Tagged - Getting Textbooks

UR Essentials: student aid or money grab?

From a business perspective, UR Essentials is a gold mine: funnel every student through the bookstore, guarantee revenue, and drive foot traffic for additional sales. But from a student’s perspective, it’s forced consumption with no added value.

Opinions split on UR Essentials, UR’s new textbook program

So far, the pilot semester has produced clear benefits for many: students who would otherwise struggle to afford materials instead received them without added cost, and the program reduced guesswork about editions and access codes. But the rollout also exposed operational weaknesses.

UR Essentials to provide textbooks for free

Undergraduate students will be automatically enrolled in the program, though they can choose to opt out. Opting out will not reduce fees, as the cost of the program is wrapped into tuition.

New trend: NOT pirating textbooks

However, there is one skill that no one can live without: using slightly-maybe-not-so-legal illegal means of obtaining materials necessary for class.