How does it work?
Before the first day of class, students will receive all required physical and digital course materials without placing individual orders.
All full and part-time undergraduate students are automatically enrolled in the STAY Textbook Program each Fall and Spring term with the option to opt out. Each student will have a personalized value sheet within their portal; they will then be able to make an informed decision to STAY or opt out. When opting out, it is all or nothing. Students either opt out entirely or STAY in for all courses. Students can opt out and opt back in until the drop/add date.
The STAY Textbook Program for Fall 2026/Spring 2027 is calculated at $23 per credit hour.
What actions do students need to take?
1. Log into the website before every major term to see what materials you will receive. This is especially important so that you know which of your items are physical and which are digital.
2. Pick up any physical materials at the Spartan Store. (You will be notified when to pick up)
3. Digital course material access information is available in My Library or My Courses, once you’ve logged in to the online bookstore
4. Please refer to your tuition statement to ensure timely payment.
You do not need to take any actions to ensure that your materials are delivered. The online bookstore will know what materials you need and deliver physical items to campus while digital course material access information is available in My Library or My Courses, once you’ve logged in to the online bookstore.
Benefits of STAY
STAY reduces complexities and confusion by streamlining access to course materials, helping you focus on your studies.
Access for All
STAY advocates for educational equity, guaranteeing universal access to required materials. STAY ensures that all students, regardless of their chosen degree, incur the same charges for required materials.
Timely Material Access
Experience the convenience of having all required course materials ready for pick-up from the Spartan Store on or before the first day of class, eliminating delays or uncertainties. *Dependent on faculty selection and availability.
Academic Enhancement
Improve your academic performance with on-time, readily available course materials, potentially leading to early class engagement, higher grades, increased course completion, and higher graduation rates.
Fiscal Convenience
The STAY Textbook Program charge is conveniently placed on your tuition statement and not payable until billed by the Business Office. This means that any aid, scholarships or grants can be applied towards this.
Seamless Integration
Benefit from an integrated system that seamlessly connects digital materials through Canvas, enhancing your ability to access and reference course content.
Dedicated Support
Rely on our Learner Experience team, available year-round, 24/7 support during the back-to-school season to assist you whenever needed.
Questions?
For questions regarding the STAY Textbook Program, connect with the York College Spartan Store at spartanstore@ycp.edu
Q. What is the STAY Textbook Program/Total Access?
A. YCP’s course material program STAY, Spartan Textbook Access at York, is administered through the York College Online Bookstore and provides all undergraduate students with all of their required course materials on the first day of class at one affordable price.
Q. Where can I find one list with everything I need for the term?
A. Visit the website at ycp.vitalsource.com and log into the website with your MyYCP account. Your "Student Homepage" will appear, which will list all of the courses that you are registered for, plus all of the materials that you will receive.
Q. Is this a campus-wide program?
A. No. The online bookstore supports many models including institution-wide or a combination of student choice and textbooks that are included in school costs. At YCP, undergraduates follow the included textbooks format while graduate students follow a model where students make their own choice on textbooks.
Q. Does this cover all terms?
A. No, only Fall and Spring terms are included in the STAY Textbook Program. Students taking summer term courses will be a combination of student choice and Inclusive Access.
Q. Can I choose not to participate and order books from someplace else?
A. Yes. You can choose to opt out if you like, though we strongly encourage everyone to take advantage of this program because it offers discounted course materials with the advantage of being ready for your classes on the first day. To opt out, visit the online bookstore website and log in with your MyYCP account. Please note, you will be responsible for obtaining your own course materials and must return any materials that have already been sent to you.
Q. Can I change my mind to opt out?
A. Yes, if you do opt out, you have until the drop/add date to opt back into the program. Please note that if you do opt back after initially opting out, any physical materials may be delayed being delivered to campus.
Q. Do I have to verify my order before it is delivered?
A. No, the bookstore will send a confirmation email so that you know what materials you will be receiving, but you do not need to take any action to ensure the materials are delivered.
Q. Are the course materials associated with my courses physical or digital?
A. This program provides a mix of physical and digital texts and often depends on faculty choice and availability. You can log into your bookstore account to see which items are physical and which are digital. We encourage faculty to adopt as much digital as possible to help keep overall costs as low as possible.
Q. What course materials are NOT included in STAY?
A. Art kits, art supplies, goggles, nursing scrubs and supplies. These can be purchased from the Spartan Store directly. Any materials like these will be noted in the Course Notes section of each course.
Q. Do I need to return physical books at the end of the term?
A. No, you will own the textbooks at the end of the term. For digital course materials, you may have time limits on how long you can access them. You can review expiration dates in the online bookstore.
Q. What happens if I add/drop a class?
A. Adding a class: The bookstore will continually check for new enrollments in classes up until the drop/add date, so any new materials that are needed will continue to be processed. To check the delivery status, visit your bookstore account and click “Track.”
Dropping a class: If physical items were delivered to you, you will receive an email with return instructions. You must return your physical course materials back to the Spartan Store within 10 days of the drop/add date. Failure to return physical course materials will result in the current retail price for the unreturned item(s) being placed on your student account for payment. Digital materials will be automatically removed. For digital course materials that have not been accessed, codes will be deactivated and you will no longer have access to the materials. If you have already accessed digital course materials for dropped courses, please contact the online bookstore for further instructions.
Q. Where do I pick up my physical books?
A. Students will pick up from the Spartan Store on campus. You will receive an email when your materials are available for pickup.
Q. What happens if I don't pick up my books?
A. The Spartan Store will send out several notifications reminding you to pick up your books. If you do not pick them up by the specified date in the notifications, you will still be billed for STAY. Abandoned items will become property of York College. See abandonment policy below.
Q. How do I access my digital course materials?
A. All digital course material access information will be available in your e-library usually 2 weeks before the first day of class. Depending on the item, materials will be available through Canvas, a publisher website, or through VitalSource. If you ever need a reminder about what digital course materials you should have access to, log in to your bookstore account.
Q. Are the digital items fully accessible?
A. VitalSource, the main platform through which the bookstore delivers digital items, is fully accessible. If physical copies of materials are needed based on accessibility needs, students should contact Student Accessibility Services on a case-by-case basis.
Q. How much does this cost?
A. The cost is added to your tuition statement and calculated on a flat fee per credit hour, regardless of how much each individual textbook costs. The STAY Textbook Program for Fall 2026/Spring 2027 is calculated at $23 per credit hour.
Q. How is payment processed?
A. Since this will be added to the tuition statement, students are able to use financial aid to cover the cost, where applicable. If financial aid is not available, payment must be made at the time the tuition statement is paid.
Q. I opted out of STAY; will I get a refund?
A. A credit for the STAY Textbook Program fee will be applied to your statement AFTER the drop/add date regardless of when you opted out.
Q. Who do I contact if I have additional questions about my course materials?
A. Contact the VitalSource online bookstore or call the online bookstore customer experience team number is 855.955.0398.
Q. It's the first day of class and my textbooks aren't available for pickup or I don't see the digital materials in My Library or My Courses page.
A. If you've recently added a course, then the order might still be on its way. Visit the website to review your personalized Student Homepage, which will show you when items arrived or if they are still on their way. You can also contact the online bookstore for a status update or to review your account in case there is a discrepancy.
Q. What happens if physical items are damaged or destroyed?
A. If there is a problem with the items that were delivered, the online bookstore will replace them as needed. Contact them via the Help page on the website.
Q. What happens if I am missing a textbook or received the wrong one?
A. Contact the online bookstore through the website and they will assist you. Make sure to include your email, course name, course section, and the ISBN of the missing item.
Official Policies & Fine Print
All course materials related to the Online Bookstore and the STAY Textbook Program must be picked up from the Spartan Store located in the lower level of the Iosue Student Union Building by the person named in the “Ship to” field within the first ten days of any semester. Presentation of a Student ID Card or another form of ID is required at the time of pick up. Reasonable efforts will be taken to notify the student that their item(s) is available for pick up by the Spartan Store and the online bookstore. York College may store your items for no more than two weeks after drop/add. Any textbook or other course material items that are not claimed by the student within those two weeks will be deemed abandoned. After the second week from drop/add, the institution has sole discretion to sell or otherwise dispose of the abandoned items in any manner it deems appropriate. If any costs are incurred by York College for taking ownership of the abandoned items, these costs may be transferred to the student. Under no circumstances will these course material charges be removed from your student account or waived. The student agrees to absolve and hold York College harmless for the abandoned items. For additional questions about any of these policies, please send inquiries to Adam Smith at asmith156@ycp.edu.
Students will be notified via email when their portal will be live. Students will have from that time through the drop/add date of the semester to opt out of the STAY Textbook Program. Opt out is not available by course, only by semester. Students also have the option to opt back into the program after having opted out during this window if desired. At any time, students who have opted out of the STAY Textbook Program and need course materials, can purchase their materials through the Online Bookstore. Course materials purchased outside the STAY Textbook Program are non-returnable and non-refundable. After the drop/add date of the semester, course materials are only available for independent purchase through the Online Bookstore. When students opt out of the STAY Textbook Program after having received their course materials (or notification that their course materials have shipped), all materials must be returned per the same rules as the Dropped Course Return Policy.
It is the policy of York College that course materials provided through the STAY Textbook Program for courses a student is registered for, then subsequently dropped, must be returned to the Spartan Store by the 7th day after drop/add. Students must visit their online bookstore portal to mark course materials as being returned, then bring their materials in original condition to the Spartan Store along with their return confirmation. Failure to return physical course materials will result in the current retail price for the unreturned item(s) being placed on your student account for payment. Under no circumstances will these book charges be removed from your student account or waived if materials are not returned in their original condition.
Participation in STAY is entirely optional. You are encouraged to review your Personalized Value Sheet sheet to weigh the financial aspect of the STAY Textbook Program. If the benefits do not benefit you as a student, you can opt out.
*Note: you are automatically enrolled in STAY each Fall and Spring semester with the option to opt out through your portal.