 Lunches (No tax)

$254

 Buy

Graduate/Fletcher Anytime

25 Anytime Meals (No tax)

$283

 Buy
Where can I use this meal plan's swipes? • Fresh at Carmichael • Dewick-MacPhie    

Faculty/Staff

Enjoy the convenience of healthy and delicious on-campus dining. Grab lunch with a co-worker or treat yourself to dinner in our dining centers. You are allowed to use up to 2 meals per meal period. Use at your leisure– Tufts Dining Graduate and Faculty 25 Meals never expire.

Meal Plan

What’s Included

Cost

  

Faculty/Staff Lunches

25 Lunches (Includes tax)

$271.78

 Buy

Faculty/Staff Anytime

25 Anytime Meals (Includes tax)

$302.81

 Buy
Where can I use this meal plan's swipes? • Fresh at Carmichael • Dewick-MacPhie

Tufts Dining Meal Plan FAQs

  • First-year students are auto-enrolled in the Premium Plan for their school.

    • First-year AS&E students will be automatically enrolled in the Tufts Premium Plan.
    • SMFA students living on the Medford/Somerville campus are auto-enrolled in the Tufts Premium Plan, but may choose to opt into the SMFA Premium Rhino Bucks Plan instead. Please contact the Dining Office to do so.
    • SMFA students living on the Boston campus are auto-enrolled in the SMFA Plan A.

  • Meal swipes do not carryover between semesters, so use them don’t lose them!

    Check your meal swipe balance at jumbocash.net

    See this handy chart to know the weekly balance to hit zero by the end of the semester. 

    Meal plans are offered by semester.

    • Your Fall meal plan will expire when the dining centers close after Fall semester final exams.
    • Your Spring meal plan will expire when the dining centers close after after Spring final exams.
    • Note: Graduating seniors on a meal plan will automatically receive a equivalent meal plan for Senior Week
    • See Important Dates for more information.

    Please Note:

    • Meal swipes included with SMFA Plan A & B are weekly and expire at the end of the day every Friday.
    • JumboCash does carryover between semesters and academic years. See JumboCash information here.
    • Unused Fall semester SMFA Café Meal Money and Rhino Bucks included in your meal plan roll over to Spring semester. Meal Money and Rhino Bucks included in your meal plan left in your account at the end of the school year are non-refundable, so be sure to use everything up before the end of Spring semester.
    • Graduate/Fletcher and Faculty/Staff meal swipes never expire.

    • Meal plan holders may use up to 2 swipes per meal period. Each swipe used will be deducted from your semester total.
    • The meal periods are defined as:
      • Breakfast: Open-10:59 am: 2 swipes allowed
      • Lunch: 11:00 am-4:59 pm: 2 swipes allowed
      • Dinner: 5:00 pm-Close: 2 swipes allowed
      • Late Night at Commons: Fri & Sat until 12:30am: 1 swipe allowed

  • Meal swipes are used to enter our all-you-care-to-eat dining centers, Fresh and Carmichael and Dewick-MacPhie. A swipe also has a cash value –or equivalency (amount depends on the meal period)–that can be used in certain Tufts Dining retail locations. 1 swipe will be deducted for each equivalency used.

    • 2022–23 Meal Swipe Equivalencies:
      • Breakfast: $7.72
      • Lunch: $12.87
      • Dinner: $14.59
      • Commons Late Night: $12.87
         
    • Meal Swipe Equivalency may be used in these Tufts Dining retail locations:
      • Hodgdon
      • Kindlevan Café
      • Pax et Lox Glatt Kosher Deli  
      • SMFA Café
         
    • Meal plan holders may use up to 2 swipes or equivalencies during the Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner meal periods.
      For example:
      • 2 swipes at a Dining Center
      • 1 swipe at a Dining Center + 1 equivalency used at a Tufts Dining retail location.
      • 2 equivalencies used at a Tufts Dining retail location

    * Please note: Grad/Fac 25-Meals and the weekly meal swipes included with SMFA Plan A & B are not eligible for equivalency. They may only be used at Carrmichael or Dewick-MacPhie dining centers.

  • Yes. In accordance with the current Tufts University COVID-19 policy, we are pleased to welcome guests back to our dining centers. https://coronavirus.tufts.edu/healthy-at-tufts

    Meal plan holders may use one swipe per meal period to bring a guest into one of our dining centers. The guest swipe counts towards your 2 swipe per meal period total.

    If you have multiple guests or your guest prefers to pay at the door, Carmichael and Dewick-MacPhie also accept cash, JumboCash, and credit cards.

    Tufts students:

    • Breakfast - $9.30
    • Lunch/Brunch - $15.51
    • Dinner - $17.57

    Others (includes 7% State & Local Meals Tax):

    • Breakfast - $9.95
    • Lunch/Brunch - $16.60
    • Dinner - $18.80

  •  

    JumboCash, Meal Money, and Meal Swipe balance(s):

    • Log onto www.jumbocash.net to check your balances and make sure you’re good to go.

    Rhino Bucks:

  • We work to make Tufts Dining an inclusive place for all. In 2021, Tufts Dining won the Best Campus Dining Award from FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education)

    Our Tufts Dining Dietitian will work with each Staar-Center registered student to understand each student’s needs. We can provide students with information about our menus, recipes, and ingredients, how to navigate the dining halls for options, and the resources to assist in making a meal plan work.

    See more about Food Allergies on our website.

  • Kosher and halal information can be found on the Tufts Dining website.

    • Short answer: yes
    • Carmichael and Dewick-MacPhie dining centers are all-you-care-to-eat. Students may take seconds while in the dining center (or thirds! Our food is yummy, we know). Please keep in mind that Tufts Dining strives to reduce food waste. We request that all patrons take only what they can reasonably eat.
    • Food selected by each student must be either consumed while in the dining center or taken out in one of our reusable takeout containers. Please see the next FAQ for our Meal Plan Takeout rules.
    • Students may take a hand-held cookie, ice cream cone, or whole fruit when leaving the facility.

    • All of our retail locations (Commons Marketplace Hotung Café, Hodgdon, Kindlevan Café, Pax et Lox Glatt Kosher Deli, Tower Café, Mugar Café, and SMFA Café) offer takeout food.
    • Our dining center (Carmichael and Dewick-MacPhie) takeout program is available to meal plan holders. See the dining center greeter for more information.

  • Yes! Carmichael or Dewick-MacPhie accept cash, JumboCash, and credit cards.

    Tufts students:

    • Breakfast - $9.30
    • Lunch/Brunch - $15.51
    • Dinner - $17.57

    Others (includes 7% State & Local Meals Tax):

    • Breakfast - $9.95
    • Lunch/Brunch - $16.60
    • Dinner - $18.80

  • Thanks for asking. Important Dates and deadlines can be found on our website.

  • Sure thing! Swipes can be purchased in increments of 10-swipe meal blocks.

    Purchase extra swipes for your meal plan at the Tufts Marketplace.

  • Access to healthy, nutritious food is a critical part of life. The Tufts community values taking action to solve important issues and being supportive of each other’s needs. When circumstances arise that interfere with access to food, our community comes together to support one another. Find additional food resources on the Tufts Student Life website.