Meal Plans

MIT does not offer traditional meal plans like you might see at other colleges or universities. Meals are paid for with of the on-campus debit accounts, either Dining Dollars or TechCASH, or with cash. If you are an incoming undergraduate student, Dining Dollars and TechCASH accounts have been established in your name and you may fund them at your discretion. These accounts are housed on your MIT ID Card.

If you plan to eat on campus, the most important thing is to fund your Dining Dollars or TechCASH account. To add money to these accounts, you may charge deposits to your student account or to a credit card. Learn more about this process through the TechCASH Web site. How much you choose to put into the account is up to you and will vary based on your eating habits, but financial aid calculations estimate that most students should spend roughly $20 per day on food.   



House Dining Membership

If you choose to live in a hall with a House Dining room (Baker, Simmons, McCormick and Next) you will automatically be enrolled in House Dining Membership (HDM). This program is charged with your housing bill and gives you a 50-percent discount on meals purchased in House Dining. The charge does not create an account balance, you will still need to fund your TechCASH or Dining Dollars account, but it does double your purchasing power at dinnertime.

House Dining Membership is accepted in House Dining Locations, Simmons Late Night Café, and for Shabbat Dinners on Fridays at MIT Hillel. Voluntary enrollment is available to all MIT Community Members.