With 191 campus stores now offering BNC’s First Day® Complete affordable access program, approximately 950,000 undergraduate and graduate students—up from 800,000 in the 2023 fall term—benefit from improved course material access, convenience, and affordability.

Administrators from two new First Day Complete partner schools share implementation best practices as they discussed their recent program launches.

Administrators from Northern Virginia Community College and East Carolina University share their reasons for implementing BNC’s affordable access program, First Day® Complete, in fall 2024.

Being better prepared, getting higher grades, experiencing increased ease and convenience, improved affordability and retention—the benefits of BNC’s First Day® Complete program are significant, according to participating students. A recent survey captures student feedback and affirms the program’s continued positive impact.

Enhancements to our academic solutions and campus store operations make it even easier and more convenient for students to get their required course materials, and for our store teams to deliver superior service.

BNC continues to offer the largest merchandise assortment in the industry, with a fresh mix of the products students, alumni, parents and fans crave. New and notable this year: an expanded value program, exciting new fashion collaborations, more college living essentials and enhanced emblematic supplies to support the academic journey.

College Comfort is Barnes & Noble College’s latest initiative to support students across their entire academic journey. A convenient, one-stop shop for college living essentials at the campus store, this collection is specifically designed for stylish, small-space living. It includes creative options for storage and organization, damage-free room décor, well-being and more.

In our annual Student Pulse survey, college students expressed high levels of satisfaction with their BNC campus store, including the overall experience, excellent customer service and quality of the dedicated, local store team. The campus store remained students’ #1 destination for course materials and school-branded apparel.

In a recent survey, students confirm that BNC’s affordable access program, First Day® Complete (FDC), made it convenient for them to get their required course materials and be better prepared for the academic term.