NEW! Obtaining course materials just became easier! Beginning Fall 2024, registered students will be enrolled in the Charter Oak Book Bundle, designed to lower costs and automatically deliver the course materials students need prior to the first day of class.
The Program
We understand that the cost of course materials can be very high. To address this, Charter Oak has created a more affordable option starting in fall 2024. The Charter Oak Book Bundle provides all undergraduate and graduate students with access to required textbooks, lab manuals, access codes, and electronic book versions in a convenient bundle before the first day of class—often at discounted prices.
Through a partnership with Barnes & Noble, the Book Bundle allows students to obtain required course materials for all classes for a per-credit fee, regardless of the individual cost of each textbook or digital access. Rather than purchasing materials separately, the rental cost is added to the student's account along with tuition. Digital materials are automatically added to students' Blackboard courses. For courses requiring physical textbooks, books will be shipped to students' homes at no additional charge.
Compared to purchasing textbooks individually, the Charter Oak Book Bundle can save students between 20% and 50%.
How It Works
- Upon registering for courses, you will be automatically enrolled in the program. Once you have successfully selected your courses, the bookstore will begin preparing your order. If you need to make changes to your course schedule, you must log in to MyCharterOak.edu and use the add/drop feature.
- You will receive an email with the option to opt-out of the program beginning on July 1st. This opt-out option will be available until the Sunday after classes start. Please note that opting out applies to the entire semester and financial aid cannot be used for book purchases if you choose to opt-out.
- One month before classes start, you will receive a confirmation email with your course materials list. If you ordered physical books, you will also be prompted to confirm your mailing address.
- You will receive a separate email notification when your order ships (for physical books) and/or when your digital materials are delivered to your course(s) within the Blackboard Learning Management System.
How Much It Costs
The Charter Oak Book Bundle program is a course materials model designed to ensure undergraduate and graduate students have all necessary materials for all courses before the first day of class, while also reducing costs. Instead of purchasing materials individually, all undergraduate and graduate students will receive required course materials for a rental fee of $18.75 per credit, added to their student account upon registration as a Course Materials Fee.
Accepted financial aid (grants, scholarships, and loans) can be applied toward the $18.75 per credit fee. Financial aid will first be applied to tuition and mandatory fees. Any remaining financial aid after these charges are paid will then be applied to miscellaneous fees, including the $18.75 per credit Course Materials Fee.
FAQs and Opt-Out Information
The Charter Oak Book Bundle program is a course materials model designed to provide undergraduate and graduate students with all required materials for all courses before the first day of class, while also reducing costs. Instead of purchasing materials individually, all undergraduate and graduate students will receive required course materials for a rental fee of $18.75 per credit, added to their student account upon registration.
The bookstore offers a convenient shipping option for physical books, and digital materials will be delivered directly to your Blackboard course.
The Charter Oak Book Bundle program simplifies the textbook acquisition process for students, which can ultimately enhance their academic success. Not only do students receive their course materials by the first day of class, but many also save an average of 20% to 50% compared to traditional textbook purchasing methods.
The program provides all required textbooks, lab manuals, access codes and digital course materials to students in the delivery format (physical or digital) as found in the Required Textbooks section of the syllabus.
The program does not include consumables that cannot be returned and reused such as lab goggles, dissection kits, molecular model kits, engineering kits or nursing kits. Optional course materials are also not included. Courses that are non-credit are excluded from this program.
Yes. Accepted financial aid (grants, scholarships, and loans) can be applied toward the $18.75 per credit fee. Financial aid will first be applied to tuition and mandatory fees. Any remaining financial aid after these charges are paid will then be applied to miscellaneous fees, including the $18.75 per credit Course Materials Fee.
All undergraduate and graduate students are eligible for and will be automatically enrolled in the Charter Oak Book Bundle program upon registration.
The program offers you the option to purchase textbooks at a reduced rate during the rental return period.
Yes, students have the flexibility to opt-out of the program and avoid the $18.75 per credit fee. While the Charter Oak Book Bundle streamlines the process of acquiring required course materials and potentially reduces overall costs, opting out remains an option. Students will receive an email with a link to opt-out, or they can choose to complete the online form available through two methods:
- Submitting this form.
- Visiting MyCharterOak.edu, Student Self Service, Textbooks.
The opt-out period is available until the Sunday after classes start.
If you choose to opt-out, the decision applies to all courses for that semester and cannot be made on a course-by-course basis. The decision to opt-out or not opt-out of the program is decided by you each semester.
Each student is responsible for determining whether opting out of the program is beneficial. While the program generally offers significant savings, certain circumstances may make opting out advantageous. For example, students enrolled in courses with free or low-cost materials might realize greater savings beyond the $18.75 per credit Course Materials Fee. Additionally, if a student prefers to purchase rather than rent most textbooks and finds affordable options outside the bookstore, opting out for the semester might be prudent. To make informed decisions, students should carefully consider their options.
Once opted out, students will not receive access to course materials and must purchase all required materials from the Charter Oak Bookstore or other retailers. Visit the Charter Oak Bookstore to purchase course materials at your own expense.
To change your status and opt into the Charter Oak Book Bundle program, fill out and submit this form or visit MyCharterOak.edu, Student Self Service, Textbooks to fill out the online form. The last date to opt back in is Sunday after classes start.
For students beginning after the start of the semester you can still opt-out by the Sunday after classes start.
Students will receive email reminders from the bookstore to verify their order. Failure to verify an order will result in no shipment of physical materials to the desired location, even if the student has not opted out. Verifying your order and shipping address is crucial for students requiring physical textbooks. Digital materials will be accessible within Blackboard courses. The $18.75 per credit Course Materials Fee will be charged to your student account for both physical and digital materials, regardless of order verification.
If you have received your Charter Oak Book Bundle package, you must return any physical textbooks for the dropped course within 48 hours. If you drop one class and enroll in another requiring digital materials, the materials will be delivered directly to your Blackboard course.
The deadline to return all rental textbooks is immediately following the last day of class. Students will receive email reminders about the rental deadline to their Charter Oak email address.
All students in the Charter Oak Book Bundle program using digital materials should contact Bookstore Customer Care at fdcsupport@bncservices.com@bncollege.com for assistance.
Accessing Digital Materials
To access your digital materials, log in to your Charter Oak Blackboard account and open your course page. On the left-hand side menu, you should see a link labeled "Charter Oak Book Bundle". Clicking on this link will take you to a page with access to all digital materials included in your Charter Oak Book Bundle for all your courses.
Course materials may appear in various ways on this page. If you have any questions, please contact:
Barnes & Noble Customer Care available 7 days/week, 8am - 11pm EST
Email: fdcsupport@bncservices.com
Toll Free: Physical Item Support: 877-713-6697
For FAQs on access, videos, publisher-specific instructions, and support, check out Barnes & Noble's FAQs.
Returning Rental Materials
One way the Charter Oak Book Bundle keeps costs low for students is by renting most physical course materials each semester. This means these physical books must be returned to the Bookstore immediately after the course ends.
You will receive multiple reminder emails near the end of the term with instructions on how to return these books to ensure proper check-in.
Rental FAQs
Simply use the return shipping label available online. You may print it as many times as needed, but each label can only be used once. Therefore, please pack multiple books in one box and use a single shipping label.
Yes! If you decide to purchase your rental book, you may do so at any time during the rental period, unless the book is labeled "Rental Only." Books designated as "Rental Only" cannot be purchased.
Highlighting and writing in textbooks is permitted within normal use. The bookstore will apply the same standards for determining the acceptable condition of rental textbooks as it does for used books purchased from students.
Yes, the bookstore can refuse to accept your rental book if it is returned in poor condition. The bookstore will solely determine the book's condition, which generally means an intact spine, minimal cover or content damage, all original pages and components present, and limited highlighting, writing, or other markings. Normal use of highlighting and writing is permitted. If the bookstore deems the book unacceptable, you will be responsible for purchasing a replacement copy and paying a non-return processing fee.
You will be responsible for paying the bookstore a replacement and non-return processing fee, after which the book will become yours to keep. The Bookstore will accept late returns; however, a processing fee may apply to overdue books.
You will be charged a replacement cost and a non-return processing fee for any book not returned to the bookstore, regardless of the reason. These fees are in addition tothe original rental fee.
- Replacement Cost is 75% of the selling price of your book at the time of purchase.
- Non-return processing fee is 7.5% of the selling price at the time of purchase.
- These fees are in addition to the rental fee.
As a courtesy, we will send a reminder to your Charter Oak email address. However, it is your responsibility to return the book by the due date, even if you do not receive this email. Please remember to ship rental books back immediately upon course completion.