r/OregonStateUniv • u/Mehan_Thats_Me • 5d ago

Meal plan

This is a very niche question but, has anyone with a full ride scholarship been able to get meal plan one on their coa? I've been trying but they won't add it unless a have a medical reason for it. If that's completely impossible to do, which meal plan is included on the coa? I have asked and no one has given me a clear answer.

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2

u/Grouchy_Evidence2558 5d ago

Is it a private scholarship or one of OSUs?

1

u/Mehan_Thats_Me 5d ago

Private

3

u/Grouchy_Evidence2558 5d ago

Then they’re probably just using the COA off of the OSU website. Housing and dining plans vary so they’ll reimburse you up to that amount. Look at the fine print on the documents you sign to accept the scholarship.

Here are some estimates of the ranges

https://uhds.oregonstate.edu/rates-guides/room-dining-rates-common-charges

1

u/Fluid_Personality529 Business 4d ago

Are you a Ford scholar by any chance? If so, I would reach out to Zach. He's great at helping walk students through these things.

2

u/Mehan_Thats_Me 4d ago

No, it's the gates scholarship

1

u/Fluid_Personality529 Business 5d ago

Your COA should already include food expenses, which will increase your refund and you can pay for a meal plan with that.

1

u/Mehan_Thats_Me 5d ago

Oh ok, so meal plan isn't a direct expense?

1

u/Fluid_Personality529 Business 5d ago

I don't believe so. For me, the main category covering food expenses on my COA was "Living Expenses (Food and Housing)". However, I never lived on campus or got a meal plan, so it might be different for you.

There's some information here: https://financialaid.oregonstate.edu/cost-attendance

If you open your financial aid self service portal, is there a tab showing your personal COA?

2

u/Fluid_Personality529 Business 5d ago

Forgive me for not already saying, congratulations on the scholarship! That's an amazing accomplishment.

1

u/Mehan_Thats_Me 4d ago

Thank you so much!

1

u/Mehan_Thats_Me 5d ago

Thank you, I'll look at that link! Yes there is. The only thing that is not under "billable items" is the cost for a computer

1

u/WeeklyRelation1398 5d ago

I have the ford scholarship and for me my meal plan is included in my cost of attendance… I’m on campus for my first year so maybe it is because of that but for me it is showing as updated I believe

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u/Mehan_Thats_Me 5d ago

Was it any meal plan of your choice?

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u/WeeklyRelation1398 4d ago

I picked the biggest meal plan but I just realized it’s not on the cost of attendance but I believe I can get it added onto there but I’d reach out to who’s in charge of your scholarship and financial aid again and explain, it doesn’t make sense why they wouldn’t add it

1

u/Mehan_Thats_Me 4d ago

I know, I've called and emailed various people and they say that because it's a personal choice there's no reason to add it unless it's a medical necessity 😭