Let's take the 5 meals/wk plan for example. You get $345 in flex points to use over the course of the school year, for a cost of $3,916/year.

If each semester is 18 wks, then the school year of meals is: 36 wks x 5 meals/wk = 180 meals.

If each Commons meal purchased with flex points, or out of pocket, is $8, then the flex dollars allows for an additional 43 Commons meals ($345 flex points / $8 per meal = 43 meals).

The meal plan will allow for 223 meals for the year (180+43=223).

The cost for each Commons meal then would be $17.50 ($3916 / 223 meals)

We believe that the meal plan should cost the same amount as it would if you were to buy the same amout of meals out of pocket.

If the 5 meals/wk plan were to be priced at the $8 per meal price, then it would cost $1,784/yr - less than half of what it does cost.