Residential Meal Plan Exemption Request Form

Please read over the following information carefully before proceeding.

Residential meal plans are coordinated by the USA Housing Office. The USA Housing Office works closely with USA Dining to accommodate students' medical, religious, or other specific dietary restrictions. All questions related to the meal plan requirement and the meal plan exemption process should be directed to USA Housing at housing@southalabama.edu.

Section 25 of the USA Housing Contract Terms and Conditions states:

"All students living in University Housing are required to purchase a residential meal plan based on their classification, except for students living at Traditions at South Apartments or Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house, who are not required to purchase a residential meal plan. However, they may select any of the residential meal plans offered regardless of classification."

The University of South Alabama considers the housing contract to be a legally binding document for both the student and the University. The conditions for cancellation are outlined in the Housing Contract Terms & Conditions. However, the University recognizes the unique needs of our diverse student population and understands that some students may have specific dietary restrictions related to diagnosed medical conditions, religious requirements, or other specific dietary requirements. If you are unable to meet the contract requirements, the University has established the Housing & Dining Exemptions Committee (HDEC) to review and decide your case.

For residential meal plan appeals, the HDEC serves as an avenue for students with medically related requests, religious requests, or other unforeseen extenuating circumstances. The HDEC has the authority to provide a full exemption from the meal plan requirement or allow a student to modify their meal plan (i.e., permission to purchase an upperclass meal plan if not already eligible based on classification). The HDEC is composed of university staff members from various campus departments. Meetings are closed-door, and information is kept confidential among the parties present. 

Request Submission Timeline

Please note that residential meal plan exemption requests can be submitted at any time before, during, or after a semester has started. USA Housing strongly encourages students to submit a request BEFORE the semester has started to ensure adequate time for processing.

If a semester has already started, requests MUST be submitted before the end of the first week of classes, unless the request is for a newly diagnosed medical condition. Requests submitted after the first week of classes, without documentation of a newly diagnosed medical condition, will not be considered for the current semester. Newly diagnosed medical conditions after the first forty-five (45) days of the semester will not be considered for the current semester, only for a future semester. HDEC decisions typically take 5-10 business days to review and process. 

After the student submits the Residential Meal Plan Exemption Request Form, if the request is for Medical or Religious reasons, the Director of Dining Services or their designee will reach out to the student within five (5) business days of submission to schedule a meeting. The student is required to meet with the Director of Dining Services as part of the review process. After this meeting, if the student so chooses, their request will be forwarded to the HDEC for review. Meal plan changes or billing amounts will not be made unless approved by the HDEC. 

Financial Policies if Approved

If approved for a meal plan exemption, changes will be made in accordance with the Housing Financial Policies, based on the committee's decision date. Students remain responsible for any prorated dining charges, including Bonus Bucks if applicable, regardless of usage during the appeal review period. Changes or billing charges will not be amended based on the date of form submission. 

If the student has any other outstanding charges (tuition, fees, housing, etc.), any refund amount will be applied to those charges before a direct credit is issued to the student.

For example:

Approved Before the Start of a Semester

• The meal plan and the full meal plan charge will be removed from the student's account.

Approved Between the Start of the Semester and the First Forty-Five (45) Calendar Days

• The student will receive a prorated daily charge from the official first dining hall serving date through the date of the committee decision, regardless of meal plan usage. In addition, the student will be charged for actual usage of Bonus Bucks through the end of the third week of classes and any unused Bonus Bucks will be removed. If approved after the third week of classes, Bonus Bucks will be charged in full and available for use through the end of the spring semester until the student withdraws or becomes non-enrolled, then Bonus Bucks will no longer be available for use.

Approved After the First Forty-Five (45) Calendar Days

• No meal plan or billing changes will be made for the current term for any reason. If approved during the Fall semester, changes can be made for the Spring semester. If approved during the Spring semester, no changes can be made. If the request is approved in the Spring semester, the student may request that the approval be applied for the following upcoming Summer or Fall semester.

Required Documentation

Medical

The University of South Alabama recognizes that certain medical conditions have specific dietary restrictions.

• You must upload a signed letter from a licensed physician on official letterhead, which includes their contact information, that includes a statement recommending that you should be exempt from the meal plan requirement due to significant dietary restrictions that are unable to be met within USA Dining's services.

Religious

The University of South Alabama recognizes that certain religions and faiths have specific dietary restrictions.

• Individuals requesting religious exemptions must provide a statement of their religious affiliation and detailed information on how their faith's dietary requirements cannot be accommodated by USA Dining Services. 

Other

• You must upload documentation that verifies your reason for requesting a meal plan exemption.

Previous Year Exemption

• Please upload the Decision Letter you previously received from the Committee.