Bookstore Frequently Asked Questions

In-store systems help you quickly find what you need with course materials arranged either by course, or alphabetically by author.

You can also shop online. The website has menus to select courses and display materials.

• Required: it’s necessary for the course.
• Recommended: the instructor has suggested an item that may be helpful.
• Suggested: these items are often purchased with the required book, or other students have found the item useful.

Some titles are available on a rental basis—ideal for students who want to save some money and don’t want to keep the book after the class is complete.

At the end of the term, the student is responsible for returning the book to the store in good condition. (You can write in it or highlight reasonably, but need to protect it from excessive wear or water staining). If the book is not returned in acceptable condition, or not returned at all, the student will be charged approximately the difference of the rental fee and if they just bought it originally. Learn more about textbook rental.

Some physical books include a one-time-use code to access digital materials, and sometimes codes are available for purchase without the physical book. It all depends on how the publisher decided to offer the materials. Whatever the case, the campus store will present all of the options so that you can figure out which one is best for you.

There are several varieties of digital books, but usually just one type per title/ISBN.

• The most basic digital book is just a non-interactive PDF of the physical printed book.
• A more advanced digital book will have some interactive sections.
• Finally, a purely digital book is more like a website, where a user chooses different paths through the material. This type of book does not usually have a physical version.

Your class may offer a digital book via D2L. If this is the case then specific instructions will be available. Learn more about Digital Books.

If both versions are available, it’s up to you which one to use.

We price match textbooks against Amazon and most competitors. Find a cheaper advertised price within seven days of purchase, and we'll give you the difference. Price Match information.

Book Adoptions is the formal name for the materials the instructor (or academic department) has specified for the course.

If your order includes a print textbook, there is a possibility the condition you selected (e.g. Used or New condition) is unavailable at the time we process your order. In order to serve you sooner, we will replace your textbook with the available condition, and your final order total will be higher or lower than your original estimated order total. If you are unhappy with this replacement, please contact us and we would be happy to assist you with a refund.

Head to the campus store website as soon as you know your courses and section numbers to view the materials. This way you’ll be most likely to snag a used copy, and you can sign up for an email alert for anything not yet available.

You can choose to ship the materials to any address or have them reserved and waiting for you to pick up in the store for free. Stores have extended, convenient hours during term starts to pick up your items.

It’s a good idea to check for your books on the campus store's website because even if your local store does not have an in-stock copy, there may be one in another location that we can ship to your store for free pickup.

Sign up online to be notified as soon as we get the list of materials from your instructor and at least one format is available—then you can choose to have it delivered or pick-up in-store. You can get notifications for as many books or courses as you need. Here are two ways how:

• Within the main navigation, go to Books > Textbooks & Course Materials. Select your class. If your class materials are not confirmed, you'll see an option for "Email me when available online."
• If you know the book you need, you can enter in the ISBN in the search field. If it’s not available, you’ll see the option to receive a notification when your book is in-stock.

Sorry, we can’t promise your book will be on the shelf. However, if you buy it online and choose the pick-up in-store option, we’ll have it waiting for you.

Not having the book on the first day can make it hard to catch up since college classes move fast. The smart move is to have the book and return it if necessary. Also, used and rental copies sell out first, so if you wait to get your books, you may have to pay more for new books.

In most cases, unused books are easily returnable to the campus store up to your school's class add/drop date. Check your campus store for exact refund date and return policies.

At the end of each term (or whenever you no longer need the book), the campus store will buy back books based on the book’s current market value. Learn more about the bookstore return policy.