USC jacks apartment meal plan by $2,280 annually

USC jacked the price of its mandatory apartment meal plan to $1,975 per semester, forcing students to eat a substantial price hike in exchange for more meal swipes and menu options.

The base plan previously cost $835. All sophomores, juniors, and seniors living in USC Housing apartments must enroll in the plan, whose price increase goes into effect in the fall.

The new “Flex120” package includes 120 dining hall swipes per semester instead of 40, and students can use those credits in “most” Ronald Tutor Campus Center eateries, according to the university’s website. Previously, the apartment meal plan only offered swipes in USC’s three dining halls.

Like the old apartment meal plan, the Flex120 plan offers $150 dining dollars which can be used at restaurants and cafes around campus. Leftover swipes and dollars do not roll over to the next semester.

Each dining hall swipe now effectively costs $15 rather than $17, though that may come as little solace to students forced to cough up an additional $2,280 annually to live in USC apartments.

The university has traditionally increased the cost of its meal plans by modest amounts year-over-year. Last year, the cost of the mandatory apartment meal plan increased by $40.

Anna Hsu contributed reporting to this story.