Dining Services

Dining at UTRGV

UTRGV has a variety of food options on both campuses, so you don't have to worry about leaving campus to enjoy a delicious meal. With multiple locations around campus, these dining locations and restaurants will satisfy all your food cravings. If you want to skip the lines, take advantage of our GrubHub app and pick up food on campus on your way to class.

The Student Union food court on both campuses has a variety of meal options to choose from. You can also visit our dining hall where you can use your meal plans, VBucks, or dining dollars. UTRGV also has different cafe locations to make sure you get your daily dose of coffee.

Vaquero Bucks, also known as VBucks, is a prepaid expense plan in which your V OneCard can be used for purchases at retail locations and food places throughout campus. Like Dining Dollars, they can be used to purchase meals. Unlike Dining Dollars, they can be used for beverage and snack vending, and retail goods at the Campus Stores.

All students residing on campus, or commuting to campus, can choose between the available meal plans each semester for on campus dining. Each plan outlines a specific number of meals to be used per semester at the Edinburg Vaquero Dining Hall only. In addition, each plan includes a declining amount of Dining Dollars that can be used at any food venue on the Brownsville and Edinburg campuses. For added convenience, qualified students can purchase a meal plan via the UTRGV GET portal and pay for it with their financial aid.

Don’t forget to check out our hours of operation before your next visit!

Residents with dietary restrictions need to make arrangements for meal accommodations with the Dining Services at Dining@utrgv.edu.

Meal Plan Options

EDINBURG DINING HALL - Fall 2025 & Spring 2026

On-Campus housing contract includes your choice of meal plan below.

These plans are also available to Commuter Students, Faculty, & Staff.

Meal Swipes

Meal plan swipes can be used in the Edinburg Vaquero Dining Hall for all you care to eat meals during breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner meal periods. Meal swipes are only valid for the semester in which they are purchased and do not carry over to the next semester. To dine, Vaqueros swipe their V OneCard at the entrance and can enjoy unlimited servings from a variety of food options as long as they remain in the facility.

MEAL PLANS	DINING DOLLARS	PRICE PER SEMESTER
160 Meal Block	$100 Dining Dollars	$1,621/semester
220 Meal Block	$85 Dining Dollars	$1,748/semester
Unlimited Meal Plan**	$50 Dining Dollars	$2,354/semester
RESIDENT APARTMENTS
Edinburg The Village Dining Dollars		$300/semester
Brownsville Casa Bella Dining Dollars		$200/semester

EDINBURG DINING HALL - Fall 2024 & Spring 2025

On-Campus housing contract includes your choice of meal plan below.

These plans are also available to Commuter Students, Faculty, & Staff.

Meal Swipes

MEAL PLANS	DINING DOLLARS	PRICE PER SEMESTER
160 Meal Block	$100 Dining Dollars	$1,563/semester
220 Meal Block	$85 Dining Dollars	$1,685/semester
Unlimited Meal Plan**	$50 Dining Dollars	$2,266/semester
RESIDENT APARTMENTS
Edinburg The Village Dining Dollars		$300/semester
Brownsville Casa Bella Dining Dollars		$200/semester

**Unlimited meal plan – residents can enter the dining hall as often as desired so long as you swipe your student ID, “V OneCard”, one hour from the last meal swipe.

To purchase a Meal Plan through the V OneCard GET Portal, follow instructions in the How-to-Guide under "Purchase a Meal Plan" or call our offices at (956) 665-2224.

If you need more information, contact Campus Auxiliary Services at dining@utrgv.edu or call our office at (956) 665-2224.

EDINBURG DINING HALL - Fall 2025 & Spring 2026

These plans are available to Commuter Students, Faculty, & Staff.

Meal Swipes

MEAL PLANS	DINING DOLLARS	PRICE PER SEMESTER
25 Meal Block	$75 Dining Dollars	$291/semester
110 Meal Block	$100 Dining Dollars	$1,317/semester
160 Meal Block	$100 Dining Dollars	$1,621/semester
220 Meal Block	$85 Dining Dollars	$1,748/semester
Unlimited Meal Plan**	$50 Dining Dollars	$2,354/semester

EDINBURG DINING HALL - Fall 2024 & Spring 2025

These plans are available to Commuter Students, Faculty, & Staff.

Meal Swipes

MEAL PLANS	DINING DOLLARS	PRICE PER SEMESTER
25 Meal Block	$75 Dining Dollars	$280/semester
110 Meal Block	$100 Dining Dollars	$1,271/semester
160 Meal Block	$100 Dining Dollars	$1,563/semester
220 Meal Block	$85 Dining Dollars	$1,685/semester
Unlimited Meal Plan**	$50 Dining Dollars	$2,266/semester

**Unlimited meal plan – commuters can enter the dining hall as often as desired so long as you swipe your student ID, “V OneCard”, one hour from the last meal swipe.

To purchase a Block Meal Plan through the V OneCard GET Portal, follow instructions in the How-to-Guide under "Purchase a Meal Plan" or call our offices at (956) 665-2224.

If you need more information, contact Campus Auxiliary Services at dining@utrgv.edu or call our office at (956) 665-2224.

Whether you’re running low on your meal plan, or you did’t have a meal plan to start with, Dining Dollars are a convenient way to make your dining purchases. Dining Dollars are cash values included in most meal plans but can also be purchased separately to supplement your needs. They work like a pre-paid debit card with funds kept on your student ID card. Dining Dollars may be used at any on-campus dining location.

Dining Dollars will roll over from Fall to Spring within the same academic year purchased, and expire after the Spring semester.

To purchase Dining Dollars through the V OneCard GET Portal, follow instructions in the How-to-Guide under "Add VBucks and Dining Dollars" or call our offices at (956) 665-2224.

If you need more information, contact Campus Auxiliary Services at dining@utrgv.edu or call our offices at (956) 665-2224.

How much will Resident Meal Plans cost next year?

The following are the 2024-2025 Meal Plan Rates.

160 block + $100 Dining Dollars $1,563/semester
220 block + $85 Dining Dollars $1,685/semester
Unlimited + $50 Dining Dollars $2,266/semester

2024-2025 Meal Plan Features:

Block plans provide a set number of meals per semester offering more flexibility. Unlike traditional weekly meal plans, unused meals will no longer expire at the end of the week. Residents have until the end of the semester to use the meals whenever you want, up to the set number of meals per block.
Block plans will come with an additional 5 guest meals per semester that can be used by residents’ guests.
Unlimited meal plans – there is no limit to the amount of times you may dine at the Vaquero Dining Hall during hours of operation, however, residents must wait one hour between each meal swipe of their “V OneCard” before they swipe again.
Each swipe of your student id, “V OneCard”, deducted from your block plan is considered one meal.
Unspent dining dollars will continue to roll forward from Fall to Spring; unspent dining dollars will lapse at end of Spring semester.

There are no changes to the apartment rates:

$300 Dining Dollars for Village Apartments and
$200 Dining Dollars for Casa Bella Apartments

How many meals does a block plan include?

160 block plan is comparable to an estimated 10 meals per week.
220 block plan is comparable to an estimated 14 meals per week.
Unlimited plan is comparable to an estimated 19 + meals per week

Unlike the traditional weekly meal plans, block plans provide residents with more flexibility in when you choose to use your meals. Unused meals will lapse at the end of the semester instead of at the end of each week.

Who can buy meal plans?

Residential contracts for Unity, Troxel, and Heritage Halls include your choice of meal plans.
- First Year freshman may choose from the 220 block or Unlimited Plans.
- Non-freshman may choose from the 160 block, 220 block, or Unlimited Plans.
Residents of the Village Apartments can choose from a minimum flex plan of $300 Dining Dollars/semester or have the option to purchase a 160 block, 220 block, or Unlimited Plan. Unused Dining Dollars will roll forward from Fall to Spring and will lapse at the end of the Spring semester.
Residential contracts for Casa Bella apartments include a flex plan of $200 Dining Dollars/semester. Unused Dining Dollars will roll forward from Fall to Spring.
Casa Bella residents taking courses in Edinburg are encouraged to contact us at dining@utrgv.edu to explore additional meal plan options.

Are Commuter Meal Plans available?

Commuter Meal Plans are available for students who do not live on-campus, faculty, and staff. Residents who exhaust their residential meal plan can also purchase from this selection.

The Commuter Meal Plan rates for 2024-2025 are shown below.