Course Material Access

Beginning Fall 2026, undergraduate students will start the term with access to their required digital and printed course material for a flat fee per term.

Program benefits

  • Streamlined budgeting: One flat fee per term makes upfront costs more predictable, no matter how resource-heavy your course load is.
  • All-in-one convenience: All digital course material is at your fingertips, accessible from one online location. This also means a lighter backpack and less to carry across campus.
  • Built-in accessibility: Digital material provided through the program integrates seamlessly with screen readers and text-to-speech technology and can be downloaded for offline use.
  • Risk-free: The program is entirely optional. You can use the first three weeks of the term to review your syllabi, test-drive the digital platform and see if the program fits your needs. If it doesn't, you can opt out before the deadline.

Course material

Students are provided with the latest versions of course material, delivered primarily in a digital format or in print when required.

Included in the program is material requested through the Bookstore, such as textbooks, literature, online publisher courseware, most lab manuals, coursepacks and software applications.

Not included are lab supplies, art and stationary supplies, chemistry lab manuals, uniforms or other non-text items.

Course material can be accessed starting Aug. 21

View step-by-step screenshots.

  1. Log in to canvas.ualberta.ca.
  2. Navigate to Account > Course Material Access.
    • If this is your first time signing in, select Create an Account to set up your password.
      Your username is your U of A email address.
  3. The My Materials page will open. This is the home of your course material.
    • eBooks and code reveal courseware: Click Launch to access.
    • Bypass and Willow courseware: Click See Course in LMS to open in the Canvas course set up by your instructor.
    • Physical books: Items displayed as Print are listed as Purchased and can be picked up from the Bookstore.
    • Optional material: View instructions for purchasing optional course material.

View step-by-step screenshots.

  1. Log in to canvas.ualberta.ca.
  2. Navigate to Account > Course Material Access.
  3. Click the Kortext link to open the eReader software.
  4. Click Account and select Download Kortext app.
  5. Within the app, select Options on a specific item, then select Read offline.

View step-by-step screenshots.

  1. Log in to canvas.ualberta.ca.
  2. Navigate to Account > Course Material Access.
  3. Click the Kortext link to open the eReader software.
  4. Select Options on a specific item, then select Book information.
  5. View the date when access to the course material expires.

Flat fee per term

The fee is $259 per term for Fall and Winter and $139 per term for Spring and Summer. This fee is completely optional – students can make the choice to opt out. The fee is automatically waived for students if none of their course material has an associated cost.

Day one access allows students to keep up with their classes while considering all of their options for course material, like borrowing from the library or purchasing from the Bookstore. If you choose to opt out, please follow the steps below.

Students can opt out starting Aug. 21. The deadline to opt out (or back in) is Sept. 22.

View step-by-step screenshots.

    1. Log in to the opt out/in portal.
      If this is your first time logging in, select Create an Account and enter your U of A email address.
    2. Click the Opt Out button.
    3. If applicable, return printed course material to a U of A Bookstore location.

For students who remain opted out, the fee will be waived from your student account by Sept. 23.

If you miss the deadline to opt out, please email cmaprogram@ualberta.ca.

Course material will still be available for purchase at the Bookstore in the same format offered through Course Material Access. For select disciplines where print material is a common standard—such as English and Film Studies—items provided digitally through Course Material Access will be available in print in-store.

To check the price of individual course material, follow the steps below.

View step-by-step screenshots.

  1. Visit the textbook website
  2. Under Shop by Course, select Enter Courses.
  3. Select [Term] Opt Out in the dropdown.
  4. Add your courses to the list.
  5. Click Find materials for courses.
  6. View the price.

Questions and feedback

Course Material Access was shaped by community feedback and will continue to evolve to best meet the needs of our community. It is part of a three-pronged approach to make course materials more affordable, along with Zero Textbook Cost and Open Educational Resources, in alignment with the Student Experience Action Plan.

Email cmaprogram@ualberta.ca to ask questions, provide feedback or to book a group info session.

Frequently asked questions

If you don’t see certain course material in the online portal, that means the item is excluded from Course Material Access. This may be that the course is Zero Textbook Cost or that the instructor did not request the item through the Bookstore. Check your syllabus or ask your instructor how you should access that material.

All undergraduate students will see an assessment of the fee on their student account, and students who are opted out will see a waiver for the fee. If you have outstanding fees for fall or winter term, the waiver will be applied to the remaining balance. If you have no outstanding fees, you will be able to request a refund.

For Fall, waivers are applied on Aug. 24, Sept. 8 and Sept. 23. If you have opted out but don’t see this adjustment after Sept. 23, please contact the Student Service Centre.

Follett is the primary vendor coordinating with publishers and providers to ensure students have easy access to everything they need on day one. They are a leading educational service provider supporting the academic journey for more than 7.5 million students across North America.

Kortext is an e-reader that integrates with Follet to allow you view your course material. The software meets accessibility requirements for screen readers and text-to-speech technology and can be downloaded as an application onto your computer or mobile device so you can access course material offline.