First Day Complete Textbook Program
USCL offers the First Day Complete (FDC) textbook program through our campus store, Barnes & Noble. FDC is a course materials fulfillment program that gives students access to their required textbooks (physical & digital) and ensures students have their materials the first day of class. Students are automatically enrolled* in FDC and textbooks charges are added to their bill at the rate of $25 per credit hour. Charges can be paid along with tuition and fees or by using financial aid. Students participating in the program should not purchase required materials or pay outside sources for access to their materials.
Students can opt-out of the program and purchase their textbooks individually from the Barnes & Noble store.
*Dual enrollment high school students, see Dual Enrollment Student Information section below.
GOOD NEWS for Lancaster County Residents, textbook charges added to your Fall 24 & Spring 25 student bill will be paid for by the Lancaster County Commission for Higher Education! Students must meet the state of SC residency requirement. Details on our website here.
How it Works
Frequently Asked Questions
Students are automatically enrolled in the FDC Program.
The program provides all required textbooks, lab manuals, access codes and electronic book versions. Classes with no required course materials are still assessed textbook fees so you will want to weigh the cost of the program vs opting out and purchasing your textbooks individually from the bookstore.
The program does not include consumables such as lab goggles, gloves, kits, art supplies, or any recommended or suggested textbooks. These items can be purchased from the bookstore directly. PEDU classes are excluded from the per credit hour charges.
All students will receive emails to their USCL email account reminding them to verify their order. If you do not take action to either verify your order OR opt out, your student account WILL still be charged for the textbooks.
Yes. If you take action to verify your order and not opt-out of the program, your student account will still be charged.
Textbooks are added to your student account at the rate of $25 per credit and will be listed as “LAN Bookstore Program” on your account. You can pay through the Self-Service Carolina payment gateway or allow the charges to be paid by your financial aid. The charges can also be bundled into a payment plan.
Just like tuition and fees, when you drop a course prior to the drop/add date, textbooks charges will be credited back to the student's account. View the Drop/add/refund dates.
Opting Out
Students can opt out of the program at the start of each term through the Barnes & Noble portal. Students must opt out BEFORE the deadline to have charges removed from their bill. Remember to opt out each semester if you do not want to participate. All students are automatically enrolled in the program every semester, even if they opted out in previous semesters. Reminder – you are opting out for your entire semester schedule. You cannot opt out of individual courses. If you do decide to opt out, please be sure you’re able to obtain all the materials necessary for you to be successful in your classes.
Fall 2024 Opt Out Dates
| Term | Session | Classes Start | Opt Out By |
| Fall | Full Term | 8/20 | 9/6 |
| Fall | Second Half Term | 10/21 | 10/31 |
Spring 2025 Opt Out Dates
| Term | Session | Classes Start | Opt Out By |
| Spring | Full Term | 1/13 | 1/31 |
| Spring | Second Half Term | 3/17 | 3/31 |
Dual Enrollment High School Information
If you attend class on the USC Lancaster campus or online, you will automatically be enrolled in the FDC program. Fees will appear on your USC Lancaster student account at the rate of $25/credit hour and they are not covered by Lottery Tuition Assistance Program (LTAP).
If you attend classes at your high school or are in an online class designated for dual enrollment students only, you will not be enrolled in the FDC program. These classes have a three-character section number beginning with 4H (i.e. 4HA, 4HR, etc.). Visit this link to see all the classes excluded from FDC.
If you attend classes at both your high school and on the USC Lancaster campus, you will be enrolled in FDC only for the classes you take on the USC Lancaster campus (or non-dual enrollment online courses).
You have the choice to opt out of FDC for the term and purchase your course materials “a la carte” from the bookstore or another retailer (refer to the opt out information above). If you do not opt out before the deadline, you will be charged for course materials that are made available to you through the program.
You should check your required course materials on the bookstore website prior to making your opt out decision. Other “recommended” or “suggested” course materials and consumable class supplies (goggles, kits, art supplies, etc.) are not provided as part of FDC. Classes with no required course materials are still assessed the $25/credit hour fee so you will want to consider your total courseload in your opt out decision. You cannot opt out of the program for individual courses, you are opting out for your entire semester schedule.