Stanford student claims peers use fake Jain identities to qualify for religious dietary exemptions from Rs 7-lakh meal plan

Connolly alleged that some students identify as Jain to qualify for religious dietary exemptions, even though they do not practise the religion.

“Let’s stop pretending this doesn’t happen,” Connolly wrote, claiming that students he knows have used a Jain identity to opt out of Stanford’s dining requirements. The essay stated that these students then spend their allotted food funds at off-campus grocery stores for more and better options.

However, Connolly did not cite official statistics or findings to support his claims. He acknowledged that his assertions were based on personal observations and conversations with other students.

See here:

Students at Stanford are pretending to be Jains so they can spend their meal plan money at Whole Foods instead of the school cafeteria: pic.twitter.com/C8kDQmJiO3

— Steve McGuire (@sfmcguire79) February 2, 2026

An excerpt from the essay has since gone viral, sparking a wave of reactions. “every student body does this at every college that mandates 4 year residency,” a user wrote. “That’s not true or fair. Indian students at Stanford do that out of valid concerns – many of them don’t want to eat food that may be in contact with beef which is a religious anathema to us,” another user argued.

“Instead of cribbing there is a life lesson to be learnt here. Good guys finish last,” a third user reacted.