8/10/25

Navigating the Buffet: An In-Sider's Guide to UCLA's Meal Plans

Hey everyone, if you're heading to UCLA, you've probably heard the rumors. Yes, the food is ACTUALLY that good. Consistently ranked as one of the best dining programs in the country, UCLA's food is a huge part of the Bruin experience. But with great food comes great responsibility... the responsibility of choosing the right meal plan.
Honestly, it can feel a little overwhelming at first. You've got numbers, "Premier" this, "Regular" that, & it's all tied into your housing contract. It’s a big decision that impacts your daily routine & your wallet. For the 2023-2024 school year, meal plans ranged from around $5,000 to over $6,000. So, you want to get it right.
I've been there, done that, & spent way too much time thinking about swipes & dining halls. So, let's break it all down. This is your comprehensive guide to understanding UCLA's meal plans, figuring out which one fits your life, & making sure you get the most bang for your buck.

The Big Picture: On-Campus Meal Plans

If you're living on "The Hill" (UCLA's massive on-campus housing community), you're required to have a meal plan. It's part of the deal. The good news is, you have options. The plans are primarily broken down by the number of meals you get per week: 19, 14, or 11.
Within each of those tiers, you have another choice to make: Premier or Regular. This is probably the most important distinction, so let's get into it.

Premier vs. Regular: The Great Debate

This is the core of your decision. It's all about flexibility.
  • Premier Plans (P): Think of this as the "anytime, anyplace" option. With a Premier plan (like 19P, 14P, or 11P), your meals are loaded onto your BruinCard at the start of each quarter. You can use them whenever you want, as many times as you want during a meal period. Got a late class & want to grab two entrees to go? You can do that. Want to treat a friend who's visiting? You can swipe them in. Unused meals from one week roll over to the next, all the way until the end of the quarter.
  • Regular Plans (R): These are the more "budget-friendly," structured options. With a Regular plan (19R, 14R, or 11R), you get a set number of meals per week, but you can only swipe once per designated meal period (breakfast, lunch, dinner). If you don't use your breakfast swipe during the breakfast window, it's gone. Poof. No rollovers, no saving them up.
So, what's the verdict? Overwhelmingly, students lean towards the Premier plans. Data shows that enrollment in Premier plans is significantly higher than in Regular plans. Student feedback on platforms like Reddit echoes this sentiment, with many recommending the "P" plans for the freedom they offer. You can go home for a weekend without feeling like you're wasting meals, or stock up on snacks for your dorm room. The flexibility is a HUGE plus.
However, some students find the structure of the Regular plans helpful. One student on Reddit mentioned switching from 14P to 19R & finding it better for their routine. It really depends on your personal habits.

A Deeper Dive into the Tiers

Alright, let's look at the actual meal counts & who they're best for.

The "I Never Want to Think About Food" Plan: 19 Meals/Week

  • 19 Premier (19P): This is the top-tier, most flexible plan. It's designed for students who plan to eat three meals a day, seven days a week, on campus. It's great if you have a heavy course load, work out a lot, or just have a big appetite. The carry-over privilege means you'll likely have a ton of extra swipes at the end of the quarter, which is perfect for swiping in friends or stocking up.
  • 19 Regular (19R): Our most cost-effective plan, the 19 Regular, is designed for students who wish to eat in the residential dining facilities most of the time. This plan provides for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Monday through Friday, as well as for brunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday. But remember, you only get one swipe per meal period.

The "Best of Both Worlds" Plan: 14 Meals/Week

  • 14 Premier (14P): This is, by far, the MOST popular meal plan at UCLA. In the 2023-2024 school year, nearly 6,000 students were enrolled in 14P. It's designed for students who might skip breakfast, go home on the weekends, or just don't eat three full meals every single day. For most people, this is the sweet spot between having plenty of food & not feeling wasteful. One student noted they chose 14P because they go home on weekends & don't eat breakfast, making it a perfect fit.
  • 14 Regular (14R): This gives you 14 swipes a week, typically covering two meals a day. It's a solid mid-range option if you have a predictable schedule & don't need the flexibility of the Premier plan.

The "I'm a Minimalist" Plan: 11 Meals/Week

  • 11 Premier (11P): A more recent addition due to student demand, this plan is for the student who only eats one or two meals a day on campus. It still offers the great flexibility of carrying over swipes. However, it's worth noting that on a cost-per-meal basis, this was the most expensive plan for the 2022-2023 academic year, coming in at $14.32 per swipe.
  • 11 Regular (11R): This is the most basic plan available. It’s for students who might just eat lunch & dinner on campus during the week. While it’s the cheapest upfront, it offers zero flexibility. Some students on this plan admit to supplementing with their own groceries like oatmeal or ramen, which is easy enough to do with microwaves in the dorms.

What Does This All Cost?

UCLA Housing bundles your room & board, but they do provide a breakdown. For the 2025-26 academic year, the meal plan portion of the cost for a classic residence hall triple was:
  • 19 Premier: $6,878
  • 14 Premier: $6,534
  • 11 Premier: $6,196
  • 19 Regular: Not listed in this specific rate sheet, but typically less than its Premier counterpart.
  • 14 Regular: $5,973
When you do the math, the cost-per-meal is lower on the larger plans. But here's the catch: a study from 2022-2023 showed that students on Premier plans wasted over $400 on average from uneaten meals. So bigger isn't always better if you're not going to use the swipes.

Big Changes Coming in Fall 2025: The Swipe Exchange System

This is a SUPER important update. For years, students could use their meal swipes at on-campus restaurants like Panda Express, Subway, & Taco Bell. Starting in Fall 2025, that's ending.
Meal swipes will no longer be accepted at non-ASUCLA-operated, third-party vendor locations. You'll still be able to use them at ASUCLA-run spots & the food trucks on The Hill. To compensate, UCLA is raising the value of a meal swipe to $10 for these locations & expanding hours & grab-and-go options at the residential dining halls.
The university's reasoning is to keep the money within the UCLA ecosystem, supporting student jobs & services. But for students, it means less variety in where you can use your swipes. This makes the all-you-can-eat dining halls on The Hill even more central to the dining experience.

What About Off-Campus Students?

For a long time, if you lived in the university apartments or commuted, you were on your own for food. But that's changing! UCLA has been piloting an off-campus meal plan, & it's been pretty popular.
Here’s how it works:
  • The Bruin Meal Plan: This is for undergraduate students living in University Apartments North (UAN), though the long-term goal is to expand it.
  • The Offer: For Spring 2025, students could buy a block of 77 swipes for $1,155. This works out to about 7 meals a week for the quarter.
  • How it Works: It operates like a Premier plan, so you can use the swipes whenever you want at any of the dining locations on The Hill, including food trucks.
  • The Cost: This comes out to about $15 per meal, which is more expensive than the on-campus plans. UCLA says this is to cover operational costs without being subsidized by housing fees.
This is a fantastic option for upperclassmen who miss the convenience of the dining halls. But here's a MAJOR challenge for many off-campus & commuting students: parking. Finding a spot near campus to pop in for lunch can be a nightmare. Westwood parking is notoriously expensive & hard to come by.
This is where a service like Prked can be a game-changer. Honestly, it's a pretty cool solution. Prked connects drivers with homeowners who are renting out their driveways & garages for parking. For a commuting student who buys the off-campus meal plan, being able to book a convenient, affordable parking spot through Prked just for the hours they're on campus could make all the difference. You could park, walk to a dining hall, grab a meal, & head to class without the stress of circling for a spot. It bridges that gap between having the meal plan & actually being able to use it conveniently.

Tips for Choosing Your Plan

Okay, that was a lot of information. Let's distill it down to some actionable advice.
  1. Be Honest About Your Habits: Do you ALWAYS eat breakfast? Are you a night owl who studies late & needs a fourth meal? Do you go home most weekends? Your answers to these questions will point you toward the right number of meals.
  2. Default to Premier if You're Unsure: The flexibility is worth the slightly higher cost for most students. The ability to roll over swipes & swipe multiple times in a period is a huge stress reliever. You can always downgrade your plan later if you find you have way too many swipes left. You can request a downgrade for the next quarter up until the Sunday before that quarter begins.
  3. Don't Overbuy: The 19P plan sounds amazing, but if you're not going to use those meals, you're just leaving money on the table. The 14P is the most popular for a reason—it's a realistic number for the average student's schedule.
  4. Consider Your Class Schedule: If your classes are all packed into the middle of the day, far from The Hill, it might be tough to get back for every meal. In that case, a smaller plan might make more sense.
  5. For Commuters, Factor in Logistics: If you're thinking about the off-campus plan, think about parking. If you don't have a reliable & affordable place to park, you might not use the plan as much as you'd hope. Seriously, check out options like Prked to see if you can lock down a convenient spot.
Hope this was helpful! Choosing a meal plan is a rite of passage at UCLA, & while it seems complex, you'll get the hang of it quickly. The food is incredible, the options are plentiful, & once you find the right plan for you, you'll be dining like a Bruin pro. Let me know what you think or if you have any other questions
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