Register for Courses
Once you’ve registered your classes through UR Student the bookstore will get your course list and start preparing your course materials.
University of Rochester
UR Essentials
Providing textbooks for undergraduates
Receive Your Textbooks on Day One!
All University of Rochester undergraduate students can now receive their course textbooks and other select materials, physical or electronic, through UR Essentials.
UR Essentials is a convenient and cost effective textbook rental program that provides undergraduate students with all of their required course materials on or before the first day of class. The program is included in tuition and ensures all students will have the materials they need to be successful at the start of the semester. Physical books are conveniently packaged for students. Digital materials are delivered in Blackboard.
How it Works
Set Up Your Delivery
One month before classes start, you will receive an email instructing you to select your delivery preference (in-store pickup or shipped directly to you).
Pick up Your Materials
An email notification will be sent when your order is ready for pickup or when it ships. Your digital materials will be delivered for your course(s) in UR Student.
Your Guide to UR Essentials
UR Essentials is a textbook rental program that was created to lower the cost of course materials and ensure all students can afford the required materials. There is no cost for students to rent their course materials and all undergraduates are automatically enrolled.
When students register for courses, they will receive either a physical or e-book copy of their materials before the start of classes. Then, at the end of the term, students will receive email reminders to return rented physical course materials to the bookstore.
Enrollment and Eligibility
All University of Rochester undergraduate students are automatically enrolled in UR Essentials, however, students are allowed to opt-out of the program. Please note that fees will not be reduced if a student opts out of the UR Essentials program.
Only undergraduate students are eligible for UR Essentials.
Course Materials
The program provides all required textbooks, e-textbooks, lab manuals, and access codes to eligible students.
Included Materials
The program provides all required textbooks, e-textbooks, lab manuals, and access codes to eligible students.
Excluded Materials
The program does not include consumable course supplies that cannot be returned and reused such as lab goggles, dissection kits, molecular model kits, engineering kits or nursing kits.
Returning Your Materials
The deadline to return all rental textbooks is the last day of final exams for the semester. Students will receive reminders ahead of the rental deadline to their email address.
This deadline applies to all textbooks, even for courses that span more than one semester.
Buying Your Textbook
If you’d like to keep a book you may purchase it for a reduced cost at the end of the rental period.
More About UR Essentials
No need to worry if you missed the email, or plain just forgot to set up your delivery. As long as you didn’t opt out of the program, your materials will be held at the bookstore.
If course materials have been picked up or delivered for the dropped class, those materials should be returned to the bookstore within 48 hours. If you drop a class and enroll in a different class, the bookstore will “swap” the required course materials so that you have what you need.
Students have the option to opt-out of the UR Essentials program each semester during the opt-out window. By opting out, students will not receive their required materials in a convenient package and access to digital content will be removed after the opt-out window closes. Since the program is included in tuition, there is no financial benefit to opting out. Options for purchasing course materials after opting out can be found on the bookstore’s website.
Students who opt out will be responsible for purchasing their required course materials through the bookstore.
Students who choose to opt out after picking up their textbooks will have 48 hours to return their textbooks. If they do not return the textbooks, they will be subject to a replacement and non-return processing fee.
To change your opt-out status and opt into the UR Essentials program, please complete and submit our opt out/opt back in form, or follow the instructions found in the opt-out confirmation email you received after opting-out.
Frequently asked questions
UR Essentials is a course material model that reduces the cost of materials for students and ensures they have all their materials across all courses prior to the first day of class. Instead of purchasing materials a la carte, the cost of renting them will be included in their tuition. The bookstore will provide each student with a convenient package for physical books and digital materials will be delivered directly to the LMS.
UR Essentials makes getting textbooks easier on students, which will ultimately improve their success. Not only will students receive their textbooks by the first day of class, but they will save an average of 35% on textbooks.
The program provides all required textbooks, lab manual, 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 or nursing kits.
One month before classes start, students will receive an email instructing them to select their fulfillment preference (in-store pickup or shipped directly). An email notification will be sent when the students order is ready for pickup or when it ships, and digital materials will be delivered for course(s) within the Blackboard Learning Management System (LMS).
Yes, the program provides students with the option to purchase textbooks at a reduced rate during the return period.
When a student adds/drops a course, students are provided instructions for returning their course materials and will receive new materials for any courses that have been added.
All students in the UR Essentials program using digital materials should be directed to contact Bookstore Customer Care at bookstorecustomercare@bncollege.com for assistance.
The bookstore can accommodate students with accessibility needs.
Faculty Information
UR Essentials is a convenient and cost effective textbook rental program that provides undergraduate students with all of their required course materials on or before the first day of class. The program is included in tuition and ensures all student will have the materials they need to be successful at the start of the semester. Physical books are conveniently packaged for students. Digital materials are delivered in Blackboard.
- Equitable, cost-effective solution supports student success by ensuring students have needed materials when classes start.
- UR Essentials is a course material model that reduces the cost of materials for students and ensures they have all their materials across all courses prior to the first day of class. Instead of purchasing materials a la carte, the cost will be covered by their tuition. The bookstore will provide each student with a convenient package for physical books and digital materials will be delivered directly to the LMS.
- The program provides all required textbooks, lab manuals, access codes and digital textbook versions to eligible students.
- Faculty maintain full academic freedom and select the best materials in the best format for their courses. All course materials, from any publisher are included in the program.
- Faculty submit their course material selections into the bookstore by the adoption deadline, May 15th for the Fall Semester, which is similar to current bookstore timelines.
Faculty FAQs
Faculty contribute to the success of the program by submitting their course material selections into the bookstore by the adoption deadline.
Faculty can find low-cost or no-cost affordability solutions, recommended in line with relevant courses if there are no OER campus restrictions with course materials for their course.
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.
If a faculty member changes their course material adoption, faculty should notify the bookstore of the new adoption, and the bookstore will ensure that students receive the corrected course materials.
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.
BNC is committed to lowering the costs of course material to our students, and with their integrated supply chain and economies of scale, the UR Essentials program brings a new innovative way to provide the most affordable solution for our students.
Questions?
Bookstore
1305 MT. Hope Avenue
Rochester, NY 14620
(585) 275-4012
Technical Assistance
University IT Help Desk
(585) 275-2000
univithelp@rochester.edu
E-Books
Call the Customer Care Team at 1-844-9-EBOOKS (1-844-932-6657).