Academic Solutions · Article

Community Colleges: Increasing Affordability, Service and Sales

November 13, 2019

affordable course material options

Across the nation, community colleges are looking for ways to increase affordability for students — often while managing limited resources and budgets of their own.

Managed effectively, the campus bookstore can offer a wider range of affordable course material options and increase revenue for the school — all while requiring minimal oversight from administrators.

Barnes & Noble College has partnered with more than 240 community colleges and community college systems nationwide, including nine in North Carolina.

These bookstores are producing strong results. In the fall of 2019, we generated an average 7 percent increase in non-textbook sales and a 12 percent increase in sales of school supplies.

Barnes & Noble College helps these schools and others explore and implement a variety of solutions to achieve their highest-priority goals for their bookstores.

•More affordable course material options for students through the First Day™ inclusive access program, Adoption & Insights Portal and other initiatives

•Customized retail experiences paired with meaningful customer service

•Stronger relationships between the school and the store

Read the North Carolina Community College case study to learn more about how updating bookstore operations can help deliver the most value possible — for students, faculty and schools.

More Insights

Academic Solutions · Article
First Day® Complete: From The Student’s Perspective
VIDEO: See what the students see – better access, convenience and affordability – when they take advantage of the First Day Complete equitable access model for course materials.
03 / 07 / 2023
Academic Solutions · Article
First Day® Complete Perspectives: Coastal Carolina Talks Implementing the Program
Launched in Fall 2022, First Day Complete is off to a strong start at Coastal Carolina University. The Vice President for Auxiliary Enterprises offers lessons learned and tips on communicating about the program with key audiences.
03 / 02 / 2023
Academic Solutions · Article
New Independent Research Affirms Equitable Access Is Improving Course Completion Rates
Students who participate in an equitable access program have higher course completion rates than students who source their own materials, with higher rate increases among Black students, Pell grant students, Native American students, and students over the age of 25.
02 / 27 / 2023