Triton One: New Equitable Access Textbook Program Launching Fall 2026

We are excited to announce Triton One, a new equitable access textbook program for UC San Diego students, that will launch Fall Quarter 2026. The program will provide access to required textbooks for undergraduate students at a flat rate of $199 per quarter. Materials in this program will be provided in a digital-first format on Canvas and will be available to students no later than the first day of classes.

Students will be automatically enrolled to ensure they are prepared for the first day of instruction. However, students can opt out of the flat fee by the Friday of week 2 each quarter.

How Triton One Benefits Students

Promotes Equity: At UC San Diego, every student should be able to start the quarter with the course materials they need to succeed, regardless of their financial standing. Triton One eliminates disparities between majors and between students by providing a single price point for every student to obtain their course materials on day one. Triton One will lower the cost of course materials and students will know what their course materials will cost each quarter. To ensure that students’ materials are included in this program, instructors will place course material requests through The Bookstore, much like most have in the past.
Supports Academic Success and Exploration: Students will be free to explore their academic interests without having to weigh the costs of the associated course materials. Once enrolled in a course, students have access to their materials on the first day of class, allowing them to start studying right away. The digital format will provide accessible, easy-to-use navigation with enhanced functionality to help students collaborate and study.
Affordability and Value: Triton One sets a flat rate for course materials upfront, giving students a predictable cost of $199 and a reduction in cost for course materials for many students.
Convenience: This program is intended to reduce stress around locating and affording academic materials during the busy start of the quarter. Required digital course materials will be available automatically in students’ Canvas accounts by the first day of class. This means they should be able to focus on finalizing their schedule and getting settled into the quarter.
Supports University Sustainability Efforts: Most textbooks in the program are provided in digital format, eliminating the need to print and ship thousands of books from publishers to our campus each quarter.

How Triton One Benefits Faculty
Faculty may continue to adopt any materials they believe are best for their instructional needs, including traditional textbooks, custom course readers, or Open Educational Resources (OER). Triton One manages the delivery and ensures students pay a predictable price.

Course Material
Course material adoptions will be submitted through the UC San Diego Bookstore Adoption Portal. The portal allows faculty to search for materials by ISBN or title, re-adopt from previous quarters, or indicate that their course uses OER/Library materials. This process is very similar to how faculty select and adopt course materials currently.

To ensure the program's success, adoptions are due 60 days before each term begins. Deadlines for the 2026-27 academic year can be found on the Triton One website and textbooks page of The Bookstore website.

The early deadline provides The Bookstore sufficient time to negotiate bulk pricing with publishers, thereby giving the opportunity to offer students the $199 flat rate per quarter. Furthermore, under the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA), institutions are required to display estimated costs during registration.

More Information Coming Soon
As the university prepares to launch Triton One in Fall Quarter 2026, more information will be posted on the Triton One website in the months ahead. Additionally, in-person faculty and coordinator training sessions are being planned, and information about these sessions will be distributed to schools and departments. Please check the website often for updates. For questions or comments, please email textbooks@ucsd.edu.

We appreciate the UC San Diego community’s support as we prepare for this landmark in student equity and access. The launch of Triton One represents UC San Diego’s commitment to student-centeredness, improving the student learning experience, and empowering every Triton to succeed.

Elizabeth H. Simmons
Executive Vice Chancellor

Lawrence Furnstahl
Vice Chancellor, Finance and Administration

University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093