All students living in the Trinity College residences are required to purchase a Trinity College Residence Meal Plan, which operates on a declining balance system. At the beginning of the year the Trinity College Residence Meal Plan is loaded onto your U of T student card (TCard) which acts like a debit card. At every transaction, the total cost of your purchases is deducted from your account balance.
Trinity College Residence Meal Plan 2026-2027
Total Plan Cost: $8,568.00
- Program Enhancement Fund (PEF): $250
- Food Services Overhead Fee: $1798
- BASE Dollars: $6,020
- Minimum BASE Dollar Commitment: $5820 (potential roll over of $200)
- FLEX Dollars: $400
- TBucks: $100
The Trinity College Residence Meal Plans comprise of the following.
- Program Enhancement Fund (PEF): is a non-refundable contribution toward investments in dining hall facility improvements and to enhance residence dining programs.
- Food Services Overhead Fee: is an up-front charge, which supports several of the fixed costs associated with delivering the residence meal program to all students, such as facility-related expenses and the administrative infrastructure supporting dining on campus. This fee is non-refundable. The advantage of charging the Food Services Overhead fee up-front means that the price you will pay (BASE Dollars) when you visit the dining hall will be considerably lower than the “retail price” (FLEX dollars or TBucks) that non-Residence Meal Plan diners will pay.
- BASE Dollars: are used for most of your on-campus food purchases, including all items which are tax exempt (HST). When you pay with BASE Dollars, you receive a 20% discount on the posted retail price.
- Minimum Base Dollar Commitment: there is a minimum BASE dollar commitment to the meal plan. Students with BASE dollar amounts above this minimum commitment at the end of the winter semester roll over the next academic year and will convert to FLEX Dollars as explained below.
- FLEX Dollars: are used for taxable snack and convenience grocery items (e.g. soda, chips, chocolate bars, gums, mints, candy). When students have used up their BASE Dollars, they are able to purchase any item with FLEX dollars. All FLEX dollar amounts remaining at the end of the winter semester will roll over to the next year.
- TBucks: are University of Toronto dining dollars that can be used as payment for food, vending, printing and photocopying at approved UofT vendors. TBucks can also be used at Trinity dining locations. More information about TBucks can be found here University of Toronto TBucks webpage.
Where can I use my Residence Meal Plan?
Your BASE dollars, FLEX dollars, and TBUcks can be used at all Trinity College Food Service locations (Trinity Cafe and Strachan Hall). On TBucks can also be used at non-Trinity food service locations (e.g. U of T retail outlets).
More information can be found on the Dining at Trinity page.
How does the Residence Meal Plan work?
When it’s time to eat, all you need is your TCard. At Trinity, all food items are individually priced – just like at a restaurant. You only pay for what you order. Every time you choose a food item, the cashier swipes your TCard and the appropriate number of food dollars are deducted from your Residence Meal Plan. Depending on what you purchase, either BASE Dollars or FLEX Dollars will be deducted. When you are paying with BASE Dollars, you will receive a 20% discount on the posted prices.
How much BASE and FLEX dollars gets loaded onto my account in the Fall Term?
At the beginning of the Fall Term, $3612 BASE Dollars (60%), $400 FLEX Dollar (100%) and $100 TBucks (100%) will be loaded to your TCard while the remaining $2408 BASE Dollars (40%) will be loaded to your card at the beginning of the Winter Term, Please note that it is up to you to keep track of the amount of meal plan dollars you have used.
How do I check my balance?
You can check the balance of your Residence Meal Plan at any time. The balance of your meal plans will be printed at the bottom of your receipts. You are also able to ask a cashiers at the Trinity College Food Service locations at any time.
Frequently Asked Questions
The unified meal plan affords Trinity the opportunity to deliver a high-quality best in class food program that meets the diverse needs of all our students. It enables a consistent program focused on nutrition and sustainability and contributes to the overall well being of students and supports their academic success/achievements.
The Trinity Residence Meal Plan is structured to support students throughout the full academic year.
The total cost of your Residence and Meal Plan Fee is charged to your student account for your convenience. By agreeing to live in residence, you are accepting the purchase of the Trinity College Residence Meal Plan and are obligated to pay for your entire Residence Meal Plan.
Your Trinity College Residence Meal Plan will be loaded to your student account prior to your move in day for the fall term. In the fall semester you will be charged the Program Enhancement Fund (PEF) and the Food Services Overhead fee. Furthermore, 60% of your BASE Dollars and 100% of your FLEX Dollars and TBUcks will be loaded onto your account. In the winter semester, the remaining 40% of your BASE dollars will be loaded onto your account. If you run out of funds in the fall semester, please reach out to the Office of the Dean of Students and we can help you navigate this situation (trinity.deanofstudents@utoronto.ca).
Your Residence Meal Plan can be used from the day you move in until the end of the academic year, at any Trinity College Food Service location during operating hours.
Trinity College’s dining outlets are not allergen-free facilities or kosher facilities (currently able to accommodate patrons who require a vegetarian or vegan diet, halal diet, and made without gluten diet). Trinity College may be able to accommodate patrons with food allergies depending on the type of allergy the student has and the severity of that allergy. If you have questions about your dietary accommodation needs, please contact the Office of the Dean of Students at trinity.deanofstudents@utoronto.ca.
To purchase your food items using your meal plan, a TCard must be presented to the cashier at the Lawson Centre or Strachan Hall. If you have lost your TCard and need to access your meal plan before receiving a replacement, you can download a Meal Plan Letter from the StarRez Portal and present it to the cashier at the time of purchase.
If you require any further assistance, please visit the Welcome Desk or contact us at trinity.deanofstudents@utoronto.ca.
Telling the cashier your student number is not sufficient for payment and will not be accepted.
If you are still in the Dining Hall, you can return to the cashier and let them know and a correction can be made then and there. If you have left the Dining Hall and are reporting the error later, you can visit the Welcome Desk to ask for the situation to be addressed. You can also email the Office of the Dean of Students at trinity.deanofstudents@utoronto.ca.
The quickest way to find out your meal plan balance is to look on your receipt after purchasing something from the Lawson Centre or Strachan Hall. This is an up-to-date record of your balance. Alternatively, you can contact the Office of the Dean of Students with your request. A response will be sent your way as soon as possible.
Only your TBucks can be used at non-Trinity food outlets. To load your TCard with more TBUcks visit the U of T Food Services website.
We want to hear your feedback! Here are a few ways to connect and provide feedback about food and/or your dining experiences:
Email the staff team: Reach out to the Office of the Dean of Students (trinity.deanofstudents@utoronto.ca) or Ramata Tarawally, Trinity’s Director, Community Wellness (ramata.tarawally@utoronto.ca).
You can supplement your BASE Dollars by adding FLEX Dollars to your balance at any time during the academic year. FLEX Dollars can be purchased online via the Trinity Flex Dollars.
At the end of the academic year, you can carry over up to $200 of unused BASE Dollars, along with any remaining FLEX Dollars, into your FLEX account for the next year.
The unused portion of your BASE Dollars in excess of the Minimum Base Dollar Commitment in accordance with your plan and remaining FLEX Dollars will be rolled over to your FLEX Dollar Account for next Academic Term and will remain in your account for future purchases until the April 30 following your graduation. For example, if you graduate in June or November of 2026, your rolled over dollars will remain active until April 30, 2027, after which they expire and cannot be used or refunded.
Your Trinity College Residence Meal Plan will continue to work, and your tax-exempt status remains the same for the remainder of the term(s) you originally purchased the plan for. Any funds remaining in your BASE Dollar account at the end of the academic year will be lost. Your FLEX Dollars will remain in your account for future purchases. However, the tax exemption of the Residence Meal Plan applies only to the term(s) for which it was purchased.
A student who elects to withdraw from residence and elects to withdraw from Trinity College prior to the start of exams will receive a pro-rated refund of their remaining Residence Meal Plan balance.
The Canada Revenue Agency allows qualifying Residence Meal Plans to be exempt from HST for most foods purchased on campus. Some items, including soda, chips, chocolate bars, gum, mints, candy and similar “snack foods” will have HST applied. To protect the tax exempt status of your BASE Dollar Meal Plan, when making purchases that do not qualify for exemption, the value of the purchase, including the tax, is deducted from your FLEX Dollar balance.
Residence Meal Plan and dining at Trinity College are overseen by the Office of the Dean of Students. The Office of the Dean of Students should be students’ first point of contact for all questions or concerns about Food Services, meal plan and dietary accommodation needs. Please send inquiries to trinity.deanofstudents@utoronto.ca.
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Office of the Dean of Students