By Ashley Ragone
News Editor
In an email sent to students on April 23, Associate Vice President and Dean of Students Jordan Draper announced the launch of “TCNJ Book Bundle,” a program intended to simplify how course materials are received.
In a packaged fee placed on the tuition bill automatically, students can choose to pick up or ship their required course materials before the first day of class. It will be offered for the fall 2026 semester at $347 for full-time undergraduate students and $175 for part-time undergraduate students.
“It’s a program with over 220 campuses and over a million students using our program across campuses and we're growing,” Barnes and Noble Manager Kimberly Zaun told The Signal in an interview. “The main reasons campuses are choosing to go with inclusive access is going to be affordability, ease of access and the student choice and convenience factor is really, truly what's driving its growth.”
While faculty still get to choose their class materials and there will be no meaningful differences in the classroom, the College aims to provide a more affordable way to support student learning.
“We know that there's a fair amount of students that actually can't get their books until after they get their refund check…so students are starting classes for two weeks without books,” said Draper. “ So this program puts in on the term bill and essentially the college pays Barnes and Noble, and then the students pay the College.”
The program was originally created after the pandemic in 2020, with schools looking to create an easier way for students to receive class materials without having to travel and having a lower cost option.
As explained in the April 23 email, students will be prompted to review their chosen courses to see what their pricing options are. Based on the price of the individual books compared to the “Book Bundle” fee on the tuition bill, students can decide if they want to opt out of the program.
Mercer County Community College students only residing on campus are not eligible for the program, while transfer students are. Items not eligible for the program include those that are only usable once, including lab equipment and medical kits.
“Our goal is truly to help the students who need it,” said Zaun. “The majority of students save money with this program across the country, hence the reason why we're doing it and opting everyone in. Students that are unsure should absolutely come to the bookstore. Our goal will never be to tell everyone to be opted in if they should not be.”
Zaun and Draper urge students to take advantage of the Campus Town bookstore as a resource, both to help students determine if staying opted in makes sense or to assist in the process of opting out.
While the existing bookstore will be closing on June 7, Barnes and Noble will be moving to the R. Barbara Gitenstein Library and operational in the fall semester.
On July 27, the portal will open for course material orders, which includes digital items, and Zaun encourages students to order early to avoid delays in processing. Students also must be opted in to “Book Bundle” for all classes.
The opt out period ends on Sept. 3.
Sophomore English major and creative writing minor Allison Buchanan typically doesn’t use the College’s course material options, but would be open to the resource if she knew the bundle was cheaper.
“Since I’m in English classes, I generally do not need to purchase textbooks, but instead standard novels,” she said. “I generally find these on Amazon or online, if they are in the public domain.”
Since the number of required materials for her classes often vary, the “Book Bundle” would not be the most affordable option for her.
“In my Lit courses, I generally need at least seven novels, but in my creative writing courses, I generally don’t need any textbooks at all,” Buchanan explained. “If I was planning to take a Lit course with a lot of prerequisite texts, I would definitely consider this option thanks to its promise of textbook availability and timely delivery.”
Draper hopes students are well-informed, and take the time to consider their options wisely.
“I think the big takeaway from the college perspective is that we are trying to be very transparent in terms of pricing, so we want students to look at the website, we want them to see ‘does this work for my courses?’” she said. “If so great, stay opt in. And if it doesn't, we want students to feel empowered to be able to opt out.”
More information about “Book Bundle” can be found on the Division of Student Affairs’ website.
