Parents & Supporters

Parents and supporters can join the housing communications email list and receive a copy of general communications sent to students. This includes important deadlines and housing news so that you can better support your student and stay updated. Please note that you will occasionally receive communications that target specific student groups and may not apply directly to your student.

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If you would like to be removed at anytime from our email list contact us at: housingcontracts@ucsd.edu. 

2025-26 Academic Year Breaks

Our 2025-26 Academic Breaks (Fall 2025 and Winter 2025-26) are coming up fast! All housing communities are open during the breaks if your student is not able to travel home and needs to remain on campus.

Note that Dining and Mail Facilities do shut down and have adjusted hours during this time; they are also closed on all University Holidays. Students should plan ahead for their meals and can used the Triton2Go app or review Dining Services website for open locations and hours during breaks. If your student has a 2025-26 dining plan, it is highly recommended that they also save some of their contractual Triton Cash so they have more meal choices over the break.

Top 5 Winter Quarter Tips for Parents & Supporters

1. Get Winter-Weather Ready

Encourage students to bring warm layers, rain gear, extra blankets, and slip-resistant shoes. Remind them to keep windows closed during rain to prevent moisture issues.

2. Stay Healthy & Organized

Winter quarter is fast-paced—remind them to keep good sleep habits, eat well, stay active, and use campus wellness and academic support resources.

3. Watch Dining Dollars & Restock Essentials

Have them check their dining balance upon their return and replenish basics like laundry and cleaning supplies.

4. IMPORTANT: Housing Contracting Starts in February

Continuing students with a housing guarantee should know the process to secure their 2026-27 housing contracting begins in February, much earlier than when they were incoming students. Encourage them to check their UCSD Housing emails frequently, start talking to their potential roommates and start  to plan ahead.

5. Reconnect & Re-engage After Break

Encourage students to ease back into campus life by reconnecting with roommates, attending residence life events, and exploring student organizations to start the quarter feeling grounded and supported.

When students move in, they receive the full amount of their Dining Dollars and contractual Triton Cash (Triton Cash included in the dining plan). These funds are active and ready to use from day one. To make them last all year, students should budget carefully—especially with Winter and Spring Quarters in mind.

Helpful tips:

• Students can check their Dining Dollar and Triton Cash balances anytime through the Transact eAccounts Portal or app.

• Supporters can also use the portal to add funds to either account.

• If your student plans to stay on campus during Winter or Spring Break, remind them to save some Triton Cash. Dining locations may be closed or have limited hours during breaks and holidays.

Expiration of Funds:

• Dining Dollars stay active as long as your student has a dining plan. If they don’t sign up for a plan the following year, any unused Dining Dollars expire at the end of Fall Quarter.

• Triton Cash stays active unless your student graduates or leaves the university.

Dining Plan Overuse

If a student moves out early or ends their contract before the end of the quarter, they may be responsible for overuse charges on their Dining Dollars or Triton Cash.

What is overuse?
Overuse means your student spent more than the daily amount (called a per diem) they were allocated based on their time in housing. This per diem is calculated by dividing the total plan amount by the number of days in the academic year.

We calculate how many days of the plan they used based on their approved move-out date (or the first/last two weeks of the quarter, depending on timing). If they’ve spent more than their balance should allow for that timeframe, the difference is charged to their account.

Avoiding extra charges:
Before submitting a housing termination request, we recommend your student contact the Triton Card Accounts Services team to review their current dining usage.

Please note:

• Dining plans cannot be downgraded, transferred, dropped, or refunded.

• Unused Dining Dollars are not refundable.

• If your student underused their plan or moves out early with funds remaining, no refunds are issued.

Late Housing Offers:
Students who move in later in the year (e.g., Spring Quarter) due to an offer from the Housing Waitlist, receive a prorated amount of Dining Dollars based on the number of days left in the academic year—and are only charged for that portion.

Triton Community Dining Plan 

AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE NOW via TritonPay! Everyone can take advantage of the optional Triton Community Dining Plan, available to any student enrolled at UC San Diego with or without a Housing Contract. 

This plan is perfect for commuter students who are ineligible for residential dining plans but want to participate in one. The Triton Community Dining Plan is separate from the Contractual Dining Plans that are required as part of the Housing Contract.

For Incoming and Continuing Students with a housing contract, assigned to Pepper Canyon East/Matthews Apartments, The Rita Apartments or Pepper Canyon West, your student can select the Triton Community Dining Plan as part of their housing contract process by October 1st. This is a more convenient option as the plan will be billed with their housing charges. If your student missed the October 1st deadline to add a dining plan, they can still purchase the Triton Community Dining Plan through TritonPay through December 12, 2025.

Service Support

Are you an alumni, family member, or university affiliate with questions about the housing contract process, the dining plan, campus housing fees and billing, or more? Submit a request!

Parent and Family Programs

We understand the impact families have on their student’s success. Along with the information provided here, we encourage you to visit our Parent and Family Programs page for even more resources and ways you can stay connected with the campus to partner with us in helping your student succeed.

A few wonderful resources are listed here:

• • Parent & Family Programs & Events
  • Parent & Family Guide
  • Campus Resources

Additional Resources:

We are happy to answer any questions that you may have. Please submit a guest Service Now case at support.ucsd.edu, call our main number at 858.534.4010 or email us anytime. 

Our business hours are Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. We are closed for all University holidays.