Cougar Complete

Cougar Complete

College of Charleston’s Cougar Complete program gives you access to all of your course materials. There’s no need to shop around!

Receive all your course materials before the first day of class.
Know in advance what you'll pay for course materials each term.
Benefit from a highly personalized concierge service.

How It Works

Register for Classes

Upon registering for courses, you will be automatically enrolled in the program. Once you've successfully selected your courses, the bookstore will start preparing your order.

Verify your order

Starting 30 days before the first day of classes, you will receive an email to verify your order and select your fulfillment preference.

Receive Your Textbooks

You will get an email notification when your order is ready for pickup or when it ships. Your digital materials will be delivered for your course(s) in OAKS.

Verify Your Order

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn more about the Cougar Complete program.

General Information
What is the Cougar Complete Program?
Cougar Complete is a course material model that lowers the cost of materials for students and ensures they have access to all of their required course materials on or before the first day of class. Through this new program, physical books will be conveniently packaged and provided to students on a rental basis, and digital materials will be delivered directly within OAKS. Costs will be applied to the student eBill as a course charge of $21 per credit hour. At the end of the term, students will receive email reminders to return their physical course materials to the College of Charleston Bookstore.
How does it work?
1. Register for your classes and the College of Charleston Bookstore will start preparing your course materials. (Cougar Complete is not being offered for summer courses.)
2. Approximately one month before classes start, you will receive an email instructing you to select your delivery preference (in-store pickup or shipped directly to you).
3. You will get an email notification when your order is ready for pickup or when it ships.
4. Your digital materials will be delivered for your course(s) within OAKS.
What is included in the program?
The program provides all required textbooks, lab manuals, access codes and digital textbook versions to eligible students.
What is excluded from the program?
The program does not include consumables that cannot be returned and reused, such as lab goggles, dissection kits, molecular model kits, engineering kits or nursing kits.
How do I enroll in the program?
All eligible students will be automatically enrolled in the Cougar Complete program upon registering for classes. Students are not eligible for the program if they are enrolled in the 60+ Tuition Exemption Program; if they are studying abroad; or if they are cross-registered, dual enrollment or graduate students.
Be on the lookout for emails from Barnes & Noble (coursematerials@email.bncollege.com) asking that you verify your courses. Please follow any other instructions they provide, including selecting either in-store pickup or shipping.
Am I allowed to write or highlight in my rental materials?
Yes! You can write or highlight in your materials, just like with purchases. Simply make sure they're returned to us in usable condition.
When are my textbook rentals due back to the bookstore?
The deadline to return all rental textbooks is the last day of finals. Students will receive email reminders about the rental deadline to their College of Charleston email address.
Is Cougar Complete offered for Maymester/Summer Sessions?
Cougar Complete is not currently being offered for Maymester/Summer Session courses.
If you plan to take any summer classes, you will be responsible for getting your materials on your own, either through the College of Charleston Bookstore or another supplier. As always, the College of Charleston Bookstore is happy to help you get the right materials for your courses.
Opting Out and Opting Back In

Can I opt out of the program?
Students have the option to opt-out of Cougar Complete by the deadline of January 14, 2025. Opting out means you will not receive access to your required course materials in a convenient package at a discounted rate, and you will be responsible for getting your materials on your own, either through the College of Charleston Bookstore or another supplier.
To opt out, please visit the Barnes & Noble portal. You can opt out (or back in) any time between November 18, 2024, and January 14, 2025.
If you opt out, your student eBill account will reflect the reversal of charges the next business day.
How do I opt back into the program?
If you opted out, you can change your status and opt back into the Cougar Complete program. Just follow the steps to opt back in (found in the email confirmation you received after opting out) or return to the opt-out page by the deadline of January 14, 2025. After this date, any student who has not opted out will be responsible for paying the Cougar Complete charge.
How do I purchase my course materials if I decide to opt out of the program?
Students will be responsible for purchasing their required course materials on their own, either through the College of Charleston Bookstore or another supplier.
Can I opt out if I picked up my textbooks?
Yes, you will have 48 hours to return your textbooks. If you do not return the textbooks, the charges for the bundle will go back onto your student eBill.
Payment

How do I pay for my textbook rentals under this program?
Your Cougar Complete charge will be added to your student eBill at the rate of $21 per credit hour.
Can I buy my rented textbook?
Yes, the program provides you with the option to purchase textbooks at a reduced rate during the return period.
What happens if I never verify my order?
Students will receive emails and phone calls from the bookstore to remind them to verify their order. If the student does not opt out, their materials will be held at the College of Charleston Bookstore and their student eBill will be charged.
If I never pick up my books, will I still get charged?
Yes, if you do not opt out, your materials will be held at the College of Charleston Bookstore and your student eBill will be charged.
Course-Related

What if I drop a class?
You may return the book to the College of Charleston Bookstore on the same terms and timelines currently in place. If you drop a class and enroll in a different class, the bookstore will “swap” the required textbooks/codes so that you have what you need.
Do I need to return books if they are for a continuation course?
Yes, you will still be required to return continuation course textbooks. You will be issued the same title for the next semester of the continuation course.
Faculty-Focused

How can faculty contribute to the success of the program?
Faculty contribute to the program's success by submitting their course material selections to the bookstore by the deadline each semester (generally early/mid-October for spring and early/mid-April for fall).
If students opt in but faculty do not submit materials by the deadline, what happens to the cost for the student?
The cost for the student is based on the number of credit hours taken when opted in, not the individual course materials. The student “opt-in” cost remains the same regardless of whether the faculty member submits a book order.
Is there a limit to the number of materials faculty can include in the course?
There is no limit to textbooks, digital textbooks, lab manuals, access codes, or homework platforms for a course. However, the program does NOT include consumables such as calculators, lab and art supplies, and computers.
How does Cougar Complete work with OAKS?
Please review the Cougar Complete Faculty Guide for working with OAKS.
Will faculty need to change their course materials currently being used?
No, there are no restrictions to the course materials you select for your course. The program includes all course materials, from any publisher, in your preferred format.
Why not work directly with publishers?
Publishers cannot provide at the lowest possible price all the different formats of content that faculty request.
How does Cougar Complete lower textbook costs for our students?
By using an integrated supply chain and economies of scale, Barnes & Noble College can provide a more affordable solution for students through Cougar Complete. Cougar Complete limits the cost of required course materials to $21/credit hour – or $63 for any three-credit course.
For reference, many courses cost a student $100-$200. Some common examples include BIOL 101, where the total cost of required materials (digital item, rented physical book) is $230.50, and SPAN 101-202 (2x digital items, rented physical book), where the total is $245.00.
Barnes & Noble College is committed to lowering course material costs for College of Charleston students. In fact, the per-credit-hour cost went down from $22 to $21 this academic year.
What happens if a faculty member changes their course material adoption?
If a faculty member changes their course material adoption, they should inform the bookstore of the change, and the bookstore will update the course materials. The bookstore will make sure students receive the corrected course materials.
What if my teaching assignment changes (e.g., I was scheduled to teach one course but later assigned to another)?
The bookstore will always help in these situations by updating the textbook adoption platform with the new materials.
If I adopt Open Education Resources (OER) or don’t require a textbook, do my students still have to pay the fee?
Students pay for the total number of credits taken per semester, not by the number of courses utilizing the program. If a student opts out, it's for all the classes in that term. (Read above about opting out.)
We recognize that faculty might minimize their materials or opt for OER to save students money. The benefit of Cougar Complete is that all students benefit from the known cost of $21/credit hour vs. relying on each faculty member to select low or no-cost options.
How do we ensure course materials in the Cougar Complete program are accessible to students with accommodations?
The bookstore can accommodate students with accessibility needs.
Contact Us

I have a question about my course materials (faculty).
Contact our textbook manager, Emilee Opoien, at opoienep@cofc.edu or 843.953.7226.
I have a general question about the Cougar Complete program not already answered here.
Email the bookstore at bookstore@cofc.edu.
I'm a student having trouble accessing my digital course materials.
Contact Bookstore Customer Care at bookstorecustomercare@bncollege.com for assistance.
I'm a faculty member having problems with my OAKS setup.
Please contact an IT Training Specialist at Training and Consultations.