Technical College of the Lowcountry is committed to empowering students to achieve academic success by providing timely access to essential learning materials.
TCL Course Ready provides students with access to required textbooks, lab manuals, and access codes for an affordable flat rate of $22.00 per credit hour by the first day of the semester. Students enrolled in the program save an average of 65% on textbooks per semester.
Here is how and when you will receive your textbooks:
- Physical books will begin automatically shipping to students approximately two weeks prior to the semester start date.
- E-books delivered via Blackboard (Bb) will be available to students in the “My Material” link in the Bb Tools menu. Publisher platform content, e.g., MindTap, Pearson, etc. will be available to students once their Bb course opens.
*Non-textbook items required for courses, but not included in the program such as lab kits, uniforms, and other supplies, will need to be ordered on the TCL College Store website using financial aid (FA) or a credit or debit card. Please confirm with your instructor what items are required before purchasing.
HOW IT WORKS
- Register for classes. Prior to each semester students will receive an email with important dates and information about their TCL Course Ready books.
- Book shipments begin. No money exchange is necessary since the book fees ($22.00 per credit hour) are added to your TCL student account at the time of registration. Once registered, the TCL College Store will begin packing and shipping books approximately 2 weeks before the semester begins to the student’s home address (you no longer have to “reserve” your books). An email will be sent to the student’s TCL email address once the package ships.
- Head to the first day of class with the books needed to succeed this semester.
TCL Course Ready Program FAQs
How does TCL Course Ready help students?
It is a program geared to lower textbook costs for students and to ensure that students have their required course materials on the first day of class.
Which students have access to TCL Course Ready?
The program is available to all students.
What is included in the program?
The program provides all required textbooks, lab manuals, access codes and electronic book versions.
What is excluded from the program?
The program does not include consumables such as lab kits, uniforms, and other supplies (these items need to be ordered separately by the student from the TCL College Store website using financial aid or a credit or debit card).
How do I update my address or phone number in Self-Service to ensure my books ship to the correct address?
Log into Self Service and click on your Colleague/Student ID number (upper right corner) then click on User Profile from the drop-down list, Click the “edit” icon on the right to update your phone # or address. After the updates have been made, click on update address or phone # (in bottom right). It will take at least 24 hours for your update to be visible in self-service. Please check your self-service account 24-48 hours later to verify your changes. For questions, email srecords@tcl.edu.
How do I enroll in the program?
All students are automatically enrolled in the TCL Course Ready program.
How do I pay for my textbooks under this program?
A flat-rate fee will be assessed to the student account each semester, in accordance with the published tuition and fees schedule. Students will pay $22.00 per credit hour which will be charged to the student’s account at the time of registration.
Do my textbooks need to be returned to the Bookstore at the end of the term?
No, unless you drop or withdrawal from a course after you have already received physical books. See below.
What happens if I drop a course?
Students dropping a course or withdrawing from the college must return physical books issued through the program within 24 hours of the course drop or college withdrawal.
Can I opt-out of TCL Course Ready?
Students electing to opt-out of the program must do so by the 10th calendar day of the term. If a student elects to opt-out, they are opting out of the entire semester, not course by course. If a student is registered for the 15-week (full term) courses or a combination of the 15, 10 or 7-week courses, they must opt out by the 10th calendar day of the full 15-week term and may not re-enter the program during the semester to which was opted out. If a student registers for only the 10 or 7-week sessions and does so after the start of the full term, they have until the 10th calendar day of these sessions to opt out. Students are required to opt out every semester. Upon receiving official notice that a student wishes to opt-out of the program, the fees will be credited to the student’s account within 30 days.
Start here if you wish to begin the opt out process:
OPT OUT
Can I opt-out if I’ve already received my books?
Yes, students electing to opt-out of the program who have already received their books from the TCL College Store are required to return the books within 24 hours of opting out. Students who fail to do so will be assessed the full cost of each book to their student account.
Start here if you wish to begin the opt out process:
OPT OUT
Policy for Title IV Financial Aid Recipients
In accordance with federal regulations, The Technical College of the Lowcountry has established a policy under which an eligible Title IV financial aid recipient may opt-out of the per credit hour book fee program.
Students electing to opt-out of the program must do so by the 10th calendar day of the term. If a student elects to opt-out, they are opting out of the entire semester, not course by course. If a student is registered for the 15-week (full term) courses or a combination of the 15, 10 or 7-week courses, they must opt out by the 10th calendar day for the full 15-week term and may not re-enter the program during the semester to which was opted out. If a student registers for only the 10 or 7-week sessions and does so after the start of the full term, they have until the 10th calendar day of these sessions to opt out. Students are required to opt out every semester. Upon receiving official notice that a student wishes to opt-out of the program, the fees will be credited to the student’s account within 30 days.
- Students electing to opt-out of the program and have received their books from The TCL College Store through the book program are required to return the books to the TCL College Store within 24 hours. Students failing to do so will be assessed the full cost of each book to their student account.
- Title IV financial aid recipients have the option of purchasing books at their own expense or by using their FA funds in the TCL College Store. It is the responsibility of the student to purchase all required books should they opt-out of the program. They must review the book list on TCL College Store website to ensure purchases made outside of this program are accurate and match the faculty’s up to date book adoption.
- Start here if you wish to begin the opt out process: OPT OUT. Once the opt out process is completed, the TCL College Store is no longer responsible for issuing textbooks to the student.