Launching Fall 2025, the Utah Day 1 Books Access Program is a bold new initiative designed to give undergraduate students access to all digital and print required course materials on the first day of class—for a predictable single charge of $259 per semester.

Unlocking affordability and academic success

This university-wide effort, a key component of the University of Utah’s broader Navigate U commitment to student success, enhances affordability, academic preparedness and sustainability. The program removes barriers to essential course content, ensuring all students begin each term equipped with the materials they need to succeed.

The cost of textbooks can be a significant burden for students. On average, students in similar “day one access” programs save between 50% and 80% on their course materials. The typical cost of textbooks is $628 per semester. Utah Day 1 Books Access reduces that cost to $259, saving on average $369 every single semester! The $259 flat rate is the same no matter what degree program undergraduate students are in. Since 2018, the University’s Instant Access program, the predecessor to Utah Day 1, has already saved students more than $9.17 million. Utah Day 1 builds on that success with greater scale and anticipated impact.

A collaborative campus effort

This low single charge is made possible by strong collaboration between the Campus Store and the J. Willard Marriott Library. The University of Utah is committed to leveraging vendor and publisher relationships to facilitate student success goals and maintain the lowest possible cost of course materials for students. This unique campus partnership utilizes existing multi-use licenses and Open Educational Resources to ensure the flat-rate textbook charge to students is as low as possible. The library commits to licensing all available course materials assigned Utah Day 1 content through existing subscriptions to provide as much required content as possible without incurring additional costs to students. Under Utah Day 1, library-provided assigned electronic resources are made available in Canvas, where they can be accessed by students.

The library also continues to offer print Course Reserve options and Fair Use digitization services for University of Utah courses through the Course Materials interface in Canvas. The Library’s Open Reserve Collection is accessible on Level 3 whenever the library is open.

A proven path to improved outcomes

More than just a cost-saving measure, Utah Day 1 Books Access represents significant headway in addressing persistent challenges in higher education, such as improving student retention, accelerating time to graduation and reducing equity gaps in access to course content. Research confirms the impact that students in day one access programs are more likely to earn higher grades and complete their courses at significantly higher rates.

Universities across the country that have transitioned to similar programs are seeing:

• Grade improvement: 10% of students have improved their grade in a course by a full letter grade.
• Increased course completion: Students utilizing these programs demonstrate higher course completion rates by 15.6%. This means more students are staying on track and achieving their academic goals.
• Increased student retention: Students who had access to their required course materials by the first day of class were 14.1% more likely to remain in school.

The Utah Day 1 Books Access Program delivers all required digital and print materials directly to students by the first day of class, ensuring they’re ready to go from the very first lecture. Explore more about the Utah Day 1 Access Program here.