$5 to $9 per meal
1 In most cases, the costs of a college meal plan will depend on the college, the type of package chosen and how many meals the student is going to have to eat. 2  On average, a college meal plan can come down to $5 to $9 per meal, depending on the type of package purchased. 1 All meal plans cost the same amount but vary in the way meals and points are distributed. 2  The options include the following: the 20 Meal Plan; the 17 Meal Plan with $110 Declining Balance Points; and, the 14 Meal Plan with $195 Declining Balance Points. The average sticker price, with room and board included, for undergraduate students attending a four-year college or university in their home state was $18,943. Out-of-state students at those schools paid, on average, $32,762. At two-year public schools, in-state students paid an average $11,052. The cost to attend a private, four-year nonprofit college: $42,419, on average, including housing and meal plan. For-profit schools cost about $15,230, but housing figures weren’t available. Books and transportation costs can add more than $2,000 to the cost of attending college, and that rises even more for commuters Do not be deceived by the lower overall cost of the YCMP plans, though. At $2,240 for 200 swipes, the YCMP Platinum plan costs $11.20 per meal. At $1,145 for 100 swipes, the YCMP Gold breaks down to $11.45 a meal. And the YCMP Commuter option at $700 for 60 swipes is $11.67 per meal.  If you plan to eat on campus over the weekend, then you may bump that up to 18 meals per week. A typical college semester is 18 weeks. This would mean an average of 324 meals eaten per semester. You can then divide the cost of your unlimited meal plan by 324, and you will find your average cost per meal. The average cost of an unlimited meal plan is $1600 for one semester. The simple math reveals that eating 324 meals on campus with the unlimited plan equals about $4.94 per meal. That seems like a fair price to me This year DS is a sophomore. He decided to go with a plan that gives him 5 meals per week, and the rest we buy in flex dollars. The cost for one semester for the 5 meals/week was $808. If I assume he gets 17 weeks of 5 meals, that works out to $9.50/meal. Full meal plan (2.5 meals/day, 7 days a week) is over $5,000/year at my kids' college. A bargain at $9/meal, $22.11/day. It's a lot more expensive/meal if you buy a cheaper plan. 1 The average in-state tuition for a four-year public school was $7,020, and the average out-of-state tuition for a four-year public school was $18,548.*. 2  The average surcharge for an on-campus room and meal plan at a four-year school in 2009-10 ranged from $8,193 to $9,363.*. 1 The average surcharge for an on-campus room and meal plan at a four-year school in 2009-10 ranged from $8,193 to $9,363.*. 2  The average amount spent on books and other supplies in 2009-10 was over $1,112.*. 3  The average transportation cost for students in 2009-10 ranged from $849 to $1,483 Housing and Meals. The cost of room and board depends on the campus housing and food plans you choose. The College Board reports that the average cost of room and board in 2014–2015 ranged from $9,804 at four-year public schools to $11,188 at private schools. Colleges also provide room and board estimates for living off campus based on typical student costs. 1 Collegedata.com says, “The College Board reports that the average cost of room and board in 2014–2015 ranged from $9,804 at four-year public schools to $11,188 at private schools,” but doesn’t break down what’s room and what’s board. 2  A USA Today article quotes the same figures. 
http://www.howmuchisit.org/college-meal-plan-cost/ http://college.usatoday.com/2014/11/13/stock-up-on-ramen-average-cost-of-college-rises-again/ http://dailycollegian.com/2013/11/21/my-meal-plan-costs-how-much/ http://www.moneyforcollegeproject.com/2011/11/14/ditch-your-college-meal-plan-to-save-money/ http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/560853-meal-plan-costs.html http://www.simpletuition.com/college-finances/what-does-college-really-cost/ http://www.collegedata.com/cs/content/content_payarticle_tmpl.jhtml?articleId=10064 http://nextgenpersonalfinance.org/question-of-the-day-how-much-does-the-average-college-meal-plan-cost/
avg cost of college meal plan