Northeastern students enrolled in New York City Scholars — a program through which they live in Manhattan their first year — will receive more than $8,000 this year to spend on meals through Grubhub instead of a traditional dining hall plan.  

The first class of NYC scholars since Northeastern bought Marymount Manhattan College in May 2024 are allotted $4,250 of dining dollars per semester to spend ordering food through Grubhub+. The popular food-delivery service app has partnerships with universities nationwide through its Campus Dining program, through which students get no delivery fees, lower service fees and exclusive deals from select restaurants. 

According to Northeastern’s Global Experience website, NYC Scholars receive dining dollars that can be used at Marymount Manhattan College, or MMC, dining locations and with local food vendors through Grubhub. The program covers 75% of the cost of meals, while students are responsible for the remaining 25%. (Meal plans for the Boston campus range from $2,800 to $4,450).

“I really was not expecting the type of meal plan we have. It’s kind of just Grubhub, pretty much,” said Tanisha Shenoy, a first-year political science and business administration combined major studying at Northeastern New York City. 

In past years, MMC has partnered with Grubhub+ to allow students to order from the app, as well as purchase grab-and-go options on campus. 

MMC’s partnership with Grubhub allows students to “purchase food and beverages on campus with no added sales tax, no delivery fee and no Grubhub transaction fees,” according to MMC’s dining webpage. Students also have  “delivery fees waived at restaurants that are part of the Grubhub+ program, free through graduation on orders $18 and above.”

“It’s kind of a gateway path to the freshman 15,” Shenoy said of relying on Grubhub.

NYC Scholars can use their dining dollars at MMC’s stores and cafes, including Griffy’s Grocery and the Fourth Floor Cafe, as well as at any restaurant that accepts Grubhub. Unused dining dollars roll over to the next semester.

Melia Chao, a first-year undecided major at Northeastern New York City, said that budgeting $40.47 a day for meals — the daily value of the university’s meal plan — can be challenging in the city with the highest cost of living in the world.

“I think all of the Northeastern kids here, we all did the math, we basically get about 30-ish dollars a day,” Chao said. “It’s a lot of money if you think about it full, like $4,250, that’s a lot of money. But then it’s like okay, if you only have $30 a day and you’re in New York, one meal costs almost $30. It’s ridiculous.” 

To combat the high cost of living, students are finding ways to make their money go further. 

“I know a lot of my friends here, they would order something for lunch and then split that into two meals,” said Nicole Cheng, a first-year international business major studying on the New York campus. 

Cheng said that opting to pick up orders instead of having them delivered lowers the overall price. 

To supplement the meals that students don’t purchase through Grubhub, the Northeastern Global Scholars website says that all NYC Scholars will have “access to refrigerators in their rooms for storing personal groceries, as well as a community kitchen in the residence hall where they can prepare their own meals.” 

GrubHub also permits users to shop at grocery stores and pharmacies, allowing students to make home cooked meals in their dorm’s communal kitchens. 

“At times, me and my roommate, we both crave for home cooked meals, and we would cook together sometimes, and the groceries that we get would be from Grubhub as well. We’re not spending additional money,” Cheng said.

NYC scholars also have community dinners two times a week sponsored by Northeastern. 

“On Monday nights, we have community dinners that Northeastern provides us. And then on Friday mornings, we have community breakfast that Northeastern provides,” Chao said. 

By the end of the semester, Cheng doesn’t think that she will be sick of Grubhub food. 

“I think my goal is definitely trying to hit all of the food places on my list, if it’s available on Grubhub,” Cheng said.