The Official Bookstore of CU Boulder
CU Book Access is CU Boulder’s equitable access course materials program. It offers eligible students a flat-rate course materials purchasing option designed to cost students less per semester compared with purchasing individual textbooks.
CU Book Access provides all participating students with access to required course materials on or before the first day of classes.
Undergraduate, degree-seeking students are currently eligible to participate in CU Book Access. Continuing Education and Graduate students are not eligible for CU Book Access Complete but may have materials in the Select program. Additional information is located here. Our goal is to be able to include graduate and continuing education students in the future phases of the program.
No. Each semester, eligible students are automatically opted into CU Book Access and provided with access to their required course materials by the first day of classes.
Digital materials are accessed via the “CU Book Access” tab located on the left navigation bar in Canvas, CU Boulder’s online learning platform.
All e-materials will be readily available in the student’s bookshelf on or before the first day of classes.
Print-format materials will be automatically available for pick up at the CU Book Store.
Students will receive an email telling them that their materials are ready for pick up.
Students can also check the status of their in-store physical materials on Canvas.
The flat-rate cost of CU Book Access for each semester, fall and spring, of the 25-26 academic year will be $259 (plus tax). Students will always know in advance the cost of the CU Book Access program.
Yes! If students haven’t done so yet, they may need to authorize their aid so it can pay toward all charges on the bill. If it’s needed, it’ll show up as a to-do item in Buff Portal on the Financial Aid card. If they don’t have the to-do or it’s already completed, then you’re all set!
No. Eligible students may choose to “opt out” of CU Book Access in any given semester by the established deadline, which coincides with the last day to drop a class without penalty. Key Academic dates can be found on the CU Boulder Academic Calendar.
Eligible students may choose to “opt out” of CU Book Access in any given semester by the established deadline, which coincides with the last day to drop a class without penalty. Key Academic dates can be found on the CU Boulder Academic Calendar.
Spring 2026 deadline: January 23, 2026
Having access to required course materials by the first day of class means students can focus on learning, instead of spending time sourcing textbooks.
The flat-rate pricing model offers students and their families an affordable and predictable course materials option.
Graduate and Law students may have course materials as part of the CU Book Access Select program. Additional information can be found here.
Opt-in means that a student is participating in the CU Book Access program. All degree-seeking undergraduate students will be automatically “opted in” to the program.
If you decide that you do not want to participate in CU Book Access in any given semester, you may opt out and not participate. You may also choose to change your plan to the Select Access option and choose to purchase only some materials before the established deadline. Students can opt out or change plans through Canvas. The opt out deadline coincides with the last day to drop a class without penalty. Key Academic dates can be found on the CU Boulder Academic Calendar.
You will see the flat-rate CU Book Access charge on your first university bill of the semester. The charge is billed then, but you have until the last day to drop a course without penalty to opt-out of the program and the charge would then be reversed. This gives you the maximum amount of time to make choices about your course schedule.
You can opt out of CU Book Access or choose the Select Access program using the link provided in the email you received at the start of the term or in the “CU Book access” tab in Canvas. The Select Access plan allows you to choose which digital materials you wish to purchase on a material-by-material basis. For each material you choose to opt out of in the Select Access plan, access will be removed for that material by the opt out deadline. Please note: if you choose to opt out of courseware, you may lose access to submit your homework via your class’s Canvas page, as an active subscription is required to submit homework via courseware.
You may opt out using the link provided in the email you received at start of the term or in the "CU Book Access" tab in Canvas.
If you opt out of CU Book Access, you move into the Select Access plan. You may designate which digital materials you would like to purchase by opting out of the materials you do not wish to have access to. Individual print books, when stocked by the CU Book Store, can be purchased from the CU Book Store website.
Please make an informed decision before opting out of digital materials as your access to them will immediately end. This could include digital ebooks and publisher courseware provided in Canvas, such as McGraw-Hill Connect or Pearson MyLab. The CU Book Access fee will be reversed in your Bursar account within 5-7 business days after opting out.*
*Any printed materials that were included in the program and picked up by the student need to be returned to the CU Book Store by Saturday of the fourth week of classes when opting out. Materials need to be returned in the original condition in which they were received. If print materials are not yet in your possession (e.g., you received an email to pick up your print items but have not yet picked them up from the CU Book Store), those items will be removed from your account and returned to the program. After all print items have been returned to the CU Book Store (where applicable), the program fee that is posted to your Bursar account will be reversed.
If you choose to opt out of the CU Book Access Complete plan, you may move to the Select Access plan which allows you to choose which digital materials you wish to purchase on a material-by-material basis. The CU Book Store offers all digital course material purchases directly through Canvas for instant purchase.
For each material you choose to opt out of in the Select Access plan, access will be removed for that material by the opt out deadline. Please note: if you choose to opt out of courseware, you may lose access to submit your homework via your class’s Canvas page, as an active subscription is required to submit homework via courseware.
You can review your personalized booklist with the required and optional materials for your registered courses by logging in to the Buff Portal.
Yes. Prior to the opt out deadline, you can opt back into the CU Book Access program using the link provided in the email you received when you opted out or in the “CU Book Access” tab on Canvas. After the opt out deadline, please email assist@cubookstore.com to request to opt in. Once your opt-in is confirmed, the charge will be submitted to your Student Tuition and Fee Bill.
CU Book Access includes all course materials required by the faculty member teaching the course. Optional course materials are not included.
Course materials are considered “written materials” and will be included in the program either in digital or printed format:
Course supplies (such as lab coats and art supplies) are not included and will need to be purchased separately. A message will appear in Canvas alerting students they have other course supplies to purchase, with a link to the CU Book Store website.
To access digital content/textbooks for any given course, students simply log in to Canvas and click the “CU Book Access” tab located on the left hand navigation bar.
Students can click “Read Now” to launch the e-reader and begin studying!
If you experience any issues viewing or launching your textbooks, please reach out to assist@cubookstore.com for assistance or contact RedShelf at https://solve.redshelf.com/.
All students will receive access to digital course materials for free until the opt-out deadline. Those who wish to opt out can choose which materials they want to pay for and use on a material-by-material basis through the Select Access plan option. Regardless of whether you are opted into the program, most materials will now be digital and accessible through the “CU Book Access” tab on the left-hand navigation bar in Canvas.
Digital textbooks are the default option. Traditional print textbooks will only be supplied when a digital option is not available, or a specific request is made by a faculty member. Lab manuals and other course materials that are traditionally printed may remain in print as part of the program. If you have questions about accessibility and using digital content or need accommodation, please contact Disability Services for assistance.
Required print textbooks may be picked up by participating students at the CU Book Store. If you have physical books as part of the CU Book Access program, you will receive an email when they are ready to be picked up or this information can be found on their "CU Book Access" tab in Canvas. If you are opted-in to the program, you do not need a place an order. The system will automatically place the order for your “required” materials. Any optional materials not included in the program will need to be ordered by the student. If you are unable to pick up your physical books or are experiencing an issue placing an order for optional materials, please email assist@cubookstore.com
If you opt-out of the program before picking up your required physical materials from the CU Book Store, you do not need to do anything. We will cancel the order for you. If you opt-out of the program after receiving your required physical materials, you will need to return them to the CU Book Store by Saturday of the fourth week of classes or you will be charged full price for the material(s).
Please email assist@cubookstore.com for assistance.
All textbooks, coursepacks, and homework access is included in the program. If you are an undergraduate student, you should not have to purchase those materials separately. Please email assist@cubookstore.com with a copy of your syllabus and we will get that title added to Canvas ASAP. This ensures that all required materials for eligible students get included in the cost of the program.
Students with questions about accessibility, using digital content or accommodations may contact Disability Services for assistance.
Custom-created lab manuals and coursepacks will be distributed to participating students through the CU Book Store during the start of courses. Students will receive an email when their materials are ready to be picked up or this information can be found on their "CU Book Access" tab in Canvas.
Students who have opted out of the CU Book Access program and need to obtain a lab manual or coursepack may place an order at www.cubookstore.com.
No. Only required materials are included as part of the CU Book Access program.
Optional materials suggested by the professor may be ordered from the CU Book Store.
Students who need assistance acquiring optional course materials may contact assist@cubookstore.com or utilize live chat on the CU Book Store website.
Yes, for certain materials. Many of the digital textbooks may be downloaded to a device and read after the term is over. Digital textbooks that are a part of the courseware such as McGraw-Hill Connect or Pearson MyLab, are only usable for the semester during which they were originally provided; unless otherwise noted, access to these materials expires once the term is over.
You may also keep any physical textbooks you receive as part of the CU Book Access program if you stay enrolled in the program and the applicable course. If you opt out of the program or drop any course with print materials, you must return print textbooks to the CU Book Store by Saturday of the fourth week of class, or you will be charged for the price of the material. Any materials provided digitally will automatically be removed from your account.
A student who chooses to remain opted into the CU Book Access program and does not drop any courses may keep any print-format materials they received.
Students who are participating in CU Book Access and who drop a course for which they received printed materials are required to return those materials by the Saturday of the fourth week of classes. If not returned or shipped back to the CU Book Store, the replacement cost for outstanding textbooks will be billed to their Bursar account. Any provided digital course materials will automatically be removed from their account.
Students who opt-out of CU Book Access may return print-format materials by the established deadline (typically the deadline to drop a course without penalty) for a full refund each semester. Materials must be returned in the original condition from which they were received. Please allow 1-2 business days for refunds to post.
Please email assist@cubookstore.com if you have any questions about returning textbooks/materials.
The ereader is fully device agnostic, scalable, and allows simultaneous usage across multiple devices. Further, content downloaded to the ereader app can be accessed in offline situations if it was downloaded prior to loss of internet connection. As for saving as a file, copyright laws can restrict licensed content from taking form as re-distributable files. Allowing content to only be downloaded within the ereader puts the onus on the provider to protect copyright and relieves the University of associated risks.
You will receive an email at your Colorado.edu email if you have physical materials, when they are ready to pick up. The email will contain a QR code to scan at the order pick up kiosk or you may tap your Buff OneCard.
Physical books and their status are also located in Canvas. Log into Canvas and click on "CU Book Access" tab on the left-hand navigation. If physical materials are listed, they will display a running man symbol if they are ready for pick up; a pause symbol or hourglass if they aren't ready yet; and a checkmark if they have been pick up.
When adding a course, the course materials will become available to you on Canvas. Course enrollment changes can take up to 48 hours to be processed. If printed materials are required for your new course, you will receive an email from the CU Book Store to pick up any required materials or this information can be found on their "CU Book Access" tab in Canvas.
When dropping a course, any digital course materials access will be removed in tandem with your enrollment drop. If you drop and have printed course materials that were provided to you by the CU Book Access program, you must return those print materials to the CU Book Store by Saturday of the fourth week of classes. Non-returned print materials will be charged to your Bursar account at the publisher’s listed new book price.
Waitlisted classes will still appear in the “CU Book Access” tab.
Students registered as an “undergraduate” will have all required course materials included regardless of which type of course they take. This means that Graduate and Continuing Education course materials will be included in the program for students who are undergraduate only.
If you are taking a continuing education course as an undergraduate, the Continuing Education course will be included. If you are taking graduate courses while completing your undergraduate degree, those materials will be included for you.
No. Faculty retain full academic freedom under this program. Any required title with an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is included in this program. Additional items that may not have an ISBN but are included in the program include campus custom coursepacks and lab manuals. Whether you are assigning paid publisher content or free and open educational resources (OER), all of your textbooks remain available for adoption. Only required titles are included in the program.
Courses are not required to use Canvas for instruction in order to participate in the CU Book Access program. Canvas is a single access point for students to access their course materials. Faculty do not need to use Canvas in an instructional capacity.
Faculty wishing to use courseware materials need to have a Canvas page set up for integration. Please contact Ryan.Windle@colorado.edu for more information.
This process remains unchanged. You will reach out to your publisher representative to request a desk copy.
Course materials are considered “written materials” like books, required printed lab manuals and coursepacks and are included in the program, whether provided to the student in a digital or printed format.
Course supplies (such as lab coats and art supplies) are not included and will need to be purchased separately.
The CU Book Access program is a flat-rate, semester-based program that covers all required textbooks for every undergraduate student. The fee is not based on individual classes. Therefore, if you decide to cancel an adoption for your class there is no additional cost or reduction to the student.
Yes, it is understood that a one-size-fits-most model may not meet the needs of every course format, curricula, or mode of instruction. Please specify on your textbook adoptions any specific requests and contact the program if you wish to review your required course materials. Contact Ryan Windle at ryan.windle@colorado.edu.
Yes. You may continue to request the same content as prior terms. Many third-party software/courseware providers may already be integrated partners or can be integrated. Library Reserves may be offered in Canvas in addition to, or included with, this program. For questions regarding non-publisher content’s fit within the program, contact Ryan Windle at ryan.windle@colorado.edu.
CU Book Access as an initiative is designed as a “both/and” environment. We applaud any and all adoption of OER alongside the program’s paid publisher content. Providing free or low-cost content will bring down the associated costs that the University incurs, a main goal of this program. As program costs continue to go down, the program fee charged to students is also expected to go down.
The CU Book Access program is inclusive of all undergraduate courses. Students taking courses in addition to your course may find their other courses do require paid content. Library Reserves may be limited on some items, so be sure to check with the library to ensure the items on reserve have adequate capacity to accommodate all your students’ access.
There are no changes – even to timelines - if you are following the existing protocols for course material adoptions with the CU Book Store. This is true for digital, print and OER materials. Additional information including deadlines and links to submit course material adoptions are available on the faculty information page. Please review the campus Course Materials Submission Policy.
The CU Book Access program is inclusive of all undergraduate courses. Students taking courses in addition to your course may find their other courses do require paid content.
All digital course materials will be provided through Canvas, however you do not need to use Canvas for instructional purposes.
Students initially access ebooks directly through Canvas.
Publisher courseware (such as McGraw-Hill Connect or Pearson MyLab) is accessed through an integration in Canvas or with a provided URL. Most publisher courseware is integrated with Canvas to connect to the publisher’s content platform and students will use the Canvas link to create their initial courseware login. After an initial login has been created, students may go direct or bookmark the login page of the publisher’s content platform.
For non-digital course materials, copies will be distributed to students through the CU Book Store at the start of the course.
It depends. Some publishers do not offer more than 6-month access. However, for the majority of ebooks, 5-year or lifetime duration is usually selected, which would allow student access beyond the courses’ end. Post-course access is not likely to be restricted unless courses adopt courseware (e.g. MyLab, Connect, Achieve, etc.). Publisher courseware is extremely expensive to create and maintain and is indeed the unfortunate reason why access can be restricted to a 1-or-2 term limit.
Yes. Students may opt out of CU Book Access by the established drop deadline in any given semester. When advising students on the opt out process, it is important to consider a student’s full-term course enrollment, and not a single course. If a student does choose to opt out of the CU Book Access program, they will be able to select which digital materials or print materials when stocked, they wish to purchase on a material-by-material basis from the CU Book Store. Please view the Student FAQs above for complete details on the opt-out process.
The ereader is fully device agnostic, scalable, and allows simultaneous usage across multiple devices. Further, content downloaded to the ereader app can be accessed in offline situations as long as it was downloaded prior to loss of internet connection. As for saving as a file, copyright laws can restrict licensed content from taking form as re-distributable files. Allowing content to only be downloaded within the ereader puts the onus on the provider to protect copyright and relieves the University of associated risks.
The CU Book Store will offer all digital course materials directly through Canvas regardless of whether the student is opted in to CU Book Access or not. For students who are opted in to the program, required print texts will be provided by the CU Book Store automatically. If a student opts out of both the CU Book Access program and the individual digital access for a given course material, they will need to purchase their material from a retailer other than the CU Book Store. Print books can be purchased directly from the CU Book Store website when stocked or a retailer of their choice.
Undergraduate degree-seeking students enrolled in undergraduate courses at CU Boulder are eligible to participate in CU Book Access.
Graduate students and nondegree-seeking students enrolled in courses via Continuing Education are not eligible at this time.
No. Each semester, eligible students are automatically enrolled in CU Book Access and provided with access to all of their required course materials – based on the courses a student has signed up for – by the first day of classes.
Students with questions about accessibility, using digital content or accommodations may contact Disability Services for assistance.
Custom-created lab manuals and coursepacks will be distributed to participating students through the CU Book Store during the start of courses. Students will receive an email when they are ready to be picked up or this information can be found on their "CU Book Access" tab in Canvas. If the student is opted in, the order for print materials will be automatically placed without the student having to do anything.
Students who have opted out of the CU Book Access program and need to obtain a lab manual or coursepack may place an order at cubookstore.com on their own.
Materials included depends on the student’s enrollment type. A degree-seeking undergraduate student enrolled in a graduate or Continuing Education course would have their materials included. A student enrolled as Graduate or Continuing Education, for example, would need to purchase materials separately.
A student may decide to opt-out of CU Book Access by the last day to drop a course without penalty in any given semester.
CU Book Access is available in the fall and spring semesters only at this time. Course materials can still be purchased individually from the CU Book Store in the summer, digital materials are available for purchase in Canvas and physical materials, when stocked, may be purchased on the CU Book Store’s website.