Ball State First Day

Textbook and Course Material Program

Ball State First Day Materials

Ball State First Day partners with Barnes & Noble College and the Ball State Bookstore to provide students with all required course material (print and digital). The program is convenient and provides affordable options to support student success—ensuring every undergraduate and graduate student is prepared for the first day of class and has the required materials. 

The Ball State First Day program is applied to all required course material selected by instructors for one flat rate per credit hour.

Ball State First Day Pricing per semester

$341.25

(Based on 15 credit hours—$22.75 a credit hour or you can opt out)

Frequently Asked Questions
Student FAQs

Ball State First Day offers discounted, low-priced course materials on the first day of class. All required course materials (print and digital) are selected by instructors for one flat rate by credit hour and billed to the students’ account. The program is applied to all courses registered by semester. All undergraduate and graduate students are automatically enrolled upon class registration.

Physical books are conveniently packaged and provided to students on a rental basis, and access to digital material is directly within Canvas. At the end of the term, students will receive email reminders to return rented physical course materials to the bookstore.

Ball State First Day includes textbooks, lab manuals, e-books, and online learning tools (e.g., MyLab, WebAssign, Connect, WileyPLUS).

There are no upfront costs at the start of term. Ball State First Day charges will be added to your eBill to ensure a seamless one-stop process for billing and receipt of course materials by the first day of class. Ball State First Day’s cost is $22.75 per credit hour or $341.25 per 15 credit hours. You also have the option to opt out of the program.

Financial aid first pays your mandatory institutional charges such as tuition and fees. If you have enough aid to cover your institutional charges and your costs for course materials, financial aid may cover those costs.

Some financial aid is restricted and can only pay tuition and fees or room and board. In those cases, those funds cannot cover course materials. Please check your student account for details when available.

  • Register for your classes, and the Ball State Bookstore will start preparing your course materials.
  • 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).
  • An email notification will be sent when your order is ready for pickup or when it ships.
  • Your digital materials for your course will be delivered within Canvas.

The Ball State First Day charge will be added to your eBill to ensure a seamless one-stop process for billing and receipt of course materials by the first day of class. Ball State First Day’s cost is $22.75 per credit hour or $341.25 per 15 credit hours. You also have the option to opt out of the program.

Financial aid is first applied to your institutional charges, such as tuition and fees. If you have sufficient aid to cover these charges as well as your course materials, financial aid may also cover those costs.

Some financial aid is restricted and can only be used for tuition, fees, or room and board. In these cases, those funds cannot be applied to course materials. Please check your student account for specific details.

One month before classes start, you will receive an email instructing you to select your materials and delivery preference (in-store pickup or shipped directly to you). 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) within the LMS.

Learn more about how to access your materials.


The program provides all required textbooks, eTextbooks, lab manuals, e-books, and online learning tools (e.g., MyLab, WebAssign, Connect, WileyPLUS).
The program does not include consumable course supplies that cannot be returned and reused, such as lab goggles, dissection kits, molecular model kits, and nursing kits.

Mac or PC Operating Systems

  • Windows 7 or newer
  • OS X 10.10 (Mountain Lion) or newer

Mobile Devices

  • Android 5.0 (Lollipop) or newer
  • iOS 11 or newer

Browsers

  • Chrome (stable channel)
  • Firefox (release channel)
  • Microsoft Edge (stable channel)
  • Safari 11+
  • Opera (stable channel)
  • Mobile Safari (stable Channel)
  • Chrome for Android (stable channel)

You can access your digital interactive courseware directly from your course in Canvas. Before you start, be sure your popup blocker is turned off and your cookies are enabled.

Location of the embedded course material can vary based on the publisher or type of material, and on where your professor chooses to place the link. Your courseware may be accessed from the “Course Materials” link on the left or could be easily visible elsewhere in the left-hand navigation (i.e., McGraw Hill Connect). It could also be located within a section of the course, such as “Tools,” “Assignments,” “Content,” or “Modules.”

Contact your professor for assistance in finding the course material within your course.

Learn more about how to access your materials.


If you purchase a rental eBook, you will have access to the material for the rental duration.

If you purchase an eBook with perpetual access or a rental longer than one year, online access via the web reader is only available for one year from the date of purchase.

You can continue to access your content by downloading the Windows, Mac, iOS, or Android apps. This will allow you to download the content for offline use and you will have access to it perpetually.


All eligible students will be automatically enrolled in the Ball State First Day program with the option to opt out.

Please be advised it is not recommended that you opt out, as these materials are required by your professor to complete the course. Should you choose to opt out, you will be responsible for purchasing your course materials at the opt-out price and may have to work outside of the e-learning platform.

If you drop the course before the deadline noted on your course materials, your access to the materials will be removed. If you were previously charged, your account will be adjusted according to Ball State billing policies.

While Ball State First Day provides convenient and affordable access to all required course materials, students have the option to opt out of this program each semester. This option will be available to all students prior to the beginning of the Fall, Spring, and Summer terms.

The opt-out period opens the same week fees are due and closes on the day the Add/Drop period ends. The fee due date and the Add/Drop deadlines for each term can be found on the Academic Calendar.

Fall semester 2025 course material selection begins July 21, 2025 at 12 a.m. The Ball State First Day opt out window is July 28, 2025, at 12 a.m. to August 24, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.

If you have opted out, you can purchase the material from the Ball State Bookstore or elsewhere. You can also visit your bookstore in person. For help purchasing once you've opted out, please contact your bookstore directly.

To change your status and opt into the Ball State First Day program, please follow the link found in your opt-out confirmation email which is only active through the end of a term’s Add/Drop period.

Remember the link only works when an opt out or in period is open. Please note you must make your final selection by the end of the Add/Drop period for the term. 

You can only opt out of the inclusive access program through the deadline listed on the “Course Materials” page in Canvas. After this deadline, you can no longer opt out.

You can opt in again up through that deadline as well. If you see opt in as an option on the “Course Materials” page, you can opt in again. Once the deadline has passed, this option will be removed, and you will no longer be able to opt in or opt out.

While the deadline for opting out is strict, if you accidentally opted out and want to opt in again, you may have some more time. Please contact the Ball State Bookstore manager for assistance.


If you continue to receive the error message, please contact Ball State Bookstore and send a screenshot of your issue.


Ball State First Day is a course material model that reduces the cost of materials for undergraduate and graduate students and ensures they have all their materials across all courses on the first day of class. All required course materials (print and digital) are selected by instructors for one flat rate by credit hour and billed to the students’ account. The program is applied to all courses registered by semester. All students are automatically enrolled upon class registration.

Ball State First Day includes required textbooks, lab manuals, e-books, and online learning tools (e.g., MyLab, WebAssign, Connect, WileyPLUS).

There is no change in the faculty ordering process through the (Adoption & Insights Portal AIP). Faculty have full academic freedom to choose their materials.

There are no upfront student costs at the start of term.


There are no restrictions to the course materials you select for your course. All course materials from any publisher in your preferred format are included in the program. The ordering process through the Adoption & Insights Portal (AIP) is the same.

Ball State First Day makes getting textbooks easier for students, ultimately improving their chances for success. Not only will students receive their textbooks by the first day of class, but they will also save an average of 35–50% on textbook costs.

Obtaining the course materials is easy. Approximately one month before classes start, students will receive an email instructing them to select their fulfillment preference (in-store pickup or direct shipment). A second email notification will be sent when the student’s order is ready for pickup or when it ships. Any digital materials delivered with Canvas will be available when the student has access to their course.

There are no upfront costs at the start of term. Ball State First Day charges will be added to their eBill to ensure a seamless one-stop process for billing and receipt of course materials by the first day of class. Ball State First Day’s cost is $22.75 per credit hour or $341.25 per 15 credit hours. You also have the option to opt out of the program.

Faculty contribute to the program's success by submitting their course material selections to the Ball State Bookstore before the deadline each semester.
The program provides the faculty-selected version of all required textbooks, lab manuals, access codes, and digital materials to eligible students.
The program does not include consumables that cannot be returned and reused such as lab goggles, dissection kits, molecular model kits, or nursing kits.

All undergraduate and graduate students are automatically enrolled into the program with the option to opt out if they choose. If a student decides to opt out, they will need to purchase their course materials at the opt-out price and may need to access them outside of the e-learning platform.

Faculty should notify the Ball State Bookstore if course materials change. The bookstore will ensure that students receive the correct course materials.
The Ball State Bookstore is committed to helping as it normally does in those situations. The bookstore staff will work to update the textbook adoption platform with the new materials.
When a student’s course schedule changes, instructions are provided for returning course materials. The student will be prompted via email to select a delivery preference for any new courses.
Digital Interactive course materials and eBooks are compatible formats for the program and provide the greatest cost savings.
Barnes & Noble College’s research with our students has shown that 49% of students attend the first day of class without their course material. Ball State First Day ensures all students who do not opt out have access at the same time.

Yes, below is sample language that can be used in the syllabus to inform students about their course materials.

This course is part of our course material delivery program, Ball State First Day. The bookstore will provide each student with a convenient package containing all required physical books and any digital materials will be integrated into Canvas for this course.

You should have received an email from the bookstore confirming materials provided for each of your courses and asking you to select how you would like to receive any printed components (in-store pick up or home delivery). If you haven't done so already, please confirm your fulfillment preference so the bookstore can prepare your materials. Students who do not want to participate in the First Day program may choose to opt out.

To access your digital materials within Canvas
Delivery Method Direction
eBook Select the “Course Materials” link
Courseware – SSO Partner Integration Select the “Course Materials” link
Courseware – Access Code Reveal Reveal the access code in the “Course Materials” link and redeem the code at the link provided on that page,
or in the publisher’s integration in Canvas
Courseware – Publisher Direct Select the publisher’s link in your course
Yes, instructors are given complimentary access to the course materials based on their role in Canvas. Instructors will not be billed or included on the invoice.
All students in the Ball State First Day program using digital materials should be directed to contact Bookstore Customer Care at Ball State Bookstore for assistance.