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NCMC Course Material Access Program

Inclusive Access to Your Course Materials – Simplified, Affordable, Ready on Day One

At North Central Michigan College (NCMC), we believe every student deserves equal access to the tools needed for success. That’s why we’re launching the NCMC Course Material Access Program in fall 2025– a new initiative designed to ensure all students have access to required course materials from the very first day of class. This is a pilot program with specific courses for the fall 2025.

What is the Course Material Access Program?

The NCMC Course Material Access Program, also known as “Inclusive Access,” is a cost-effective, all-in-one solution that provides digital access to required textbooks and course materials. Instead of purchasing books separately, the cost is included as part of your course registration – making it easier than ever to be prepared for class.

How It Works

  • Automatic Access: Once you register for a participating course, your required digital materials are available to you through our learning management system.
  • Day-One Readiness: No waiting in line, no shipping delays. You’ll have what you need to start learning from day one. The course materials will be found in your Brightspace course shell.
  • Affordable Pricing: The program is designed to lower the overall cost of materials by negotiating with publishers for discounted rates.
  • Seamless Billing: The cost of course materials is conveniently added to your tuition and fees, streamlining the process and avoiding surprise expenses.

Why Inclusive Access Matters

  • Equity: Every student gets access, regardless of financial situation or textbook availability.
  • Convenience: Materials are delivered digitally—no need to shop around or compare prices.
  • Success-Oriented: Early and consistent access to learning materials improves outcomes and reduces stress.

Opt-Out Option

We understand that flexibility is important. Students who prefer to source their materials independently can opt out of the program before the deadline each semester. Details on how to opt out are found in the FAQ’s.

FAQ's

Your course materials will be accessed from inside the course shell on day one of your class. You can opt-out or opt back in during the drop-add period. Your student account will be charged for the course materials. You can save 20-60% on required course materials through this program.

Your faculty can choose to participate in Inclusive Access for all or some of their courses. Participating in the Access program ensures that students will have all required course materials on day one of class, for a percentage of the original cost. If your faculty are not currently in the program, suggest moving to Inclusive Access to save you and your classmates money!

Required materials are supplied at the beginning of each term. The materials will be accessible on, the first day of class through Brightspace course shell.

Once you register for your courses, the bookstore will get everything ready for your Inclusive Access courses! You will receive confirmation emails sharing details to access digital materials in the learning management system.

At the point of registration, your course will be marked as ‘Access’. You will also receive an email notification 30-days prior to class start.

There are many benefits to students, including:

  • 20-60% lower than equivalent pricing for course materials.
  • Deferred student billing direct to student accounts.
  • Course materials available online on day one with no waiting in line with heavy books.
  • Digital platforms offer key features such as: highlighting, flash cards & note-sharing, leading to greater success in the course.
  • Reduced stress related to finding and purchasing the correct course materials.

Yes! The price varies depending upon the content chosen by the instructor. But Inclusive Access prices are lower than the cost of purchasing access direct from the publisher, and an average of 20-60% below the cost of a new material.

The access charge will be billed directly to your student account.

Digital materials are available in Inclusive Access programs and can be eBook or courseware materials.

Digital materials can be accessed for a minimum of 180 days (about 6 months) and may be available for longer periods based on the material adopted and the publisher's terms.

Only materials identified by the professor as “required” are included. All “recommended” materials will be available for purchase separately at the bookstore.

While all students are automatically enrolled in the Access program, you may choose to opt-out and find/purchase your course materials independently.

All students are automatically enrolled in Inclusive Access. However, you may opt-out of the program during specified opt-out periods.  For the fall 2025 opt out opens on 8/19/2025 and closes on 9/8/2025.  If you opt out it is then your responsible for finding and purchasing the required course materials independently. The link to opt out will be forwarded to you in August.  

For all other questions, contact your campus store at www.bookstore.com/ncmichstore or 231-348-6606 for information on how to opt out.

If the opt-out period has not ended, you can opt back in by going to the opt-out portal and choosing “Opt-In”. You can login to the opt-out portal by clicking an opt-out link provided by the school or by checking your school email address for the link to the opt-out portal.

If you add or drop a course, that information is automatically transmitted to the bookstore.

Added courses: Within 24 hours of adding a course, you will receive an email at your school email address with details to access your digital materials and/or materials are provisioned directly into Brightspace.  
Dropped courses: For courses dropped prior to the last day to drop/add/opt-out deadline, access to electronic or digital materials will be automatically disabled.

For digital material, the length of access is dependent on those specific materials. You should contact the bookstore for more information.

Any additional questions, please contact the College Bookstore team at www.bkstr.com/ncmichstore/ or 231-348-6606.