Skip to main content
  • Home
  • /
  • Digital Course Material

USC Academic Resource Center Digital Course Materials Program

USC is excited to introduce the Digital Course Materials Program, coming to our campus in Fall 2025! This program will provide all USC students with their required course materials at an affordable price.

How does the Program work?

The Digital Course Materials Program takes the hassle out of getting course materials by providing students with convenient access to their required materials for the lowest price available. USC has an opt-out model and includes both digital and physical materials, as adopted by individual Professors.

USC Bookstore negotiates required material prices with publishers down to the lowest price available. They then ensure all required digital and physical materials are available, as applicable.

USC undergraduate students enrolled in undergraduate courses are automatically enrolled in the program, and students who are not interested in the material savings can opt-out of the program each term with no penalty. Students who opt-out of the program are responsible for finding and purchasing their own required materials.


Frequently Asked Questions

Program Overview & Benefits

This program applies to any student with undergraduate status who is enrolled in undergraduate courses. Note: Study abroad courses are not included in the program. Students enrolled in these courses must purchase those required materials independently.

Faculty are notified when they adopt materials, and Undergraduate students are notified during course registration and/or from Advise USC communications. Faculty can expect communication on how to submit course materials and submission deadlines. Students will receive essential program details—including deadlines, fees, and opt-out instructions—via their @usc.edu email. Students can expect emails about program information, digital course materials access, and physical material pick-up.

Both students and instructors will benefit from this program through:

  • Convenient Access: Required materials are available digitally in Brightspace or for pickup at the USC Bookstore, as applicable.
  • Cost Savings: Program pricing is up to 60% less than buying required materials individually.
  • Simplified Management: Easy access and organization of digital course materials.
  • Reduced Stress: Students avoid the hassle of searching for and purchasing materials on their own.
  • Enhanced Learning Tools: Digital platforms include features like highlighting, flash cards, and note-sharing to support academic success.
  • Timely Access: Faculty can start teaching right away since students will have timely access to the required materials.
  • Academic Freedom: Supports academic freedom, excellence, and equity by facilitating unrestricted access to a selection of materials and publishers.

No. Faculty still retain full academic freedom and can choose the materials used in their courses.

Costs & Materials

Yes! Students can save up to 60% off the original price thanks to USC Bookstore’s relationships with publishing partners and bulk purchasing power. The program also reduces student stress during the purchasing process and provides a method to easily access, manage and use all course materials regardless of format or cost.

The program cost is $292.00 per semester for the fall and spring semesters, and $149.50 for the summer term.

Depending on the classes and the course materials required, students may receive a combination of required digital course materials, physical textbooks, printed lab manuals, or workbooks.

Only required digital and/or physical materials are included in the Digital Course Materials Program. For suggested and additional recommended materials, you can order these materials independently online or visit the USC Bookstore where our experts will be happy to assist you.

Required: it is necessary for the course.

Recommended: the instructor has suggested an item that may be helpful.

Only materials identified by the faculty as “required” are included in the program. All “recommended” materials may be available for purchase separately at USC Bookstore.

Required physical materials can be kept by the student at the end of each term and does not have to be returned. Digital materials can be accessed for a minimum of 180 days and may be available for longer period of time based on the material adopted and the publisher's terms.

Please submit required course material selections for Fall 2025 by emailing the USC Academic Resource Center at bksarc@usc.edu. Timely submission enables your course materials team to obtain resources, set up courseware with publishers, and order physical materials for the USC Digital Course Materials Program. Beginning Spring 2026, you will receive information on the new process for course submission.

To add publisher materials please leverage the publisher specific help guides for complete instructions:

Digital Course Materials:


Kortext: You can access digital materials from Kortext through "My Materials" under the "Course Tools" tab. You do not need to create a separate account. If you experience issues, follow troubleshooting instructions provided via email by Kortext.


BryteWave/Redshelf: You can access digital materials from BryteWave/Redshelf through "My Materials" under the "Course Tools" tab. You do not need to create a separate account. If you experience issues, follow troubleshooting instructions provided via email by BryteWave/Redshelf.


Publisher Materials: You can access publisher materials through the “My Materials" under the "Course Tools" tab. If you need assistance with adding publisher materials to your course, please leverage the publisher specific help guides for complete instructions:


Physical Course Materials:


Physical Textbooks: You can pick up physical materials at the bookstore. Instructors will receive an email from Follett/the USC Academic Resource Center with instructions on how to collect their course materials.

Carboard Access Codes: Access codes are provided by the publisher and redeemed online to access course materials. Instructors will receive an email from Follett/the USC Academic Resource Center with instructions on how to pick up their access codes.

Yes, instructors can change course materials after submitting them. However, we encourage submitting course materials changes as early as possible. Timely submission allows the course materials team to secure resources, coordinate with publishers, and order physical materials for the USC Digital Course Materials Program. Please note that late changes or submissions may delay access to course materials, as sourcing can take up to six weeks.

Teaching Assistants do not have access to the required course materials. Teaching assistants should work with their instructor to secure course materials.

You may see "Accounting for Colonialism" available in RedShelf for your course due to a system error. Program partners are aware of this issue and are actively working on a solution.

Access & Enrollment

Once the student registers for their courses, the student is automatically enrolled in the Digital Course Materials Program and USC Bookstore will get all their required materials for that course ready for them! Students will receive confirmation emails to their @usc.edu emails sharing details to access their digital materials, as applicable. If the student has physical materials, USC Bookstore will communicate with them when they can pick up these materials, as applicable.Students who are receiving physical materials can choose to have those materials shipped directly to them. To add shipping, students can follow this demo video.

Students will find this information in the emails, as applicable:

  • Important Information Regarding your Course Materials for the Upcoming Term | Faculty & Students
  • Your Order is Ready for Pick-Up | Students with physical materials and no added shipping

If a student adds or drops a course, that information is automatically transmitted to USC Bookstore.

  • Added courses: Within 24 hours of adding a course, students will receive an email at their school email address with details to access their digital materials and/or if their materials are already provisioned digitally. If the course requires physical materials, students will receive an email to their school email address letting them know when the new print materials are ready for pick-up.
  • Dropped courses: For courses dropped prior to the last day to drop/add/opt-out, access to electronic or digital materials will be automatically disabled. If the course requires physical materials, they must be returned to the USC Bookstore unless otherwise stated.

All students are automatically enrolled in the program each term once they register for their courses. Students who have no required materials for any course in which they are enrolled, are automatically opted out of the program. Students may choose to opt-out and remove themselves from the program before the opt-out deadline for a full refund. If a student opts-out, they are then responsible for finding/purchasing their required materials independently. Students must take action to opt-out of the program each term. There is no penalty for opting out. You can access detailed instructions on how to opt-out here.Note: The opt-out link will direct you to the Follett opt-out website. This site is managed by our Follett partners supporting the Digital Course Materials Program for USC.

If the opt-out/opt-in period has not ended, students can opt back in/out by going to the opt-out portal and choosing “opt-in”/”opt-out”. They can login to the opt-out portal by clicking an opt-out link provided by the school or by checking their school email for the link to the opt-out portal. You can access detailed instructions on how to opt-out here.

Students can access required digital course materials through the My Materials link on Brightspace. For physical course materials, students will get an email sent to their school address with instructions on how to pick up their items.

Students will begin receiving access to materials on August 11 for Fall 2025. As instructors submit course materials, students will receive access to digital materials and/or instructions on how to pick up physical course materials from the bookstore following their enrollment into a course.

If you do not receive an email about your course materials, you should contact Customer Support Center to inquire about the status of your materials and request further assistance.

No, you do not need to create separate accounts. Please use the "My Materials" under the "Course Tools" tab in Brightspace to access your courseware. This ensures you are properly signed in and prevents duplicate accounts.

Support & Other Questions

Students participating in the program will have their required digital materials available directly in the campus’ LMS. Students will receive emails from no-reply@kortext.com with instructions and details on accessing their materials. For any technical issues and additional support, students can email support-us@kortext.com.

For self-help articles and resources, visit the Kortext help site.

If you need more assistance, you can find additional resources, support articles, and self-help tools, visit our customer support page here: Customer Support Center and enter University of Southern California into the “Choose Your School” bar. You can use our friendly chatbot in the bottom right of the page to be guided through tools for your specific questions. Alternatively, you can visit the USC Bookstore and speak to our knowledgeable staff.

You have your course materials. What’s next? USC Bookstore has the best selection of officially licensed campus gear around. We are ready to outfit you head to toe, with school spirit. Visit USC Bookstore to grab all your spirit items, supplies and technology and meet your friendly USC Bookstore staff who are a knowledgeable resource to help you throughout the term.

The USC Digital Courses Materials Program partners with Follett, who is committed to ensuring that websites, products, and services are accessible to all—regardless of ability. They partner with experienced accessibility consultants to conduct regular website audits and provide recommendations to meet the nationally recognized World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA. Read more about USC and eFollett commitment to accessibility.