Officials at Longwood University have announced the launch of BookBundle, a program which changes the process of buying textbooks for Longwood undergraduate students. Vice President for Student Affairs Cam Patterson introduced the program in an email on March 31 and emphasized its goal to “make accessing textbooks and other required course materials more convenient and affordable.”
According to a Longwood FAQ sent in Patterson’s email, BookBundle charges a flat fee, automatically added to tuition, for course-required textbooks. Students are charged $30 per credit hour, up to 12 credit hours, with a cap of $360. For example, a student taking six credit hours would pay $180, while a student taking 12 or more credits would pay $360.
Campus Store Manager Amanda Alter answered emailed questions from The Rotunda after declining an interview. In her response, she provided further clarity about the program’s impacts.
She said the pricing for the program was based on several different factors. She said, “The pricing was based on the materials being adopted by Longwood faculty, format of the materials, and negotiated rates with publishers. It is not an average, but a rate based on specific Longwood student schedules that are enrolled in the courses over a 12-month period”
The FAQ also stated students can receive “up to 60% savings on required course materials” and reduce stress for students during the buying process.
Alter said students are automatically enrolled in BookBundle once they register for classes. Bookstore employees prepare the required materials and ensure they are accessible by the first day of classes. If adding a course after the first day of classes, students can access digital materials via Canvas and pick up their printed materials when available. For courses dropped prior to the add/drop deadline, digital materials will be disabled, and printed materials can be returned to the Longwood Bookstore.
According to Alter, the fee is charged directly through student accounts, so it will appear on tuition bills, and she said there are no hidden fees.
Students can opt out of the program each semester but must do so by a specific date. “Each semester will have specific dates but usually the decision deadline will be the same day as the academic calendar’s add/drop deadline,” Alter wrote.
For the upcoming semester, the opt-out portal will open on July 7, 2025, and close on September 2, 2025. According to Alter, there is no plan to make the program mandatory.
The policy of ‘opt-out’ rather than ‘opt-in’ has met controversy from a number of groups, including the American Libraries Association (ALA). Their publication “Keeping Up With... Automatic Textbook Billing” noted a number of concerns with initiatives like BookBundle, often called “Inclusive Access” programs.
“Many institutions default to an opt-out approach, where students are automatically enrolled in these programs and billed for course materials unless they actively choose to opt-out,” Christina Hilburger wrote. “This raises concerns about students being aware of their options, accessibility, the digital divide, and how publishers extract student data.”
If a student opts out of BookBundle, they can re-enroll before the deadline. However, if a student opts out but later realizes they need a textbook included in BookBundle, they may purchase it separately. Alter noted that publishers do not offer the same discounted rates outside of the program.
The ALA also noted concerns about these discounted rates. “While Inclusive Access is often marketed as a means to reduce the cost of course materials, the savings may not be as substantial as advertised. Students do not own Inclusive Access content; they typically rent it, sometimes at a higher price than print rentals,” Hilburger wrote. “The calculated savings are often based on physical materials and may not be as significant when compared to the cost of digital materials. Additionally, students who may have bought used, rented, or borrowed textbooks could potentially end up paying more.”
Furthermore, Students taking courses without required textbooks still pay the fee if they opt into the BookBundle program.
n order to address some of these concerns, Alter stated Longwood and Follett are working to ensure students are informed. “Follett and Longwood have been meeting for months and planning out a detailed communication plan,” she stated. “We will have information about the program in multiple locations,” including information on opting out.
