Bookstore reminders for Spring 2021

In May 2020, CSU announced a new partnership with Tree of Life Bookstores to offer a convenient and affordable solution for our campus family. Along with a new and improved bookstore, Tree of Life offers their innovative Textbook Butler service to students, which provides students the option to receive all textbooks and materials directly to their door on-campus or off.

Please review the following helpful information to prepare for the spring semester. To access your bookstore portal, go to csu.slingshotedu.com at any time.

Book Cost

Books are included in the tuition for all programs on campus, with the exception of the Physician Assistant, Doctor of Education, Master of Education, and Master of Science in Nursing degree programs.

There is no reduction in charges for students who opt out of the Tree of Life program. You may opt out, but tuition remains the same. 

How do I receive or order my books for my courses?

Every fall, spring, and summer term, the Textbook Butler program ensures all students will receive all books for every class enrolled. By default, students will receive a mix of physical rental books or digital ebooks dependent on availability.

Residential students receive books via dorm delivery. Commuters enrolled in a traditional undergraduate course are defaulted to receive books on campus unless they choose to update their shipping preference to “ship to home.” Students enrolled in CSU Online or Graduate level courses receive it at their home address unless otherwise noted in their shipping preferences.

Dorm Delivery

Residential students will have their textbooks delivered to their room before arrival on campus, with the exception of early move-ins or late registrations. After the initial delivery, any following deliveries will be sent to the Campus Store (first floor, Student Center) for pick up. When a package is ready for pickup, a notification email is sent to the student’s BucMail.

Additional Charges

Print upgrades, shipping charges, and buyout charges will be billed to the student account. Charges for nonreturned books may take several weeks to be posted to the account. Due to this delay, verification of book return will be required before transcript requests can be processed by the Registrar’s office.

Print Upgrade

Students have the option to select “print upgrade” to convert any digital books to physical textbooks whenever possible. The cost to upgrade is $9.99 per credit hour. If the upgrade is chosen, this charge will be added to the student’s account. Make sure to select “print upgrade” as your preference on the campus portal at least 4 weeks prior to your semester start date. You only need to select the print upgrade option once.

Shipping for Physical Materials

The shipping charge is $4.99 per book for residential and nonresidential students. However, shipping is FREE if you select “pick up in-store” to receive books at our Campus Store. Any student who wants to avoid shipping charges should choose “pick up in-store” as their shipping preference in the portal.

Shipping charges will be billed to student accounts and are the responsibility of the student. Please ensure your address is updated to avoid a delay in delivery and/or additional shipping charges.

Rental Buyouts

Want to keep your book? The price of rental buyouts as well as nonreturned books vary dependent on the original price of the book. Please reach out to the Tree of Life for exact pricing.

What if I drop a course?

If you drop a course, you’ll be prompted via your BucMail to return those items to the Campus Store or by contacting our support team. It is important to get those items returned as soon as possible to avoid fees billed to your student account.

Employee Tuition Grant Info

As a reminder, beginning with the Spring 2021 semester, employee and dependent books will be provided by Tree of Life. Book orders will be automatically filled based on class enrollment just as any other student. Employees will be responsible for the difference between the employee tuition waiver amount and the course charges. The Spring 2021 employee portion of charges for books is $25/credit hour for online, part-time, or graduate students, or $400 per semester for full-time flat-rate undergraduate students. For example, an employee will pay $75 for a 3-credit-hour course.

Print upgrades, shipping charges, and buyout charges for nonreturned books will be billed to the student account. Charges for nonreturned books may take several weeks after semester end to post. Due to this delay, verification of book return will be required before transcript requests can be processed by the Registrar’s office.

Remember to choose “pick up in-store” in order to avoid shipping charges.

There is no reduction in charges for employees who opt out of the Tree of Life program. The book cost will still be charged to your student account.

For questions or for more information, please reach out to csu@tolbookstores.com.

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