Affordability and convenience reign supreme for students at the new online store.

Eastern Arizona College (EAC), a two-year, public institution prioritized equity, service, and convenience when they partnered with Akademos as their online bookstore platform. The school serves approximately 4,500 students and offers associate degree and certificate options at their multiple campus locations.

Located seventy-five minutes from Minneapolis is Bethany Lutheran College, a four-year, private liberal arts college with approximately 800 undergraduate and graduate students. The school recently partnered with Akademos to launch a new online bookstore for the Spring 2023 semester. The school will continue to manage the Bethany Christian Bookstore and Bethany Spirit Store, which specialize in gifts, books, spirit wear, and other merchandise for students.

Bundling the cost of textbooks with tuition, also known as Equitable Access, is on the rise across higher education institutions. Read about why this idea isn’t new, how it aligns with the lifestyle and expectations of today’s students, and how you can customize a program that meets your needs and your school’s timeline. 

As we approach a new year and new semester, it’s time to focus on innovative new ideas and initiatives.

One initiative that gained strength in 2022 was Equitable Access, the course material model that bundles the cost of textbooks with the cost of tuition. While room and board, meal plans, and facility fees have long been paired with tuition, the concept of bundling textbooks into the cost has historically been met with resistance. With a rising need to think outside the box to drive enrollment, embracing change initiatives may be the key to success.

Whether you’re just starting to explore a first-day course materials model or you’re in decision-making mode for the upcoming semesters, our most-read resources from 2022 will provide valuable information for your consideration.

Every campus is unique, which is why your community deserves a flexible equitable access textbook program. Even though certain areas of Equitable Access offer uniformity where important, a one-size-fits-all solution is not always what your students, faculty, and staff need to succeed.