archie's book bundle logo

Archie's Book Bundle program gives you access to all of your course materials, no need to shop around!

  • Receive all your course materials before the first day of class
  • Save 35-50% on the cost of course materials each term
  • Benefit from a highly personalized concierge service
  • Bundle price is based on $24 per credit hour enrolled - for example, if you're enrolled in 15 hours, your Archie's Book Bundle price is $360.

STUDENT FAQ    FACULTY FAQ

HOW IT WORKS

register

REGISTER FOR CLASSES

Upon registering for courses, you will be automatically enrolled into the program. Once you've successfully selected your courses, the bookstore will start preparing your order.

verify

VERIFY YOUR ORDER

Starting 30 days before the first day of classes, you will receive an email to verify your order and select your fulfillment preference.

receive books

RECEIVE YOUR TEXTBOOKS

An email notification will be sent when your order is ready for pickup or when it ships. Your digital materials will be delivered for your course(s) within Blackboard.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

STUDENTS

Archie's Book Bundle Program

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What is the Archie's Book Bundle program?

Archie's Book Bundle is a course material and textbook rental program that lowers the cost of course materials and ensures students have their required course materials on the first day of class.

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How does it work?
  • Register for your classes, and the USI Campus Store will start preparing your course materials.
  • One month before classes start, you will receive an email instructing you to review your courses. At this time, you will have an option to either opt out of the program or choose how to receive your materials (in-store pickup or shipped directly to you for a nominal shipping fee).
  • An email notification will be sent when your order is ready for pickup or when it ships.
  • Your digital materials will be delivered for your course(s) via Blackboard.
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Which students have access to Archie's Book Bundle?

Currently, the program is available to undergraduate students.

Enrollment and Payment

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How do I enroll in the program?

All eligible undergraduate students will be automatically enrolled in Archie's Book Bundle.

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What is the cost?

For Archie's Book Bundle program, $24 per credit hour will be applied to your student account.

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How do I pay for my textbook rentals under this program?

Archie’s Book Bundle fees are applied directly to a student’s account and may be paid with financial aid, scholarships and/or loans. 

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How much money can I expect to save with the Archie's Book Bundle program?

With this program, students will save on average between 35-50% on the cost of required course materials throughout their academic career.

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Can I opt out of the program?

Yes. Each semester you will have the option to opt out of the program by submitting the Archie's Book Bundle Opt-Out Form. You must opt out prior to the end of the 100% refund period.  

Your student account will adjust within 24 to 48 hours after you opt-out. If your account does not reflect a credit after 48 hours of opting out, please contact the Bursar’s Office at bursar@usi.edu.

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Can I participate for some of my classes and opt-out for other classes?

No. Opting out means you opt out of the entire semester and may not choose to purchase selected materials only at the reduced cost.  Priority for filling student orders will be given to students enrolled in the Archie’s Book Bundle program.

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I am a distance education student and/or I am unable to visit the USI Campus Store to pick up my books, how can I participate?

You will have the option to have your books shipped directly to you at following rates:

  • Ground Shipping: $7.99
  • Two Day Shipping: $15.99
  • One Day Shipping: $23.99
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What if I drop or add a class?

If you drop or add a course, you will be provided instructions for returning your dropped course materials, and delivery options for any new courses that are added will be provided to you. Fee adjustments will be made for any changes to overall semester credit hours. 

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Will I have to take action on Archie's Book Bundle every semester?

Yes. Eligible undergraduate students will be automatically enrolled in the Archie's Book Bundle program every semester. Students will be required to confirm their course materials list and choose a delivery option each semester.  

Any student choosing to opt out of the program will have to do so each semester. 

Materials

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What is included in the program?

Course materials and the delivery format are selected by the course instructor. Based on these adoptions, the program provides all required textbooks, laboratory manuals and access codes to undergraduate students.

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What is excluded from the program?

The program does not include consumables that cannot be returned and reused such as laboratory goggles, dissection kits, molecular model kits, engineering kits or nursing kits. Any textbooks and other course materials designated as recommended, instead of required, are not included. 

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Can I buy my rented textbook?

Yes. The program provides you with the option to purchase textbooks at a reduced rate during the return period.

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Do I need to return books if they are for a continuation course?

Yes. You will still be required to return continuation course textbooks. You will be issued the same title for the next semester of the continuation course.

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What happens if I do not return the books by the due date?

If books are not returned by the due date, you will be charged a replacement fee for the cost of the book(s).  You will not be eligible to participate in Archie's Book Bundle in subsequent semesters until books are returned or the replacement fee is paid. 

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When are my textbook rentals due back to the USI Campus Store?

The deadline to return all rental textbooks is the last day of finals. Students will receive email reminders about the rental deadline to their USI email address.

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Can I purchase course materials at the USI Campus Store if I opt out of Archie's Book Bundle?

Yes. Any student is able to purchase or charge to their student billing account, at normal retail price, course materials and supplies for their courses at the USI Campus Store.

Students may charge up to $1,000 of books and supplies, $500 in technology purchases, and $100 in logo wear. The charges are placed on the student’s account and may be paid by various financial aid sources. Campus store charges more than the student’s financial aid are the student’s responsibility. Bookstore charges can be included in the student’s payment plan. Please note, during the summer semesters, students may only charge books and supplies. For more information about charging to your student account, please visit the Bursar’s Office FAQ page.

COMPARE PRICES

How much are course materials without the bundle?

Visit the Campus Store website to find each course and its list of materials to compare the opt-out price with your bundle cost. Be sure to select "Fall 2022 Opt-Out" to view prices.

COMPARE OPT-OUT PRICES

How do students opt-out?

Each semester you will have the option to opt-out of the program by submitting the Archie's Book Bundle Opt-Out Form. You must opt-out prior to the end of the 100% refund period.

Your student account will adjust within 24 to 48 hours after you opt-out. If your account does not reflect a credit after 48 hours of opting out, please contact the Bursar’s Office at bursar@usi.edu.

screenshot of bookstore website

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Faculty

Archie's Book Bundle Program

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What is Archie's Book Bundle?

Archie's Book Bundle is a course material and textbook rental program administered by Barnes & Noble College (BNC) through the USI Campus Store. The book program is for UNDERGRADUATE students and reduces the cost of books to ensure students have required materials for all registered courses prior to the first day of class. The USI Campus Store will provide each student with a convenient package for physical books, and digital materials will be automatically embedded into the student’s Blackboard course shell. The fee for the book program is $24 per credit hour which will be added to the student’s account and may be paid for with financial aid, scholarships or loans. For example, students taking the standard full-time course load of 15 credit hours will be charged a total of $360 for all required course materials. By comparison, the USI Financial Aid Office estimates books for a full-time student to cost $600 per semester, so this program offers substantial savings. Savings will vary by semester.

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How does Archie's Book Bundle benefit students?

Archie's Book Bundle benefits students in a variety of ways: 

  • The program allows students to have all the required materials they need to be successful in classes from day one.  
  • Books and materials are conveniently packaged at a competitive cost, on average, 35-50% savings throughout an academic career.  
  • Students and families can plan for the cost of books as the per credit price is set annually.  
  • Archie’s Book Bundle fees are applied directly to a student’s account and may be paid with financial aid, scholarships and/or loans. 
  • Campus Store staff will offer concierge service in store to help with schedules where classes have been dropped or added. 
  • Knowing the fixed cost for required materials per semester saves time by negating the need to shop around. 
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What roles do faculty have in the program?

Faculty are required to submit their course material selections to the USI Campus Store by the May 2, 2022 adoption deadline. Adhering to this timing is vital so that appropriate books can be ordered and packaged in time for students to have all their required course materials for the semester prior to the first day of class. Faculty members are required to select the modality of the required materials (e.g. hardcopy, electronic). 

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Will faculty have to change their course materials currently being used?

No. There are no restrictions to the course materials you select for your course(s). All course materials, from any publisher, in your preferred format are included in the program. 

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Can a student opt out of the Archie’s Book Bundle program?

Yes. Each semester undergraduate students will have the option to opt out of the program by submitting the Archie's Book Bundle Opt-Out Form. Students must opt out prior to the end of the 100% refund period. Opting out means a student opts out of the entire semester and may not choose to purchase selected materials only at the reduced cost. Priority for filling student orders will be given to students enrolled in the Archie’s Book Bundle program.

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How can we be sure that this will provide competitive book costs for our students?

BNC is committed to lowering the costs of course materials for students, and with an integrated supply chain and economies of scale, the Archie's Book Bundle program brings a new and innovative way to provide an affordable solution to USI students. The program will be evaluated annually to assess costs and affordability.  

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What if my teaching assignment changes (e.g., I was scheduled to teach one course, but later assigned to another)?

The USI Campus Store is committed to ensuring the textbook adoption platform is updated with the new course materials.  The faculty member should notify the USI Campus Store of the changes to their teaching assignment. 

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What happens if a student drops/adds a course?

If a student drops or adds a course, the student is provided instructions for returning their dropped course materials, and delivery options for any new courses that have been added are provided to them. Fee adjustments will be made for any changes to overall semester credit hours.

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If I adopt Open Education Resources or don’t require a textbook, do my students still have to pay the fee?

Students are assessed the program fee for the total number of credits taken per semester, not by the number of courses utilizing the program. However, students usually still see an overall savings with the book bundle program even if some of their classes do not require materials. If a student is taking an internship or has only one or two courses with required materials, these may be limited reasons for a student to opt out of the program. 

Materials

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What is included in the program?

Course materials and the delivery format are selected by the course instructor. Based on these adoptions, the program provides all required textbooks, laboratory manuals and access codes to undergraduate students.  

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What is excluded from the program?

The program does not include supplies like lab goggles, calculators, art supplies or nursing kits. Any textbooks and other course materials designated as recommended, instead of required, are not included.  

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How do students receive their required course materials?

One month before classes start, students will receive an email instructing them to select their fulfillment preference (in-store pickup or shipped directly). An email notification will be sent when the students order is ready for pickup or when it ships, and digital materials will be delivered for course(s) via Blackboard.  Students who choose to have their book bundles shipped to them will be charged a nominal shipping fee. 

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What if I use multiple books for a course? Do they all have to be digital or print?

No. Different books can be in different formats. For example, a digital book, a physical book and access code can all be required for the same course.  

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Will students be able to keep their course materials once they have completed the course?

This program is a rental program for most textbooks (excluding access codes and laboratory manuals). However, the program provides students with the option to purchase textbooks at a reduced rate during the return period. Students in continuation courses or that use the same books for several semesters will still return their books and be reissued their same books the next semester.  

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What happens if a faculty member changes their course material adoption?

If a faculty member changes their course material adoption, the faculty member should notify the USI Campus Store of the new adoption, and the USI Campus Store will ensure that students receive the corrected course materials.  

 

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Are faculty limited to the Open Education Resource options BNC has partnerships with?

No. Faculty can use any low-cost, no-cost or other affordable solutions for course materials.  

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How do we ensure course materials in Archie's Book Bundle are accessible to students with accommodations?

The USI Campus Store always works to accommodate students with accessibility needs. 

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Are students able to purchase course materials at the USI Campus Store if they opt out of Archie’s Book Bundle Program?

Yes. Students are able to purchase, at normal retail price, course materials and supplies for their courses at the USI Campus Store.

archies book bundle

Additional Questions?

Contact the Campus Store at 812-464-1717 or email Jessica Leonard at jleonard@bncollege.com.