Dining Plan Petitions

Step 1:

Prior to submitting a Medical or Religious Petition, please schedule an appointment with a Tulane Hospitality Registered Dietitian. If you are submitting a Financial Petition, please proceed to Step 2.

Step 2:

Review the Dining Plan Petition information and gather the required documentation described below. You need to have the following documents available to upload based on the reason for your petition:

Medical: 

Medical Dining Plan Petition Forms which consist of the following:

a. The Healthcare Provider Assessment Form which should be completed in compliance with the Dining Plan Petition Guidelines for Documentation. Students and physicians should avoid making requests for release based on conscious choice or medically unsubstantiated beliefs (i.e., Tulane Hospitality food is unhealthy, the student is a vegetarian, food disagrees with them, or food is not organic).
   b.  Consent to Verbal-Intra University sharing of confidential health information, fill out and upload with your Dining Plan Petition. Releases are made solely on the basis of documented health conditions and prescription for special diets that cannot be managed by Tulane Hospitality.

Religious:

Documentation demonstrating practice of the articulated sincerely-held belief.

Financial:

Tulane Authorization for Release of Information, check the box “Financial Aid Records.”

Step 3:

Students only, complete the dining plan petition here. Petitions will not be reviewed until all documentation is received by the Dining Plan Petition Committee. Incomplete forms may delay your case and reduce any potential refund if your petition is approved. Refunds will be determined by daily proration and the date your petition receives a final decision.

Step 4:

If you are contacted by a member of the Dining Plan Petition committee, you must meet with them before your petition is reviewed.

Step 5:

Notifications are sent to the student’s Tulane University email account approximately 3 weeks after all petition materials have been submitted and a meeting with Tulane Hospitality has been attended.

Step 6:

I submitted a Dining Plan Petition due to a medical need, but it was denied. How do I appeal?

To appeal a denial of a Dining Plan Petition that was based on a medical need, the student should request a review of the denial determination within 30 days by forwarding their determination letter via email along with their appeal reasonings to dining@tulane.edu. After the student requests a review, a representative from the Dining Services Administration will meet with the student to discuss and then will issue a final determination.

Deadline to submit a Dining Plan Petition

The Dining Plan Petition review process may take several weeks to complete, as the Committee meets only once per month.

To avoid daily proration and cancellation fees associated with dining plan changes or cancellations, students must submit a completed petition with all required documentation by:

• July 15, 2026 for the Fall 2026 semester

• November 15, 2026 for the Spring 2027 semester

Late applications

Petitions submitted after the priority deadline but on or before the dates below will still be reviewed:

• August 28, 2026 for the Fall 2026 semester

• January 22, 2027 for the Spring 2027 semester

Students who submit a late petition will be subject to applicable daily proration and cancellation fees through the date they are notified of the Committee's decision if the petition is approved.

After the final dining plan change/cancellation deadline (August 28, 2026, for Fall 2026 and January 22, 2027, for Spring 2027), only medical petitions related to newly diagnosed medical conditions will be considered.