UCCS is launching the Textbook Affordability and Access Program (TAAP) in fall 2023. Students will be automatically enrolled in the program, which will charge a flat fee of $22 per credit hour for access to all required textbooks, regardless of major.
According to Larry Lee, executive director of Auxiliary Services, TAAP is an equitable access program which strives to make textbooks more affordable for all students.
“This is also an effort to address the rising total cost of education,” Lee said.
According to Lee, the new program will run much smoother than current methods for textbook purchasing and distribution, and it will reduce confusion. “TAAP is going to provide a level of convenience unseen before in the industry, where students receive their materials, be it physical or digital, on or before the first day of class,” Lee said.
Paul Deniston, director of Retail Services for UCCS, explained that students will have the option to “TAAP” out of the program before the census date each semester. However, students must remain entirely in the program or entirely out of it, they cannot TAAP out on a course-by-course basis.
“We will provide a recommendation to the student based on what courses they’ve enrolled in and the cost of those materials, whether it’s financially beneficial for them to stay in the program or to TAAP out,” Deniston said.
According to Deniston, the TAAP portal will be accessible through Canvas, and will offer a mix of digital and physical textbooks. According to the TAAP webpage, the available formats of each book will be selected by the professor.
Students will have the option to pick up physical textbooks or have them delivered. Students who choose to TAAP out of the program can still use the portal to order their textbooks at market value.
The UCCS Bookstore will no longer carry textbooks for purchase but will be a place for students to pick up textbooks ordered through TAAP. The bookstore will still carry non-textbook course materials and continue to sell spirit wear.
Lee and Deniston both emphasized the importance of implementing a program like TAAP. “We are the first in the state of Colorado to implement an equitable access program … By ensuring that students are receiving their course materials as early as possible, we’re going to positively affect academic success,” Lee said.
More information about TAAP can be found on their website. Students with questions about the program can email the bookstore at [email protected] or call them at 719-255-3247.
The Equitable Textbook Access Program will be launched in the 2023 fall semester. Photo by Lillian Davis.