Flat-rate book fee begins Fall 2025

The bookstore/fan shop in the basement of the Janzow Campus Center.

Photo credit: Bailey Mooney

By Nora Betts

Managing Editor

This article is featured in the February print edition of the Sower newspaper. 

Students are taking a wait- and-see attitude about a new bookstore contract for next fall that will implement a flat-rate book fee based on credit hours requiring textbooks.

Concordia’s Chief Operating Officer Kim Boyce said the flat-rate book fee will be $18 to $25 per credit hour. If a course does not require a textbook, those credit hours will not be charged the fee. Students can opt in or out of the book fee through their student account per semester, but not per class.

The change is happening now since Concordia’s current contract with the bookstore company Follett will expire in May. The new five-year contract with the company Akademos is pending final approval, but Boyce said the administration plans to implement the new textbook model in the coming fall semester.

Students said their decisions to opt in or out of the equitable access model will depend largely on the cost of their textbooks in a given semester.

“If I can afford my books on my own through Amazon or something, then I’ll do that, and if it’s cheaper to opt in then I’ll opt in. That’s kind of the point,” said junior psychology major David Claridge. “Saving money is good. That’s the short answer.”

Under the new model, students will receive textbooks for all their classes in a bundle before the semester starts, which Boyce said can reduce the stress of book-buying.

“There will be a bundle that will be delivered here to our bookstore that will say [your name] and it has all the books in one bundle for that particular semester,” Boyce said. “So you don’t have to worry about, ‘Did I get all my books?’”

Junior music education major Grace Donnelly said convenience is a significant factor in buying textbooks. She said the guarantee of having every book in one bundle could influence students to opt in.

“Sometimes it seems like we get to the semester and we’re like, ‘Shoot, we forgot to order our books’ or ‘we can’t get it in time,’” Donnelly said. “Not having to worry about that is definitely a nice idea.”

Students opting into the model will get physical or digital copies of their books, which become their personal property. Students opting out are not charged the book fee but must find textbooks through alternative vendors, since the bookstore will only offer whole-semester book bundles and will not sell individual textbooks.

Freshman secondary education major Jolie Dittman said she spent around $200 on books in her first semester and $300 in her second semester. She said opting in or out “would be a semester-by-semester decision based on the cost of my materials.”

“If my materials were below the flat rate per credit hour then I would purchase elsewhere,” said Dittman.

Senior Katelyn Smith is majoring in business administration with a concentration in leadership and a minor in psychology. She spends around $50-150 on textbooks per semester, depending on the classes. Although she will graduate before the textbook model is implemented, she said she usually does not get her books through the bookstore.

“Most of the textbooks I purchase are online through other resources like Amazon, or e-textbooks, and not through the bookstore,” Smith said.

Claridge said the new model gives students the opportunity to make good financial decisions, whether that means opting in or opting out. He said he spends an average of $400 on textbooks per semester, meaning that a flat-rate book fee might save him money.

Donnelly said that owning textbooks is a good investment for your college major and in the long run.

“I do think it’s important, especially for your core major classes. It’s a good investment to buy the textbook because that’s an investment into your education and you will always have that resource,” Donnelly said. “It’s easy to complain about price, but it’s also important and part of why we’re here.”

The new bookstore contract also will give Concordia control of the “fan shop,” which sells apparel and gifts in the basement of the Janzow Campus Center. All fan shop workers will be employed by Concordia instead of by a private bookstore company, like with the current contract with Follett.

Boyce said Concordia will have creative freedom to develop whatever merchandise they want, including the potential for student-made designs.

Donnelly said it is exciting to have more student-worker jobs, plus the possibility for students to design store merchandise.

“[I like the] idea of student involvement in potentially helping create things to put in the bookstore, especially if it’s related to what your major is,” she said. “Being able to use that and to bring things to your immediate campus community can be a really cool, creative opportunity as well as a way to serve your community.”