SINGAPORE – Some National University of Singapore (NUS) undergraduates staying on campus in the upcoming semesters starting August will have to pay up to 40 per cent more for their meals at hostels.

Students staying at halls, residential colleges and the NUS College are required to subscribe to meal plans, which cater breakfast and dinner for six days a week. There is no way to opt out except under special circumstances approved by the respective hostel management offices.

There are no such plans in other universities such as Nanyang Technological University, which also has hostels.

Students at halls of residence, including Sheares Hall and Raffles Hall, have to pay $664.85 for the plan in the first semester of the academic year that commences in August. Meals will be provided for 108 days.

This is about $200, or more than 40 per cent, higher than the previous price.

In documents seen by The Straits Times, a student at Raffles Hall paid $462.24 for the first semester of the academic year starting in August 2021. The price did not change in 2022.

The other halls of residence are Eusoff Hall, Kent Ridge Hall, King Edward VII Hall and Temasek Hall.

A typical dinner consists of carbohydrates such as rice, a choice of meat and vegetable, along with soup, fruit or dessert.

For residential colleges such as Tembusu College as well as NUS College residences, which include Cinnamon Wing and West Wing, students will have to pay $1,137.24 for the meal plan when the semester starts.

This is about $219, or 23 per cent, more than the last academic year’s price of $918, posted on Tembusu College’s website.

Meal plans are not offered at other campus accommodation such as the Prince George’s Park Residences and Pioneer House.

In response to queries, an NUS spokesman said the price of meal plans for halls of residence have not changed since 2019, while those for residential colleges have remained the same since 2017.

Other residential colleges are the College of Alice & Peter Tan, Residential College 4 and Ridge View Residential College.

In an e-mail to hall residents in May, NUS said that global supply chain disruptions, the war in Ukraine and climate change have driven food prices up across the world, making it “necessary” to review and adjust meal plan rates.

“While the price increase under the current climate is inevitable, rest assured that the university will work diligently with the appointed caterers to push out the plans for more dining improvements in the best interests of our residents,” the e-mail said.

Some NUS undergraduates told ST the increase is too steep, and they would have preferred a more gradual rise.

A soon-to-be second-year student, who wanted to be known only as Ms Goh, said the new rates are “quite a big jump”.

“But if the food provided in the upcoming school year improves in terms of quality and variety, the rise in price may still be considered reasonable,” said Ms Goh, 20, who will be staying at Temasek Hall in the upcoming semester.

“If the quality of the meals remains the same, I can’t help but feel slightly cheated for paying for the hike,” she added.

Instead of making them mandatory, some students think that meal plans should be optional.

Another student, who wanted to be known only as Ms Tan, 20, said there are other food options available, which may be cheaper. She will be a second-year student come August and will be staying at Sheares Hall.

“Many of my friends prefer cooking their own meals or eating out,” said Ms Tan. “Some of my friends also frequently go home for meals.”

Ms Tan added that she does not take the breakfast provided, and eats the catered dinner only two to three times a week.

Ms Samantha Lai, 20, who will be staying at Cinnamon Wing for her second year of studies, said she tries to eat most of the meals provided, but some of her friends have to eat out due to external commitments while others do not have the habit of eating breakfast.

“The price they end up paying for what they actually eat in the dining hall becomes unreasonable from that point of view,” she said.

Despite the price hike, some students think the benefits of staying in hostels outweigh the financial costs.

Mr Sng Peng Jing, 21, an incoming freshman who will be staying at Tembusu College, said while the increase can be daunting for those, including himself, who fund their own university fees, it is not enough to deter him.

“I believe that staying at a residential college can increase my chances of making friends. Since the increase in meal plan prices is still financially viable to me, I will continue to stay,” he said.

To ensure that students have the “full NUS experience regardless of their financial circumstances”, NUS said it has doubled its financial aid for students since 2022.

“Students from low-income households will continue to receive financial assistance from the NUS Enhanced Financial Aid Scheme, which helps to fully fund their tuition fees, and defray living expenses, on-campus stay including meal plans, and overseas exposure programmes,” said its spokesman.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.