Student Meal Plans

Whitworth University, in conjunction with the university's caterer Sodexo, has designed a meal program guaranteed to meet your individual needs. To read more about each meal plan and what it offers, visit Whitworth Sodexo Dining.

To review your meal plan or check your balances, look for the "Meal Plan Balance" tile on Pirate Port, use this link or ask any Sodexo cashier.

To change, add or cancel a meal plan, go to the Whitworth Meal Plan Change/Request Form (this form is only available to Whitworth students). 

We generally recommend that students new to Whitworth choose the Pirate Gold or Pirate Platinum plan for at least their first semester. These plans offer students the most meals per week and yet still have a sizable amount of Flex Dollars to use outside the dining hall.

Plans and prices for fall 2025 through spring 2026:

Notes about Meal Plans

• Flex Dollars Versus Pirate Bucks
  • Flex Dollars are part of every meal plan offered by Whitworth.
  • Flex Dollars can be used for all purchases in the Café, the dining hall, the Pines Café, the Mind & Hearth and the Starbucks in Robinson Science Center. Once all Flex Dollars are spent, no more can be added to an account. However, Pirate Bucks can be added at any time and used in the same fashion.
  • Pirate Bucks are similar to Flex Dollars in all ways but they can be added to an account at any time in any dollar amount. Pirate Bucks do not expire at the end of spring semester but remain available so long as a student is still enrolled at Whitworth.
  • To add Pirate Bucks to an account, speak with any Sodexo cashier station, call 509.777.4588, stop in to Sodexo's office (just outside the dining hall), or go online to purchase Sodexo Dining Pirate Bucks. Pirate Bucks are convenient because students need not carry cash – just their student I.D. that they're already using around campus – to get into the various eateries. Additionally, a 10 percent bonus is given with any Pirate Bucks purchase. For example, when a student purchases $100 in Pirate Bucks, Sodexo will add an extra $10 in bonus Pirate Bucks.
• Fall meal plans last from the beginning of the fall semester through the end of Jan Term (provided a student is enrolled in Jan Term; otherwise, the plan ends at the end of Fall Term). Spring's meal plans start at the beginning of spring semester. 
• Meal plans are only available to a student provided they are enrolled. If a student has no active credits, their meal plan is canceled.
• Changes to fall meal plans are granted from June 1 through 5 p.m. of the 10th day of fall semester classes. Changes to spring semester meal plans are granted from Jan. 1 through 5 p.m. of the 10th day of spring semester classes at 5 p.m. Any request outside these times will not be processed. However, meal plans may be increased to a higher plan through the first 10 weeks of each semester.
• Any remaining Flex Dollars from the fall will automatically be credited toward a spring meal plan assuming the student has a spring meal plan. Fall Flex Dollars will not remain available for use during Jan or Spring Terms if no spring meal plan is assigned.
  • The only exception to this applies to students who weren't required to purchase a meal plan in the fall but still did so (e.g., Whitworth Neighborhood residents and off-campus students). These students' fall Flex Dollars (and Block Meals, if a Commuter plan was purchased) will remain active through the Spring Term even if no meal plan is assigned for the spring. 
• All meals and Flex Dollars zero out at the end of spring semester.
• A fresh allotment of meals will be added weekly on Friday for Platinum, Gold and Silver plans; unused weekly meals will not carry over into the next week.
• Students living on the main campus – including Boppell Hall – will default to the Pirate Platinum plan unless another plan is specified by the student (either via the housing contract or housing preference form).
• Whitworth University is committed to meeting each student's dietary needs and restrictions with individualized care. The Sodexo team works closely with students to accommodate the majority of requests without requiring a formal educational support services (ESS) accommodation, ensuring that most dietary concerns are addressed through proactive service. However, if a student’s needs cannot be fully met through standard procedures, some students may benefit from an official ESS accommodation. Students are encouraged to reach out to Alan Jacob in housing (ajacob@whitworth.edu) or ESS (www.whitworth.edu/ess) or connect with any Sodexo manager to discuss their specific requirements. We're happy to help – please ask!

Overages/Canceling Your Plan

If a student cancels their meal plan, any refund will be issued according to the university’s refund schedule for a standard 15-week semester.

Refunds are based on unused portions of the plan; however, Flex Dollars and Block Meals (AKA Dining Hall Entries) are only refundable up to the average weekly usage of the meal plan. The average weekly amount is calculated by dividing the total Flex Dollars and/or Block Meals of the plan across 15 weeks. Any usage above that accumulated weekly average is considered an overage and will be billed to the student.

Flex Dollars are billed at the actual amount spent. Block Meals are billed at the current dining hall cash rate. Contact Sodexo for the current cash rate.

Special Note for Voluntary Meal Plans
Students who are not required to purchase a meal plan (such as off-campus students or Whitworth Neighborhood residents) are not eligible for the full 100 percent refund during the first two weeks of the semester as listed in the school's refund schedule.

If a voluntary meal plan is canceled within the first two weeks while the student remains enrolled at Whitworth, the student will be billed for all Flex Dollars used and each Block Meal used (at the current dining hall cash rate).

After the first two weeks, cancellations of voluntary plans follow the standard refund schedule, provided total Flex Dollar and Block Meal usage does not exceed the refundable amount. Any overages will be billed directly to the student.