Barnes & Noble Education, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), cordially invites you to attend the 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”). The Annual Meeting will be held at 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time, on September 24, 2026, by live online webcast only. There will be no physical location for the Annual Meeting.

You will be able to attend the Annual Meeting, vote, and submit your questions during the Annual Meeting via live online webcast by visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/BNED2026. You must have your sixteen-digit control number that is shown on your proxy card or Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials. You will not be able to attend the meeting in person.

Information about the Annual Meeting and the various matters on which the stockholders will act is included in the Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders and the Proxy Statement. Proxies are being solicited on behalf of the Board of Directors of the Company.

Your vote is extremely important no matter how many shares you own. You are urged to read the Proxy Statement carefully and, whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, to promptly submit a proxy: (a) by telephone or the Internet following the instructions outlined in this Proxy Statement and in the Notice of Internet Availability or (b) if you requested to receive printed Proxy materials, by mailing an executed proxy card. Please review the instructions on each of your voting options described in this Proxy Statement and in the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials that you received in the mail.

The Board of Directors unanimously recommends that you vote (i) FOR the election of each of the Board of Directors’ nominees, (ii) FOR the approval of an amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Equity Incentive Plan to increase the number of shares authorized to be issued under the Plan, (iii) FOR the approval, on an advisory basis, of the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers as disclosed in the Proxy Statement, (iv) FOR the ratification of the appointment of BDO USA, P.C. as the independent registered public accountants for the Company’s fiscal year ending May 1, 2027, and (v) FOR the adjournment of the Annual Meeting to a later date, if necessary or appropriate, to allow for the solicitation of additional proxies in the event that there are insufficient votes at the time of the Annual Meeting to approve the other proposals in this Proxy Statement.

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on September 24, 2026: The Proxy Statement, Proxy Card and the Company’s 2026 Annual Report to Stockholders are available online at https://investor.bned.com/investor-relations/filings/annual-reports-and-proxies/default.aspx.

Barnes & Noble Education, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“we,” “us,” “our,” “BNED” or the “Company”), will hold its Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) at 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time, on September 24, 2026, by live online webcast that will be available via www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/BNED2026 for the following purposes:

NOTE: To transact such other business as may be properly brought before the Annual Meeting and any adjournment or postponement thereof.

Only holders of record of Common Stock of the Company as of the close of business on July 30, 2026 are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting and any adjournment or postponement thereof. There will be no physical meeting location, and the meeting will only be conducted by live online webcast, i.e., as a “Virtual Meeting.” Please refer to the instructions in the accompanying Proxy Statement for how to register to attend the Virtual Meeting.

The Board of Directors unanimously recommends that you vote FOR each of the five proposals outlined above and as more fully described in the Proxy Statement.

The Board of Directors urges you to read the Proxy Statement carefully and, whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, to promptly submit a proxy: (a) by telephone or the Internet following the instructions outlined in this Proxy Statement and in the Notice of Internet Availability or (b) if you requested to receive printed Proxy materials, by mailing an executed proxy card.

The following summary highlights information relating to the 2026 annual meeting of stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) and executive compensation and corporate governance matters. Additional information is included in this Proxy Statement.

The Board of Directors and management believe that good corporate governance promotes accountability to stockholders, enhances investor confidence in the Company and supports long-term value creation. The Company has implemented and fostered a culture of good corporate governance, which includes the following:

The Board of Directors and management seek to align the executive compensation program with the Company’s business strategy to attract, retain, and engage the talent we need to compete in our industry, and to align management with stockholders’ interests. The table below highlights key aspects of our executive compensation program.

This Proxy Statement, and a proxy card for stockholders who request to receive printed proxy materials, are being furnished in connection with the solicitation by the Board of Directors (the “Board of Directors” or the “Board”) of Barnes & Noble Education, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“we,” “us,” “our,” “BNED” or the “Company”), of proxies for use at its annual meeting of stockholders to be held on September 24, 2026 (the “Annual Meeting”), and any adjournment or postponement thereof for the purposes set forth in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

The Board of Directors unanimously recommends that you vote (i) FOR the election of each of the Board of Directors’ nominees, (ii) FOR the approval of an amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Equity Incentive Plan to increase the number of shares authorized to be issued under the Plan, (iii) FOR the approval, on an advisory basis, of the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers as disclosed in the Proxy Statement, (iv) FOR the ratification of the appointment of BDO USA, P.C. as the independent registered public accountants for the Company’s fiscal year ending May 1, 2027, and (v) FOR the adjournment of the Annual Meeting to a later date, if necessary or appropriate, to allow for the solicitation of additional proxies in the event that there are insufficient votes at the time of the Annual Meeting to approve the other proposals in this Proxy Statement.

Only holders of record of the Company’s Common Stock, as of the close of business on July 30, 2026 (the “Record Date”) are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting. As of the Record Date, 34,664,980 shares of Common Stock were outstanding. Each share of Common Stock entitles the record holder thereof to one vote on each matter brought before the Annual Meeting.

Pursuant to rules adopted by the SEC, we have elected to deliver a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials to you and make the proxy materials available via the Internet at https://investor.bned.com/investor-relations/filings/annual-reports-and-proxies/default.aspx. The notice provides instructions for accessing this Proxy Statement and our Fiscal 2026 Annual Report. The notice also explains how stockholders may request printed proxy materials for the Annual Meeting. The Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials is being distributed to stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting on or about August 12, 2026.

Your vote is very important to the Board of Directors no matter how many shares of our Common Stock you own. Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, we urge you to vote your shares as soon as possible.

If you are a registered holder of Common Stock, you may vote your shares either by voting by proxy in advance of the Annual Meeting or by voting online during the Annual Meeting. By submitting a proxy, you are legally authorizing another person to vote your shares on your behalf.

We urge you to vote in advance of the Annual Meeting (i) FOR the election of each of the Board of Directors’ nominees, (ii) FOR the approval of an amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Equity Incentive Plan to increase the number of shares authorized to be issued under the Plan, (iii) FOR the approval, on an advisory basis, of the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers as disclosed in the Proxy Statement, (iv) FOR the ratification of the appointment of BDO USA, P.C. as the independent registered public accountants for the Company’s fiscal year ending May 1, 2027, and (v) FOR the adjournment of the Annual Meeting to a later date, if necessary or appropriate, to allow for the solicitation of additional proxies in the event that there are insufficient votes at the time of the Annual Meeting to approve the other proposals in this Proxy Statement.

If you submit a proxy by telephone or the Internet, or request to receive printed proxy materials and submit your executed proxy card, your shares will be voted in accordance with your instructions; however, if you do not indicate how

your shares are to be voted on a properly executed proxy card or when submitting a proxy by telephone or the Internet, then your shares will be voted in accordance with the Board of Directors’ recommendations set forth in this Proxy Statement. In addition, if any other matters are brought before the Annual Meeting (other than the proposals contained in this Proxy Statement), then the individuals listed on the proxy card will have the authority to vote your shares on those other matters in accordance with their discretion and judgment.

Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, we urge you to promptly submit a proxy: (a) by telephone or the Internet following the instructions outlined in this Proxy Statement and in the Notice of Internet Availability, or (b) if you requested to receive printed proxy materials, by mailing an executed proxy card. If you later decide to attend the Annual Meeting via the online webcast and vote, that vote will automatically revoke any previously submitted proxy.

If you hold your shares in “street name,” i.e., through a bank, broker or other holder of record (a “custodian”), your custodian is the stockholder of record for purposes of voting and is required to vote your shares on your behalf in accordance with your instructions. If you do not give instructions to your custodian, your custodian will not be permitted to vote your shares with respect to “non-discretionary” or “non-routine” items, which include all matters on the agenda other than the ratification of the appointment of the independent registered public accountants. A “broker non-vote” occurs when a custodian does not vote on a particular proposal because it has not received voting instructions from the applicable beneficial owner and does not have discretionary voting power on the matter in question pursuant to New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) rules or chooses not to exercise discretionary voting power in accordance with its internal policies. Accordingly, we urge you to promptly give instructions to your custodian to vote FOR all items on the agenda by using the voting instruction card provided to you by your custodian. If you intend to vote your shares held in street name online during the Annual Meeting, please contact your custodian in advance of the Annual Meeting to ensure access and the ability to vote.

If you plan to attend the Annual Meeting via the online webcast and wish to vote, you will have access to an electronic ballot on the Annual Meeting virtual webcast site. You may vote at the Annual Meeting by clicking on the ‘Stockholder Ballot’ link on the Annual Meeting Webcast site, completing the electronic ballot and clicking ‘Sign and Submit’ to send your completed ballot directly to the Inspector of Election before the polls are closed at the Annual Meeting.

The presence virtually or by proxy at the Annual Meeting of the holders of shares of Common Stock of the Company having a majority of the voting power of the Common Stock entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting will constitute a quorum. Abstentions and broker non-votes will be included in determining whether a quorum is present.

Directors shall be elected by the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast by the stockholders entitled to vote thereon who are present virtually or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting. Abstentions and broker non-votes are not considered votes cast for the foregoing purpose and will have no effect on the election of nominees.

Approval of an amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Equity Incentive Plan to increase the number of shares authorized to be issued under the Plan requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast on the proposal. Abstentions and broker non-votes will not be included in the votes cast on this proposal and will not have a positive or negative effect on the outcome of this proposal.

With respect to the proposal regarding the approval, on an advisory basis, of the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers, the Company will consider the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast on the proposal as approval of the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers (“NEOs”). Abstentions and broker non-votes will not be included in the votes cast on this proposal and will not have a positive or negative effect on the outcome of this proposal.

Ratification of the appointment of BDO USA, P.C. as the Company’s independent registered public accountants requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast on the proposal. Abstentions will not be included in the votes cast and, as such, will have no effect on the outcome of this proposal. Your custodian will have discretionary authority to vote on the proposal absent voting instructions.

Approval of the adjournment of the Annual Meeting to a later date, if necessary or appropriate, to allow for the solicitation of additional proxies in the event that there are insufficient votes at the time of the Annual Meeting to approve the other proposals in this Proxy Statement requires the affirmative vote of a majority of shares present virtually or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on the proposal. Abstentions will have the same effect as a vote “against” the proposal, and broker non-votes will not have a positive or negative effect on the outcome of this proposal.

Attendance at the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof will be limited to stockholders of the Company as of the close of business on the Record Date and guests of the Company. You will not be able to attend the Annual Meeting in person at a physical location. To attend the virtual meeting, you must have your sixteen-digit control number that is shown on your proxy card or Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials.

If you have any questions or encounter any difficulties accessing the virtual meeting, please call the technical support number that will be posted on the 2026 Annual Meeting website log-in page. You may log in 15 minutes before the start of the meeting. Stockholders are encouraged to log into the online webcast 15 minutes before the start of the meeting to provide time to test their Internet connectivity and download the required software, if needed.

Even if you wish to attend the virtual meeting, we urge you to submit a proxy prior to the meeting via the Internet or by telephone, or, if you requested to receive printed proxy materials, by mailing an executed proxy card. If you choose to vote at the meeting, it will revoke any previously submitted proxy. If you hold your shares in street name and wish to vote during the meeting, please contact your custodian in advance of the Annual Meeting to ensure access and the ability to vote.

Your proxy is revocable. If you want to change your vote, you may revoke your proxy by: (i) submitting a new proxy with a later date via the Internet or telephone; (ii) submitting a properly signed proxy card with a later date that is received at or prior to the Annual Meeting; (iii) attending the Annual Meeting and voting online during the meeting (if you do revoke your proxy during the meeting, it will not, of course, affect any vote that has already been taken); or (iv) providing a signed letter of revocation to the Corporate Secretary of the Company before the closing of the polls at the Annual Meeting.

Our fiscal year is comprised of 52 or 53 weeks, ending on the Saturday closest to the last day of April. “Fiscal 2027” means the 52 weeks ending May 1, 2027, “Fiscal 2026” means the 52 weeks ended May 2, 2026, “Fiscal 2025” means the 53 weeks ended May 3, 2025, and “Fiscal 2024” means the 52 weeks ended April 27, 2024.

The Company strives to maintain a Board with broad and diverse experience and judgment. Diversity is considered in a broad sense, including, among other attributes, leadership, experience, skills, perspectives, gender, ethnicity and geography. The grid below summarizes the key qualifications, skills and attributes each of our directors possesses that were most relevant to the decision to nominate him or her to serve on the Board. The lack of a checkmark does not mean the director does not possess that qualification or skill; rather a checkmark indicates a specific area of focus or expertise on which the Board relies most heavily. In addition, more than 50% of our directors are women or racial or ethnic minorities. Our director nominees exhibit high integrity, innovative thinking, a proven record of success, and knowledge of corporate governance. The director nominees bring a balance of important skills to our boardroom.

Background information with respect to the Board of Directors’ nominees for election as directors as of July 27, 2026 appears below. See “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” for information regarding such persons’ holdings of equity securities of the Company.

The following individuals are nominees for director at the Annual Meeting. The nominees elected at the Annual Meeting will serve for a term ending on the date of the 2027 annual meeting of stockholders and until their respective successors are duly elected and qualified, or until their earlier death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal. The Board of Directors unanimously recommends a vote FOR each of the below nominees for director.

Emily S. Hoffman was appointed as a director in June 2024. Ms. Hoffman has served as a member of the board of directors of Immersion Corporation since 2023. Ms. Hoffman currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer for eCornell, Cornell University’s professional education unit, a role she has held since September 2025. Previously, Ms. Hoffman served as Chief Marketing Officer of SmartPak Equine LLC, an e-commerce retailer and indirect, wholly-owned, subsidiary of Covetrus, Inc., from January 2024 to March 2025. Prior to this, she held U.S. and Global marketing roles at Nestle Health Science from 2017 through 2024. Prior to 2017, Ms. Hoffman held various positions at several multinational companies, including BlackRock, Johnson & Johnson and General Mills. Ms. Hoffman has a track record of driving financial, operational and strategic results across complex B2C and B2B portfolios in highly regulated industries in the U.S. and internationally. Ms. Hoffman has a B.S. in Engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Qualifications, Experience, Attributes and Skills: Ms. Hoffman brings to the Board years of experience delivering financial (P&L), operational, and strategic results across a diverse set of industries including Education, Healthcare,

Consumer Products, Food, eCommerce and Financial Services. Ms. Hoffman brings significant management experience leading and expanding businesses both in the U.S. and internationally.

Sean Vijay Madnani was appointed as a director in June 2024. Mr. Madnani has served as Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Twist Capital LLC (“Twist Capital”), an investment company, since September 2019. Previously and in connection with his service at Twist Capital, Mr. Madnani served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the board of directors of Twist Investment Corp. (intended to be listed as NYSE: TWIC.U), an unlisted blank check special purpose acquisition company, from February 2021 until its dissolution in December 2022. While establishing Twist Capital, Mr. Madnani served as a Senior Advisor at Guggenheim Securities LLC, a registered broker-dealer and subsidiary of Guggenheim Partners LLC, from September 2019 to March 2020, and previously has served as a Senior Managing Director, from June 2015 to August 2019. Prior to that, Mr. Madnani served in a number of senior roles at Blackstone Inc. (NYSE: BX), an alternative investment management company, from July 2005 to June 2015, including most recently as Senior Managing Director, Partner, and Head of Technology M&A for the Western United States and Asia-Pacific. Earlier in his career, Mr. Madnani served as an investment banker at Lazard Inc. (NYSE: LAZ), a global financial advisory and asset management firm, from July 2000 to May 2005. Mr. Madnani started his career as a software developer within the cooperative education program at International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE: IBM). Mr. Madnani holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, with a minor in Business Administration from the University of California at Berkeley.

Mr. Madnani has been a member of the board of trustees for the non-profit organization Hollywood Schoolhouse Inc. since October 2021.

Mr. Madnani previously served as an observer on the boards of directors of Blackboxstocks, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLBX), a SaaS financial analytics company, from May 2022 to June 2022 and On the Fly Inc. (d/b/a Wingtip), an e-commerce retailer for men’s clothing and apparel, from November 2014 to June 2022. In addition, Mr. Madnani previously served on the boards of directors for the Los Angeles Opera Company from April 2018 through March 2021, and The Wang Center for the Performing Arts Inc. from September 2012 through May 2016. Moreover, Mr. Madnani served as a member of the campaign steering committee for Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego from October 2019 until December 2024.

Qualifications, Experience, Attributes and Skills: Mr. Madnani’s extensive experience serving as a senior executive in the financial industry, with a focus on the technology sector, coupled with his significant investment and financial accounting expertise, including extensive merger and acquisition experience, makes him well-qualified to serve on the Board.

William C. Martin was appointed as Chairman of the Board in June 2024. Mr. Martin joined Immersion Corporation’s board of directors in August 2019 and has served as its Chief Strategy Officer since December 2021. Mr. Martin has extensive experience as a board member, investor, and entrepreneur. He previously ran a private investment fund for Raging Capital Management from 2006 to 2020. As an entrepreneur, he co-founded a number of financial information companies, including Raging Bull in 1997 and InsiderScore in 2004. Mr. Martin has served on numerous public company boards, including nine years on the board of Bankrate, Inc., a consumer finance company, which was acquired in 2009; the board of Salary.com, Inc., a compensation data and software company, which was acquired in 2010; and the board of Vitesse Semiconductor Corp., a semiconductor company, which was acquired in 2015. Mr. Martin also manages his personal family office, Raging Capital Ventures.

Qualifications, Experience, Attributes and Skills: Mr. Martin’s extensive experience and successful track record as an investor, entrepreneur and public company director enables him to provide the Board and management with valuable perspectives on our operations, capital allocation strategies and other corporate strategies to maximize stockholder value. Mr. Martin also has a long track record of investing in publicly traded companies and actively engaging in certain investments. As a result, Mr. Martin brings the perspective of a stockholder to the Board that is critical in creating and implementing strategies that increase stockholder value.

Eric B. Singer was appointed as a director in June 2024. Mr. Singer has served as a member of the board of directors of Immersion Corporation since March 2020, as Immersion Corporation’s Executive Chairman from August 2020 to January 2023, and as Immersion Corporation’s Chairman of the board of directors since January 2023. Since December 2023, Mr. Singer has served as a director of Universal Electronics, a global leader in wireless universal control solutions for home entertainment and smart home devices. Since July 2019, Mr. Singer has served as a director of A10 Networks, Inc. (NYSE: ATEN), an application controller and firewall cloud security company, and has served as its lead independent director since September 2021. Mr. Singer was a founder and Managing Member of

VIEX Capital Advisors, a securities investment firm. In addition to a long track record as a successful investor in technology companies, Mr. Singer has substantial experience serving on public boards and assisting them in creating and expanding stockholder value. Mr. Singer previously served on the boards of directors of Quantum Corporation, a video data storage and management company, Numerex Corp., a provider of managed machine-to-machine enterprise solutions enabling the Internet of Things, RhythmOne plc and YuMe, Inc., each a provider of brand video advertising software and audience data, Support.com, Inc., a provider of tech support and support center services, Meru Networks, Inc., a Wi-Fi network solutions company, PLX Technology, Inc., a PCI Express and ethernet semiconductor company, and Sigma Designs, Inc., an integrated circuit provider for the home entertainment market, among other companies. Mr. Singer has a B.A. from Brandeis University.

Qualifications, Experience, Attributes and Skills: Mr. Singer has specific attributes that qualify him to serve as a member of the Board, including his extensive financial and operating experience and knowledge of the technology industry gained through his service on numerous public company boards. Mr. Singer also has a long track record of investing in publicly traded companies and actively engaging with certain investments. As a result, Mr. Singer brings the perspective of a stockholder to the Board that is critical in creating and implementing strategies that increase stockholder value.

Kathryn (“Kate”) Eberle Walker has served as a director since July 2022. Since 2019, Ms. Walker has been the Chief Executive Officer and Board Chair of Presence Learning Inc., a provider of special education teletherapy solutions. From 2015 to 2017, she served as Chief Executive Officer of The Princeton Review and Tutor.com, and its Chief Financial Officer and Chief Strategy Officer from 2014 to 2015. Ms. Walker managed mergers and acquisitions, strategy and investments for Kaplan, Inc. from 2006 to 2014. Ms. Walker began her career in investment banking at Goldman Sachs. She currently serves as a Director of Prospect Schools, and as a Trustee of the International School of Brooklyn. Ms. Walker previously served on the Board of Directors of Rosetta Stone from 2019 until the company’s acquisition by Cambium Learning Group Inc. in 2020, and on the Board of Directors of Babbel, Inc. from 2021 to 2024. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Qualifications, Experience, Attributes and Skills. Ms. Walker has over 20 years of experience leading education organizations and brings extensive board service with companies in the education industry. Ms. Walker’s experience also allows her to bring to the Board of Directors skills in diversity, equity and inclusion, management strategy, transactions, finance, leadership, change management and education technology.

Denise Warren has served as a director since July 2022. Since 2016, she has also served as the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Netlyst, LLC, a consulting and advisory firm that focuses on digital business growth and scaling consumer and enterprise recurring revenue streams. Prior to founding Netlyst, Ms. Warren served as the President of Digital and Chief Executive Officer of East Coast Publishing for Tribune Publishing from 2015 to 2016. For more than 25 years, she served in numerous capacities at The New York Times Company including as Executive Vice President of Digital Products and Services; General Manager, nytimes.com; Chief Advertising Officer; Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning; and Director of Marketing. Ms. Warren currently serves as an independent director on the board of directors of Naviga, a Vista Equity partners backed software technology company, and McClatchy Media, a private news media, magazine, marketing and distribution company. She previously served as a Director and member of the audit committee of Taylor Morrison Home Corporation (NYSE: TMHC) until its sale to Berkshire Hathaway in July 2026, a Director and Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of Monotype Imaging Holdings Inc., a publicly traded provider of design assets, technology and expertise, and as a Director and member of the audit committee of Electronic Arts Inc. (Nasdaq: EA), a publicly traded digital interactive entertainment company. Ms. Warren holds a B.S. in management from Tulane University and an M.B.A. in communications and media management from Fordham University.

Qualifications, Experience, Attributes and Skills. Ms. Warren’s long experience in operating profitable recurring revenue businesses and driving transformative change in digital operations, consumer marketing, sales and product development at the strategic, operational and financial levels of digital marketing, business operations and corporate governance make her well qualified to serve on the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors then in office met nine (9) times during Fiscal 2026. All directors then in office attended at least 75% of all meetings of the Board of Directors and committees of which he or she was a member.

Based on the information supplied to it by the directors, the Board has affirmatively determined that each of Kathryn Eberle Walker, Sean Vijay Madnani, Denise Warren, and Emily S. Hoffman is “independent” under the listing standards of the NYSE (the “NYSE Listing Standards”), and has made such determinations based on the fact that none of such persons have had, or currently have, any relationship with the Company or its affiliates or any executive officer of the Company or his or her affiliates, that would currently impair their independence, including, without limitation, any such commercial, industrial, banking, consulting, legal, accounting, charitable or familial relationship.

The Board currently has four standing committees: the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, and the Strategy and Operational Review Committee (the “SORC”), which is a special committee to review, among other things, the Company’s operational performance, cost structure and margin improvement opportunities, organizational structure as well as exploring all other available stockholder value creation levers. Mr. Singer (Chair) and Mr. Martin currently serve as the sole members of the SORC.

The responsibilities of the Audit Committee include, among other duties:

The Board of Directors has adopted a written charter setting out the functions of the Audit Committee, a copy of which is available on the Company’s website at www.bned.com and is available in print to any stockholder who requests it in writing directed to the Company’s Corporate Secretary, Barnes & Noble Education, Inc., 180 Park Avenue, Suite 301, Florham Park, New Jersey 07932.

The members of the Audit Committee currently are Sean Vijay Madnani (Chair), Kathryn Eberle Walker, and Denise Warren. Each of the Audit Committee members meets the independence standards of the NYSE Listing Standards, the independence standards established by the SEC for audit committee members and our Corporate Governance Guidelines. The Board of Directors has also determined that each of Mr. Madnani, Ms. Walker and Ms. Warren is financially literate for purposes of the NYSE Listing Standards, and Mr. Madnani has the requisite attributes of an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by regulations promulgated by the SEC and that such attributes were acquired through relevant education and/or experience.

The members of the Audit Committee then in office met thirty-two (32) times during Fiscal 2026.

The responsibilities of the Compensation Committee include, among other duties:

The Board of Directors has adopted a written charter setting out the functions of the Compensation Committee, a copy of which is available on the Company’s website at www.bned.com and is available in print to any stockholder who requests it in writing directed to the Company’s Corporate Secretary, Barnes & Noble Education, Inc., 180 Park Avenue, Suite 301, Florham Park, New Jersey 07932.

The members of the Compensation Committee currently are Emily S. Hoffman (Chair), and Sean Vijay Madnani. Each of the Compensation Committee members meets the independence standards of the NYSE Listing Standards and our Corporate Governance Guidelines. All members of the Compensation Committee are “non-employee directors” within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).

The members of the Compensation Committee then in office met five (5) times during Fiscal 2026.

The responsibilities of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee include, among other duties:

The Board of Directors has adopted a written charter setting out the functions of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, a copy of which is available on the Company’s website at www.bned.com and is available in print to any stockholder who requests it in writing directed to the Company’s Corporate Secretary, Barnes & Noble Education, Inc., 180 Park Avenue, Suite 301, Florham Park, New Jersey 07932.

The members of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee currently are Emily S. Hoffman (Chair) and Sean Vijay Madnani. Each of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee members meets the independence requirements set forth in the NYSE Listing Standards and our Corporate Governance Guidelines. The members of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee then in office met three (3) times during Fiscal 2026.

The Company does not set specific criteria for directors except to the extent required to meet applicable legal, regulatory and stock exchange requirements, including, but not limited to, the independence requirements of the NYSE Listing Standards and the SEC, as applicable. Nominees for director will be selected on the basis of outstanding achievement in their personal careers, board experience, wisdom, integrity, ability to make independent and analytical inquiries, understanding of the business environment, and willingness to devote adequate time to Board of Directors duties. While the selection of qualified directors is a complex and subjective process that requires consideration of many intangible factors, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee believes that each director should have a basic understanding of (a) the principal operational and financial objectives and plans and strategies of the Company, (b) the results of operations and financial condition of the Company and of any significant subsidiaries or businesses, and (c) the relative standing of the Company and its businesses in relation to its competitors.

The Company does not have a specific policy regarding the diversity of the Board of Directors. Instead, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee considers the Board of Directors’ overall composition when considering director candidates, including whether the Board of Directors has an appropriate combination of professional experience, skills, knowledge and variety of viewpoints and backgrounds in light of the Company’s current and expected future needs. In addition, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee also believes that it is desirable for new candidates to contribute to a variety of viewpoints on the Board of Directors, which may be enhanced by a mix of different professional and personal backgrounds and experiences.

Although the process for identifying and evaluating candidates to fill vacancies and/or reduce or expand the Board of Directors will inevitably require a practical approach in light of the particular circumstances at such time, the Board of Directors has adopted the following process to guide the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee in this respect. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee is willing to consider candidates submitted by a variety of sources (including incumbent directors, stockholders (as described below), Company management and independent third-party search firms) when reviewing candidates to fill vacancies and/or expand the Board of Directors. If a vacancy arises or the Board of Directors decides to expand its membership, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee may ask each director to submit a list of potential candidates for consideration. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee then evaluates each potential candidate’s educational background, employment history, outside commitments and other relevant factors to determine whether he or she is potentially qualified to serve on the Board of Directors. At that time, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee also will consider potential nominees submitted by stockholders, if any, in accordance with the procedures described below, or by the Company’s management and, if the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee deems it necessary, retain an independent third-party search firm to provide potential candidates. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee seeks to identify and recruit the best available candidates, and it intends to evaluate qualified stockholder nominees on the same basis as those submitted by Board of Directors members, Company management, independent third-party search firms or other sources.

After completing this process, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee will determine whether one or more candidates are sufficiently qualified to warrant further investigation. If the process yields one or more

desirable candidate(s), the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee will rank them by order of preference, depending on their respective qualifications and the Company’s needs. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee Chair will then contact the preferred candidate(s) to evaluate their potential interest and to set up interviews with the full Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. All such interviews include only the candidate and one or more Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee members. Based upon interview results and appropriate background checks, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee then decides whether it will recommend the candidate’s nomination to the full Board of Directors.

When nominating a sitting director for re-election, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee will consider the director’s performance on the Board of Directors and its committees and the director’s qualifications in respect of the criteria referred to above.

In accordance with its charter, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee will consider candidates for election to the Board of Directors at a stockholder meeting if submitted by an eligible stockholder in a timely manner. Any eligible stockholder wishing to submit a candidate for consideration for election at a stockholder meeting should send the following information to the Company’s Corporate Secretary, Barnes & Noble Education, Inc., 180 Park Avenue, Suite 301, Florham Park, New Jersey 07932.

Eligible stockholders who do not wish to follow the foregoing procedure but who wish instead to nominate directly one or more persons for election to the Board of Directors must comply with the procedures established by our amended and restated bylaws (“Bylaws”). Our Bylaws provide that in order to nominate a person for election as a director at next year’s annual meeting, a notice of an intention to nominate one or more directors containing certain information required by the Bylaws must be delivered to the Corporate Secretary of the Company. To be timely, whether or not a stockholder wishes to have his or her nominees included in the Company’s proxy materials, the Corporate Secretary of the Company must receive nominations for election to the Board of Directors for the 2027 annual meeting at Barnes & Noble Education, Inc., 180 Park Avenue, Suite 301, Florham Park, New Jersey, 07932, no earlier than May 27, 2027 and not later than the close of business on June 26, 2027.

Additionally, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee will consider stockholder nominated candidates if a vacancy arises or if the Board of Directors decides to expand its membership, and at such other times as the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee deems necessary or appropriate. In any such event, any stockholder wishing to submit a candidate for consideration should send the above-listed information to the Company’s Corporate Secretary, Barnes & Noble Education, Inc., 180 Park Avenue, Suite 301, Florham Park, New Jersey 07932.

All of the director nominees identified in this Proxy Statement have been recommended by our Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee to our Board of Directors for re-election. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee recommends candidates to the full Board of Directors after receiving input from all directors. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee members, other members of the Board of Directors and senior management discuss potential candidates during this search process.

The Board of Directors has adopted Corporate Governance Guidelines applicable to the members of the Board of Directors, which, among other things, sets forth our definition for an “independent director.” The Board of Directors

has also adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applicable to the Company’s employees, directors, agents and representatives, including consultants. The Corporate Governance Guidelines and the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics are available on the Company’s website at www.bned.com. Copies of the Corporate Governance Guidelines and the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics are available in print to any stockholder who requests them in writing to the Company’s Corporate Secretary, Barnes & Noble Education, Inc., 180 Park Avenue, Suite 301, Florham Park, New Jersey 07932.

The roles of CEO and Chairman of the Board are currently separately held by Mr. Jonathan Shar and Mr. William C. Martin, respectively. The CEO is responsible for setting the strategic direction for the Company and the day-to-day leadership and performance of the Company, while the Chairman of the Board provides guidance to the CEO, sets the agenda for Board meetings and presides over meetings of the full Board and executive sessions of non-management and independent directors. This separation of the roles of the Chairman of the Board and the CEO allows for greater oversight of the Company by the Board. The Board has determined that our Board leadership structure is the most appropriate at this time, given the specific characteristics and circumstances of the Company, and the skills and experience of Mr. Shar and Mr. Martin.

In accordance with the Corporate Governance Guidelines, non-management directors meet in executive sessions at every Board of Directors meeting. Independent directors also meet at least once a year in an executive session of only independent directors. Currently, all of the non-management directors are independent directors.

Directors may not serve on the boards of more than four other publicly traded companies in addition to the Company’s Board, which does not include service on the boards of subsidiary companies, non-profit organizations and non-public for-profit organizations. In addition, we understand that the policy of ISS Proxy Advisory Services (“ISS”) is to recommend a “Withhold” vote for directors who serve on more than three public boards, while also serving as a CEO of a publicly traded company, which ISS refers to as being “overboarded.” We understand that ISS policy allows for an exception to its CEO-related “overboarded” rule when a director’s service on a board is integral to their duties as CEO. Mr. Singer serves on the board of Immersion Corporation (Immersion), where Mr. Singer is also CEO. In addition to Mr. Singer’s service on Immersion’s board and on the Company’s Board, he serves on the board of two other publicly traded companies, A10 Networks, Inc. (A10) and Universal Electronics Inc. (UEI).

We believe Mr. Singer falls within the ISS exception to its CEO-related “overboarded” policy, because Mr. Singer’s service on the Company’s Board, UEI’s board and Immersion’s board is directly tied to his CEO responsibilities at Immersion. Immersion is the largest stockholder of both the Company and UEI, and it holds a material financial interest in those companies relative to Immersion’s balance sheet. Specifically, with respect to the Company, Immersion owns approximately 32.3% of the outstanding shares of BNED and is required to consolidate its financial results with the Company. Mr. Singer’s role as a director of the Company is therefore essential to providing oversight of a business, the performance of which has a direct and material impact on Immersion’s financial results. Similarly, Immersion owns approximately 12.3% of UEI’s outstanding shares, making Mr. Singer’s board role at UEI equally critical. In both cases, Mr. Singer’s service on the board of the Company and UEI is not separate from, but rather a key component of, his responsibilities as CEO of Immersion. As such, we believe this is a compelling case for ISS to grant an exception to its “overboarded” policy with respect to Mr. Singer’s board service at the Company, Immersion, A10 and UEI.

As a director of the Company, Mr. Singer has been involved in advising management and providing oversight on several operational and corporate matters. By way of example, he has:

Mr. Singer has maintained perfect attendance at all meetings of the Company’s Board and the committees upon which he serves, and he continues to dedicate significant time to the Company, well beyond what is typically expected of a non-executive director.

When considering whether to recommend the nomination of Mr. Singer to the Company’s Board, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee and the Board took all of this into account and evaluated the factors discussed above. On behalf of the Board, we respectfully request your support by voting “FOR” each of our director nominees, including Mr. Singer.

The Board of Directors’ primary function is one of oversight. In connection with its oversight function, the Board of Directors oversees the Company’s policies and procedures for managing risk. The Board of Directors administers its risk oversight function primarily through its Committees. Board of Directors Committees have assumed oversight of various risks that have been identified through the Company’s enterprise risk assessment. The Audit Committee reviews the Company’s risk assessment and risk management policies, and the Audit Committee reports to the Board of Directors on the Company’s enterprise risk assessment. The Compensation Committee oversees compensation risk through its review of compensation practices and assessment of the potential impact of those practices on risk-taking.

Our Board of Directors, Audit Committee and Legal team oversee the cybersecurity processes of identifying and mitigating cybersecurity risks. Reporting directly to our Chief Information Officer, our Chief Information Security Officer (“CISO”) leads the charge, ensuring that our cybersecurity posture remains robust and adaptive. Through quarterly updates to the Audit Committee and periodic briefings to the Board of Directors, senior management keeps governance structures informed and aligned with our evolving cybersecurity landscape.

Stockholders and other interested persons seeking to communicate with the Board of Directors should submit any communications in writing to the Company’s Corporate Secretary, Barnes & Noble Education, Inc., 180 Park Avenue, Suite 301, Florham Park, New Jersey 07932. Any such communication made by a stockholder of the Company must state the number of shares beneficially owned by such stockholder. The Company’s Corporate Secretary will forward such communication to the full Board of Directors or to any individual director or directors (including the non-management directors as a group) to whom the communication is directed.

All Board of Directors members are expected to attend the Company’s annual meetings of stockholders and be available to address questions or concerns raised by stockholders. All of the Board of Directors members then serving attended the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

The Company’s commitment to responsible business practices is rooted in our purpose – elevating lives through education. Our purpose defines who we are and why we exist. That is why we focus on working in innovative ways to design and deliver solutions that contribute to a sustainable and prosperous future for all.

We are firmly committed to aligning our operations with our school partners’ policies to help them achieve their Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) goals. Over the past decade, we have implemented numerous company-wide initiatives to advance our environmental, sustainability and social efforts across our business, including environmentally-friendly store design, merchandise, shipping practices and technology – many of which contribute to long-term operational efficiencies and cost savings.

By engaging with stakeholders – including clients, consumers, students, employees and investors – we do our part to improve today’s environmental challenges and better serve our community while simultaneously delivering on our company’s business goals.

Operating in a responsible and sustainable environment is important to our company. As part of our commitment to being responsible corporate citizens, we make it a priority to understand and manage our environmental and economic impact on the world around us.

Our business is about serving people. Our success depends on attracting, developing and retaining talented and highly qualified employees. We invest in resources and programs designed to attract and retain talented employees, provide fair and competitive pay and benefits that support employee well-being, and foster personal growth and career development.

We actively recruit talented people with a passion for education for our retail stores and corporate offices, including our part-time and seasonal roles, and to be a part of our work-study/internship program. To find our pool of talent, we network internally and externally via our talent acquisition team, agency partners and current employees who serve as “talent” ambassadors through employee referrals and their professional networks.

Barnes & Noble Education is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our Equal Employment Opportunity Policy ensures that all employment decisions are made without discrimination and with full access to opportunity. We provide equal employment opportunities to all current and prospective employees and ensure that employment, training, compensation, transfer, promotion, and all conditions and privileges of employment are offered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. This commitment is maintained in full compliance with all applicable national, state, and local laws. In order to attract and retain talented employees, we know we must take care of them as they take care of our business. That starts with offering employees, based on their classification and hours worked, benefits that include:

Employee training and development opportunities are critical to our success, as we believe they fuel individual growth, foster leadership, and enhance our ability to support the schools and customers we serve. We offer robust, ongoing employee training and career development programs through our Learning & Development system, which provides employees access to a library of more than 75,000 learning resources for professional advancement and personal growth.

Student employees can also participate in our Aspiring Leaders Management Development Program, which is geared toward our Campus Store Team Members and Supervisors who demonstrate an interest in developing their managerial skills as well as learning more about the ins and outs of running one of our unique campus bookstores. This comprehensive, interactive program is part of our commitment to developing future leaders from within.

As one of the nation’s largest employers of college students, Barnes & Noble College offers meaningful employment opportunities that help students gain valuable workplace experience while supporting the campus communities we serve. Our wholesale operations also provide employment opportunities for students.

All full-time and part-time employees are considered for periodic performance and development reviews, to support individual career objectives and align with organizational priorities. Managers are encouraged to provide ongoing feedback and guidance to promote employees’ continuous development and growth.

At our core, we are built on sustainability: we are the nation’s largest used textbook wholesaler, as well as a provider of a robust assortment of digital course materials. By facilitating the sale of used and digital textbooks, we help cut down on the production of paper books and enable a circular economy.

As a trusted partner at colleges and universities nationwide, we are committed to expanding our sustainability practices and integrating them into the programs and philosophy of each campus we serve. Our goal is to reduce negative impacts on the environment and reduce costs by working with our partners, peers and others to promote responsible and cost-effective environmental practices. Over the past decade, we have implemented many company-wide initiatives aimed at reducing financial costs and increasing our sustainability efforts across operational areas, including environmentally friendly stores, merchandise, shipping, data center design, digital course materials, technology and more.

To meet our school partners’ green goals and vision, we can help design LEED-certified buildings. These “low-impact” stores may also feature recycled floor coverings, eco-friendly carpeting, non-toxic paint, LED lights, eco-friendly merchandising fixtures made with recycled particleboard and non-toxic glues, and mannequins laminated with sustainable bio-resins.

We incorporate green business practices throughout a number of our offices and warehouse facilities including the use of recycled materials, recycling of all paper, plastic and glass products, replacement of our facilities’ lighting to increase energy efficiency and the utilization of efficient shipping methods that help decrease waste and reduces costs.

To provide our customers with environmentally-friendly choices in our stores, we offer sustainable products such as reusable water bottles, CFL light bulbs, recycled notebooks, recycled, reusable tote bags, and organic foods and snacks. In addition, over 200 of our physical stores do not use plastic checkout bags, but instead either use paper checkout bags, which are made from 100% recycled fiber, with a minimum of 40% post-consumer content and are 100% recyclable, or require customers to use their own bags. We also proactively promote reuse and recycling of our bags to consumers.

We ship over $530 million in textbooks and general merchandise purchases annually, which necessitates a large number of shipping cartons. We understand the impact this volume of shipments can have on the environment, so we have addressed the environmental impact of our order receiving and fulfillment in multiple ways. We always try to consolidate orders whether we are sending or receiving the package, we use cartons that have 35% post-consumer recycled content for every shipment we send, we re-use the boxes, packing materials and pallets many times over, and we work to make sure all materials including every carton is recycled properly when it can no longer be used. These shipping processes also help to significantly reduce costs.

Lastly, although our business is built on extending the useful life of textbooks, there are times when books can no longer be a part of our system, but we try to ensure that they do not end up in landfills. For unwanted textbooks, we work with Better World Books, an award-winning, for-profit social enterprise and a global e-retailer that collects and sells

unwanted used textbooks online matching each purchase with a book donation, Book-for-Book™. To further advance our textbook life cycle, we also engage Bulrushed Books that receives, evaluates, cosmetically repairs, and resells books. For books that have reached the end of their lifetime, we work with third parties to recondition or grind the books down to a pulp that can be beneficially used.

We take the privacy and security of personal information very seriously. Our day-to-day operations are managed by our Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and Chief Privacy Officer (CPO). The CISO reports to the SVP, Chief Information Officer (CIO); the CPO reports directly to the Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary (GC). In addition to direct GC and CIO interaction with the Board of Directors, our CIO provides quarterly compliance updates to the Audit Committee of the Board, incorporating information solicited from the CPO and others. These quarterly updates enable the Audit Committee to maintain ongoing oversight of the Company’s data privacy and security program throughout the year.

As set in our Code of Business Conduct & Ethics, we expect all employees to adhere to the laws, regulations, and company policies applicable to the personal or business information that they may process in the course of their employment. Our information security policies and procedures include only using or disclosing personal or business information as needed to fulfill the specific purpose(s) for which such information was collected, not collecting more personal or business information than is necessary and taking care to safeguard the information. All employees must attest to complying with the Code annually. All employees, including part-time employees, who have access to our systems are trained on our procedures upon hire and have a refresher once a year. Employees whose roles involve access to student education records, are required to take Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) compliance training.

We perform network penetration testing at least annually and application penetration testing at least quarterly on our corporate systems. In the event of a major system or environment change we would do additional testing. We also perform vulnerability scans monthly. All penetration testing and monthly vulnerability scans are done by a third party. We also assess the data security practices of key third-party service providers with access to personal or business information through contractual data protection requirements and periodic monitoring. To date, we have not experienced any material service interruptions and are not aware of any material data breaches.

Ethical behavior is a core tenet of our Company’s values. We believe that how we operate as a company creates value for all our stakeholders – customers, clients, students, employees, investors and others – and will ultimately contribute to the Company’s long-term business growth and a better world.

We operate a robust ethics and compliance program, which includes regular employee training. If an employee has concerns, we have many avenues for them to seek guidance and/or report their concerns. They range from speaking with their manager, the HR department, or another member of our executive team, to utilizing our Talk2Us feature where they can report concerns either online or to an 800 hotline. This allows them to report concerns anonymously and confidentially. BNED also has zero tolerance and will not permit retaliation of any kind against anyone for reporting potential ethics or compliance issues in good faith or for assisting in the investigation of these issues.

We are proud of our commitment to apply fair labor practices and we are committed to providing equal opportunity in all aspects of employment. As a member of the Fair Labor Association (FLA), we require vendors who supply emblematic/licensed products to our stores to adopt the FLA’s Code of Conduct. This requires strict adherence to workers’ rights, including no forced or child labor, a workplace free of discrimination, harassment and/or abuse, a safe and healthy working environment, respect for the workers’ rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining, proper compensation for overtime hours, as well as limiting those hours to not be excessive, and paying workers’ wages and benefits in accordance with the law. We also ask our vendors to adopt their Principles of Monitoring to assure compliance with the Code of Conduct through training and audits. Through our partnership with FLA, our campus communities can be assured that the products sold in our stores were not created using unfair labor practices. To achieve greater transparency, the majority of our vendor partners openly disclose on their websites the factories used to manufacture their products.

We strive to understand and respect the values of the communities where we serve and actively support initiatives in these communities. This commitment is visible in our contributions of financial and volunteer support, from providing annual textbook scholarships, to supporting student clubs and organizations.

The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of shares of Common Stock, as of July 27, 2026, unless otherwise indicated, (i) by each person or group of affiliated persons known by the Company to own beneficially more than five percent of the Company’s outstanding Common Stock, (ii) by each director, director nominee, and named executive officer and (iii) by all directors, director nominees and executive officers of the Company as a group. Except as otherwise indicated below, the address of each director, director nominee, named executive officer and executive officer listed below is 180 Park Avenue, Suite 301, Florham Park, New Jersey 07932. Except as otherwise noted, to the Company’s knowledge, each person named in the table has sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of Common Stock shown as beneficially owned by him, her or it.

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our executive officers, directors and persons who beneficially own more than ten percent of our common stock to file reports of their beneficial ownership and changes in ownership (Forms 3, 4 and 5, and any amendment thereto) with the SEC. Based solely on a review of forms filed in the SEC’s EDGAR database and written representations from executive officers and directors, we believe that during Fiscal 2026, all required reports were filed on a timely basis.

This Compensation Overview summarizes the material elements of our compensation program for our named executive officers (each, an “NEO”). For Fiscal 2026, our NEOs were:

We are one of the largest contract operators of physical and virtual bookstores for college and university campuses and K-12 institutions across the United States. We are also one of the largest textbook wholesalers and inventory management hardware and software providers.

Fiscal 2026 was another strong year for the Company, marked by continued operational improvement, significant growth in our First Day® programs, and a return to profitability. Key Fiscal 2026 achievements include:

With continued growth in our First Day® programs, improved profitability, and a significantly stronger balance sheet, we believe the Company is well positioned to continue to invest in strategic initiatives, support our academic partners and students, and drive sustainable long-term value creation.

The Compensation Committee is responsible for establishing, implementing and overseeing our compensation program, and reviews and approves our compensation philosophy and objectives. Consistent with its charter, the Compensation Committee annually reviews and approves the base salary, annual incentive opportunity, long-term incentive opportunity, employment and severance agreements and any special or supplemental benefits for each of the NEOs and any other executive officers, Section 16 officers and employees of the Company earning a base salary of $400,000 or more. The Compensation Committee exercises independent judgment in establishing executive compensation and considers a variety of factors, including the Company’s financial and operating performance, the executive’s individual performance, the scope of the executive’s responsibilities, internal pay relationships, the design of existing compensation arrangements and the Company’s compensation philosophy. The Compensation Committee does not apply a fixed formula or assign a specific weighting to these factors, but instead exercises its business judgment in determining the overall compensation of each executive officer.

The compensation of our Chief Executive Officer is determined by the Compensation Committee in executive session. The Chief Executive Officer evaluates the performance of each of the other executive officers and provides recommendations to the Compensation Committee regarding their compensation. While the Compensation Committee considers the Chief Executive Officer’s recommendations, the Compensation Committee independently reviews and determines the compensation of each executive officer. The Compensation Committee reviews each element of compensation individually, as well as the overall compensation package for each executive officer, to ensure that the program appropriately rewards performance, supports retention and aligns management’s interests with those of our stockholders.

Neither the Compensation Committee nor management retained or received advice from an independent compensation consultant during Fiscal 2026 in connection with the determination or recommendation of the amount or form of executive or director compensation. Instead, the Compensation Committee based its decisions on its independent judgment after considering the factors described above and publicly available information regarding executive compensation practices that the Compensation Committee believed to be relevant.

The Compensation Committee continues to review and refine the Company’s executive compensation program to further align pay with Company performance and to ensure the integrity of the Company’s executive compensation program. The Compensation Committee considered the “say-on-pay” stockholder advisory vote held in March 2026 to be supportive of the Company’s pay practices. Over 90% of stockholder votes cast were in favor of the executive officer compensation as described in our 2025 proxy statement. The Board of Directors values stockholder feedback and will continue to proactively engage with our stockholders on these and other issues as well as periodically reviewing our compensation practices to ensure they are aligned with stockholder interest and are competitive with companies in the markets in which we compete.

We are engaged in a very competitive and rapidly changing industry. Accordingly, the Compensation Committee aims to create total compensation packages that are competitive with programs offered by other companies with which we compete for talent. At the same time, our Compensation Committee believes that a significant portion of the compensation paid to our executive officers should be tied to our performance, execution of our strategic plan and the value we create for stockholders.

The Compensation Committee’s objectives are to:

Our compensation structure is primarily composed of base salary, performance-based annual incentive compensation and performance-based and time-vested long-term equity incentives.

We pay our NEOs a base salary to provide them with a guaranteed minimum compensation level for their services. An NEO’s base salary is determined by evaluating the external competitive marketplace, internal equity and individual contributions.

Historically, our NEOs have been eligible to receive an annual bonus tied to predetermined performance criteria. The annual incentive plan approved for Fiscal 2026 had been based on targets set prior to our restatement of financial information for certain periods in fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2025, and was not attained in light of the restatement. However, the Compensation Committee retained the discretion to award individual discretionary bonuses based upon Fiscal 2026 results and other relevant considerations. Following a review of performance and such considerations, the Compensation Committee approved discretionary bonuses to Mr. Shar in the amount of $200,000 and Mr. Neumann in the amount of $30,000.

Long-term equity incentives are a critical component of the Company’s compensation program. They are designed to promote the Company’s long-term financial interests and growth, to attract, motivate, and retain key employees, and to align the interests of management with those of the Company’s stockholders. The Company grants long-term equity incentive awards under the Company’s Amended and Restated Equity Incentive Plan (the “Equity Incentive Plan”), which is administered by the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee reviews, discusses and approves the types and number of awards made to senior management, including the NEOs, and approves the terms, conditions and limitations applicable to each award. Although the Compensation Committee does not follow a policy of making annual equity grants, it reviews the Company’s long-term incentive program each year and determines whether additional grants are appropriate based on the Company’s circumstances and the outstanding equity incentives held by executives.

Fiscal 2025 PSU Awards. The Company has granted PSUs to employees (including our NEOs) in Fiscal 2025 that include both a service condition and market condition in order for PSUs to vest (and such PSU awards granted prior to February 1, 2025 were amended effective February 1, 2025 to clarify certain vesting terms) (the “Fiscal 2025 PSU Awards”). As amended, 1/3 of the target number of PSUs become eligible to vest upon the Company’s Common Stock achieving a price per share (measured using a 100-day average volume weighted average price (“VWAP”)) for each of three tranches of $10, $15, and $20, respectively. In the case of the first tranche, the VWAP was measured based on a 100 calendar day average and has been satisfied, and such first tranche PSUs vested on September 20, 2025 subject to

the employee’s continued employment through such date, although in the case of Covered Persons and certain other key employees, such vesting was suspended for a period of time – see Recovery of Erroneously Awarded Compensation on page 34. In the case of the second and third tranches, the VWAP is measured based on a 100 trading day average, and upon achievement of such tranche 50% of the PSUs associated with such tranche would vest on the later of September 20, 2026 (the second anniversary of the grant date) and the date of achievement of the milestone, and the remaining 50% of the PSUs associated with such tranche would vest on the later of September 20, 2027 (the third anniversary of the grant date) and the date of achievement of the milestone. There is a period of seven years from the grant date in order to achieve the specific target share price performance milestones.

401(k) Plan. Each of our NEOs is entitled to participate in our tax-qualified defined contribution 401(k) plan on the same basis as all other eligible employees, other than the Company’s recently reinstituted matching program, which is only available to employees whose annual compensation does not exceed $200,000. The 401(k) plan provides our employees, including our NEOs, with a way to accumulate tax-deferred savings for retirement. In fiscal 2026, the Company’s 401(k) plan match was a discretionary year end contribution. In July 2026, the Compensation Committee approved a matching program, whereby participating employees whose annual compensation does not exceed $200,000 can receive a 50% match up to 3% of their eligible compensation. We do not provide supplemental executive retirement benefits.

Limited Perquisites and Other Compensation. The Company’s NEOs are entitled to only the limited perquisites set forth in their employment agreements or letters and disclosed in the footnotes to the “Summary Compensation Table” on page 28.

Severance and Change of Control Payments and Benefits. Messrs. Shar, Snagusky, and Neumann have employment letter agreements that contain severance and change in control benefits. The agreements provide for certain severance payments and benefits upon termination of employment by the Company without cause or by the NEO for good reason (including upon termination within two years following a change of control). The triggering events that would result in the severance payments and benefits and the amount of those payments and benefits are intended to provide our NEOs with financial protection upon loss of employment and to support our executive retention goals and enable our NEOs to focus on the interests of the Company in the event of a potential change of control. The Company does not pay any tax gross-ups in connection with the severance payments. The Compensation Committee believes that the terms of the employment agreements, including triggering events and amounts payable, are competitive with severance protection being offered by other companies with whom we compete for highly qualified executives. The material terms of these agreements, as in effect for Fiscal 2026, are described in the section entitled “Narrative to the Summary Compensation Table – Employment Arrangements with the Named Executive Officers.”

The Board of Directors adopted the Compensation Recovery Policy (the “Clawback Policy”) effective as of October 2, 2023, as required by NYSE listing standards and Section 10D of the Exchange Act. The Clawback Policy requires the Compensation Committee to take action to recover erroneously received incentive compensation from certain current and former executive officers (the “Covered Officers”), in the event that the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement due to material noncompliance with financial reporting requirements. The Clawback Policy only applies to incentive-based compensation received by Covered Officers on or after the effective date of the policy, and during the three completed fiscal years immediately preceding the applicable restatement trigger date, in excess of what would have been received under the circumstances reflected by such restatement, and applies irrespective of the responsibility of the Covered Officer for the accounting restatement.

The Company’s Insider Trading Policy applicable to all directors, officers and employees prohibits insider trading when the person is aware of material nonpublic information and restricts directors, officers with the title of Vice President and above, and certain other employees determined to have potential access to insider information from trading in Company stock during predetermined blackout periods. In addition, all Board members, certain individuals who are subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act, and all other employees who have been notified by the Company’s General Counsel that they are subject to pre-clearance procedures to pre-clear any trades.

The Company’s Insider Trading Policy prohibits employees, including directors and executive officers, from hedging their ownership of Company stock, including selling Company stock short, buying or selling puts or calls or other derivative instruments related to Company stock. Directors and executive officers are also prohibited from pledging Company stock, purchasing Company stock on margin or incurring any indebtedness secured by a margin or similar account in which Company stock is held, without prior approval of the Audit Committee.

In light of the significant PSU grants made in Fiscal 2025 to employees, the Board determined that the Company’s leadership team was appropriately aligned with Company performance and suspended the Company’s executive stock ownership guidelines. The Board will revisit the need for executive stock ownership guidelines from time to time based on the Company’s performance.

The Compensation Committee conducted its risk assessment of the Company’s incentive compensation plans covering employees. The Compensation Committee evaluated the levels of risk-taking to determine whether they are appropriate in the context of the Company’s strategic objectives, the overall compensation arrangements, and the Company’s overall risk profile. The Compensation Committee believes the following elements of the Company’s executive compensation program mitigate potential risks:

The Compensation Committee concluded the Company has a balanced pay-for-performance executive compensation program that does not encourage excessive risk-taking and the Company does not maintain compensation policies and practices that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company.

The overriding consideration when evaluating the pay level or design component of any portion of our executives’ compensation is the effectiveness of the pay component and the stockholder value that management and the Compensation Committee believe the pay component reinforces. In structuring the compensation for our NEOs, our Compensation Committee will review a variety of factors, including the possible tax and accounting consequences applicable to the Company or its executives. In particular, section 162(m) of the Code limits our ability to deduct remuneration paid to our executives exceeding $1 million. However, this is not the driving or most influential factor and the Compensation Committee has approved in the past and specifically reserves the right to pay or approve nondeductible compensation currently and in the future.

Unless otherwise stated, the compensation tables included in this section reflect amounts paid or payable or awards granted to our NEOs by the Company under the Company’s compensation plans and programs during Fiscal 2024, Fiscal 2025 and Fiscal 2026.

The Company has entered into an employment agreement or employment letter with each of the NEOs and compensation of each of these NEOs is based on their respective employment agreement or employment letter, as the case may be, as well as their job responsibilities.

Each of Messrs. Shar, Snagusky and Neumann are eligible for a minimum target annual incentive compensation award of not less than 85%, 75%, and 50%, respectively, of his base salary, as determined by the Compensation Committee.

Each of our NEOs is entitled to all other benefits afforded to executive officers and employees of the Company.

Under their respective employment letters with the Company, our NEOs are subject to certain restrictive covenants regarding competition, solicitation, confidentiality and disparagement. Each NEO is restricted by a non-competition and non-solicitation covenant during their term of employment and for a one-year period thereafter. The confidentiality and non-disparagement covenants apply during the term of each NEO’s respective employment letter and at all times thereafter.

If the employment of Messrs. Shar, Snagusky or Neumann is terminated by the Company without “cause” or by the NEO for “good reason,” such NEO would be entitled, provided he signs a release of claims against the Company, to a lump-sum severance payment equal to one times annual base salary (50% of base salary and target bonus in the case of Mr. Neumann), and in the case of Mr. Shar company-paid COBRA premiums for twelve months.

Further, if the employment of Messrs. Shar, Snagusky or Neumann is terminated by the Company without “cause” or by the NEO for “good reason” within the period beginning 90 days prior to and ending two years following a “change of control” of the Company, such NEO would be entitled to a lump-sum severance payment equal to one times (two times in the case of Mr. Shar) (a) annual base salary; (b) the target annual incentive compensation for the fiscal year in which termination takes place (or in effect as of the change of control, if higher, in the case of Mr. Shar); and (c) in the case of Mr. Shar company-paid COBRA premiums for up to twelve months. However, if such severance payments trigger the “golden parachute” excise tax under Sections 280G and 4999 of the Code, the severance benefits for an NEO would be reduced if such reduction would result in a greater after-tax benefit to such NEO.

Except as otherwise provided by the applicable award agreement, if the successor company assumes or substitutes for an outstanding equity award, such award will continue in accordance with its applicable terms and will not be accelerated.

In the case of PSU Awards, in the event of a change of control during the performance period, and provided the participant remains employed through the closing of the transaction, any outstanding PSUs will be evaluated against the

per share deal price to determine whether performance milestones are achieved. PSUs deemed to have met the applicable milestones will vest immediately prior to the change of control, and any unearned PSUs will be forfeited.

The following table summarizes the equity awards the Company made to our NEOs that were outstanding as of the end of Fiscal 2026. In accordance with the applicable SEC disclosure guidance, this table and the accompanying footnotes do not account for any awards that may have been exercised or have vested or been forfeited pursuant to their terms in the ordinary course since the end of Fiscal 2026.

The following graphs graphically address the relationship over the past three years between Compensation Actually Paid (CAP) for our CEO and non-CEO NEOs as compared to our cumulative Total Stockholder Return (TSR) and GAAP net income.

During Fiscal 2026 annual cash retainer fee for each non-employee director was $100,000 and the Chairman of the Board of Directors received an additional annual cash retainer of $100,000. In connection with the creation of the SORC, the Compensation Committee approved an annual cash retainer amount for each member of $100,000 and an additional annual retainer for the Chairperson of the SORC of $75,000. There are no additional retainers for service on any other committee.

Each non-employee director is eligible to receive an annual grant of restricted stock units with a grant date fair value of $200,000. Such awards are granted the day following the Annual Meeting at which each individual director is elected by a majority of stockholders voting and vest on the earlier of one year from the grant date and the date of the next annual meeting, and will also be subject to full acceleration upon a change of control of the Company. Directors have the option to defer receipt of such awards under the Company’s director’s deferral plan.

In 2016, the Board of Directors adopted Director Stock Ownership and Retention Guidelines, which require each non-employee director to maintain a minimum stock ownership amount equal to four times the annual cash retainer, which currently equals $400,000. Directors have a three-year period following their appointment or election to the Board to achieve the minimum ownership level. Shares beneficially owned by a director and vested shares or units are deemed to be owned for purposes of the ownership guidelines. A director is deemed to have complied with these guidelines once they hold a number of shares sufficient to satisfy the minimum ownership level, regardless of subsequent fluctuations in the market price of the Company’s Common Stock. Directors are required to retain 100% of net-after-tax shares earned from the annual equity grants until the then-current minimum ownership level is met and may not sell or otherwise transfer Common Stock unless he or she has satisfied the then-current minimum ownership level.

Based on the Company’s stock price as of the end of Fiscal 2026, among the current directors, Mr. Martin and Mr. Singer are in compliance with the current Director Stock Ownership and Retention Guidelines. Ms. Hoffman, Mr. Madnani, Ms. Walker and Ms. Warren are still within the initial period to achieve the minimum ownership level and are expected to meet the ownership minimum level upon vesting of outstanding RSUs in September 2026.

The compensation for our directors who served as directors for the Company in Fiscal 2026 is as follows: