JagPack

Studies show there is an increasing number of students who delay or avoid purchasing course materials, which negatively impacts their success. This program makes getting course materials easier and more affordable by reducing the cost of book purchases by an estimated 35 – 50% and ensuring students automatically receive all their books and access to electronic materials in a convenient package on or before the first day of class.

JagPack is available to most USA undergraduate students. Exceptions include students whose scholarships restrict textbook rental and/or third party payors such as the VA (depending on the type of benefits received) or ADRS, and Start South.

• Register for your classes, and the USA Bookstore will start preparing your course materials.
• You will receive a welcome email from Barnes & Noble 35 days before classes begin outlining next steps. You will then receive a second email from B&N 30 days out instructing you to select your delivery preference (in-store pickup at no cost or shipped directly to you for a fee). These emails will come from coursematerials@email.bncollege.com so be sure to check your junk/spam folder to ensure you have not blocked emails from this address.
• An email notification from B&N will be sent when your order is ready for pickup or when it ships.
• Your digital materials will be delivered for your course(s) within Canvas.

The program provides all required textbooks, lab manuals, access codes and digital textbook versions to eligible students.

The program does not include consumables that cannot be returned and reused, such as lab goggles, dissection kits, molecular model kits, engineering kits, art supplies or nursing kits.

JagPack is launching fall 2024.

All eligible students will be automatically enrolled in the JagPack program.

No, participation in this program is all-in or all-out. 

You may return the book to the USA Bookstore within 48 hours of dropping a course. If you drop a class and enroll in a different class, the bookstore will “swap” the required textbooks/codes so that you have what you need. 

The program will be handled in the same fashion as all other tuition and fees, and refunds will be processed in accordance with existing deadlines and procedures.  However, if you pick up your course materials but do not return them within 48 hours of dropping the course, you will owe the cost of the textbook.

For the lowest institutional per credit hour rate, all undergraduate courses must participate in the program.  Courses with no required course materials, or course materials that are low or no cost to you, will all be part of the JagPack program and you will be charged the flat rate of $22 per credit hour. By the same token, for courses with very expensive materials or multiple required materials you will only be charged the flat rate of $22 per credit hour. The cost should balance out under this model and ultimately pass on significant savings to you across multiple courses.  However, if the $22 flat rate per credit hour fee is not the most affordable option when looking at your total cost for the term, you may opt out of the JagPack program for that term.  If you opt out, you will be responsible for obtaining the required course materials for the term on your own.

Barnes & Noble at the University of South Alabama is USA’s on-campus, contracted bookstore. Both USA and Barnes & Noble are committed to driving student success, and this partnership will ensure all students are prepared to begin learning on the first day of class. This innovative course materials delivery model addresses equitable access, convenience and affordability across all courses by bundling the cost of course materials and guaranteeing students have all of their materials for the semester available on or before the first day of class. In addition, the JagPack program fully supports academic freedom and faculty choice. Faculty members can choose the materials that are best suited for their teaching, regardless of publisher or format. 

While this program is expected to ease the process of obtaining your required course materials and lower your overall costs, we also understand this program may not meet the needs of each student. If you do not want to participate in JagPack, you will need to opt out every semester.

Students have the option to opt out of this program each term by visiting this link. The opt-out period for each semester is open 30 days prior to the first day of class and ends on the last day to add a course. Once opted out, you will not receive access to your materials and will be responsible for purchasing all required materials on your own.

If you do not opt out of the program each semester, your student account will be charged. Please reach out to sm8260@bncollege.com with any further questions. The opt-out email you will receive is your confirmation for the removal of charges by the university.

To change your opt out status and opt back into the JagPack program, please follow the link in your opt-out confirmation email received from the USA Bookstore or by going here. You must make you final selection by the last day to add classes.

Feel free to reach out to sm8260@bncollege.com with any further questions.

The deadline to opt out is the last day to add a class each semester.

You will be responsible for purchasing your required course materials through the bookstore or another vendor.

The cost of books and digital materials through this program is $22 per credit hour each semester. You can see the comparable price for purchasing the textbooks outside the program at the time you register. 

The charges for the program are applied to your student account at the same time tuition is charged. 

After the last day to add a class, the full cost of the credit fee for the course materials will be charged to your account.

Yes, the program provides you with the option to purchase textbooks at a reduced rate during the rental and return period.

Yes, if you do not opt out, your materials will be held at the bookstore, and your student account will be charged.

You will receive emails and phone calls from the bookstore to remind you to verify your order. If you do not opt out, your materials will be held at the bookstore, and your student account will be charged.

Required course materials will be provided in the format requested by faculty. Your JagPack may include a mix of physical and digital course materials.

Students with disabilities who need course materials in an accessible format should contact USA Center for Educational Accessibility & Disability Resources. Students who have not previously registered with the CEADR can find instructions here. CEADR will work with faculty, publishers and Barnes & Noble to provide accessible alternative formats to students with qualifying disabilities. For more information, please contact CEADR at disabilityservices@southalabama.edu or 251-460-7212.

Send a copy of your syllabus to sm8260@bncollege.com. Make sure to include important information in your email such as course name, course section, and your contact information. 

Orders cannot be processed until you have verified your order. If you have already done so, please reach out to the bookstore at sm8260@bncollege.com. Be sure to include your order number and first and last name so they can check on the status of your order. 

Yes!

We understand things happen! Please reach out to sm8260@bncollege.com with your order number, and we will assist on a case-by-case basis. 

The deadline to return all rental textbooks is the last day of finals. You will receive email reminders about the rental deadline.

Yes, you will still be required to return continuation course textbooks. You will be issued the same title for the next semester of the continuation course.

Yes! Students are offered an option to buy the textbook at the end of the semester. Students would work directly with the bookstore if they wish to purchase.

The rental buyout price is a discounted price based upon the market value of that unique material.

Please contact your bookstore team at (251)460-7012 or sm8260@bncollege.com if you have any questions regarding your course materials.

Digital course materials do not require you to select a delivery preference. Your digital materials will be available in university's LMS (Canvas) by the first day of class. At that time, you will also receive an email about your digital materials.

Please go to customercare.bncollege.com for support with digital materials. 

One of the ways that the JagPack stays affordable for South students is by delivering most physical course materials on a rental basis each semester. That means that those physical books are due back to the Bookstore by the end of finals.

You will receive several reminder e-mails towards the end of term with instructions as to how to return these books to make sure they are checked in properly. These should be returned to the USA Bookstore or via mail. 

The rental period begins the day you pick up the textbook rental and continues until the last day of final exams as shown in your order confirmation. All rented textbooks must be returned to the bookstore in good condition by the Rental Return Due Date. Textbook rentals returned via mail must be postmarked by the Rental Return Date.

Books should be returned to the USA Bookstore.  Keep your rental reminder email handy for faster check-in at the Bookstore.  Please note that you may continue to receive overdue notices until the materials have been received and checked in at the Bookstore.

Yes! Just use the return shipping label available online. You can print it as often as you like but you can only use it once.  So, if you are returning multiple books, please put them in one box and use one shipping label.  You can also just drop off your books at the USA Bookstore.

Simple! The USA Bookstore sends several reminder emails with the details. If you don’t have the email handy, you can log into  southalabama.bncollege.com  to view your recent orders and outstanding books rentals.

Yes! If you decide you want to keep your rental book, you can purchase it at any time during your rental period unless the rental book is identified as a “Rental Only” title which is not available for purchase at any time.

Normal use of highlighting and writing is permitted. The bookstore will use the same standards for determining acceptable condition of rental textbooks that it uses for determining condition of books sold back as used books.

Yes, the bookstore can refuse to accept your rental books if it is not returned in good condition. Good condition will be judged by the bookstore alone and generally means: book spine intact, no excessive damage to cover or contents, all original pages intact, all original components present, and no excessive highlighting, writing or other markings. Normal use highlighting and writing is permitted. If the Bookstore determines your book to be not acceptable for return, you will be responsible to pay for the replacement copy.

You will be responsible to pay the bookstore a replacement fee and the book will be yours to keep.  The Bookstore will accept late returns but there may be a processing fee associated with an overdue book.

You will be charged the replacement cost for any books not returned to the bookstore.

Replacement cost is 75% of the selling price of your book at the time of purchase.

The deadline to return all rental textbooks is the last day of finals. You will receive email reminders about the rental deadline.

Yes, you will still be required to return continuation course textbooks. You will be issued the same title for the next semester of the continuation course.

No, there are no restrictions in the course materials you select for your course. All course materials, from any publisher, in your preferred format are included in the program.

Publishers do not have the ability to provide all the different formats of content that faculty request at the lowest price possible. South has contracted with Barnes & Noble exclusively to provide textbooks on campus.

If a faculty member changes their course material adoption, faculty should notify the bookstore of the new adoption, and the bookstore will work to ensure students receive the corrected course materials. 

The bookstore is committed to helping as they normally do in those situations. We will just work to update the textbook adoption platform with the new materials.

Faculty contribute to the success of the program by submitting course materials selections to the bookstore by the adoption deadline for each semester: on or before April 1st for the fall semester; and on or before October 1st for the spring semester; and on or before February 15th for the summer semester.