Textbook Information

The Hope-Geneva Bookstore serves students by providing the textbooks, reference books, materials and supplies that are required or recommended for course use. Our goal is to have the right quantity of the right books at the right time. This involves handling 23,000 books from hundreds of publishers for over 300 faculty members. Enrollment variations, publisher backorders and other natural calamities will occasionally cause us to run short of books. In these cases, we will rush order books for those students still in need. Please ask if you can't find the title you need since we don't automatically order out-of-stock books.

Finding Your Textbooks

Textbooks are arranged on the shelves in the textbook section alphabetically by department, course and section number (e.g. ENGL 100-01). Be sure you have a copy of your schedule when looking for books since section numbers do matter for some courses.

If you would like to see a list of the books for a course you can check our online booklists. Typically booklists are posted two to three weeks before the term starts. Then number of changes made before then makes it impractical to post the information sooner. After the list is posted, changes are made as we receive updated information and prices are current at the time of posting. Click here to see booklists that are currently available.

Refund Policy

We have tried to take some of the hassle factor out of our textbook refund policy. During the Drop/Add period, you no longer need a class schedule or drop slip for a refund. We hope this makes the process more customer friendly!

Full refunds of the purchase price are given on textbooks during the drop-add period.* If you drop or change a course, or for any reason don't need a book you have purchased, the course book may be returned under the conditions listed below:

1. Returns must be accompanied by a current register receipt.
2. New books must be in mint condition.
3. Student I.D. is required.

Books purchased for the second HALF-SEMESTER courses may be returned during the DROP/ADD period for those courses ONLY IF THE COURSE IS DROPPED.

*After the drop-add period you have three days from the Registrar's signed "drop" date to return a textbook. For refunds AFTER the drop/add period, a DROP SLIP is REQUIRED and the above conditions must be met as well.

Please review the information sheets handed out during book rush for complete returns policy information.

Rush Re-orders

If the Bookstore runs out of a textbook, we do not automatically re-order. PLEASE ASK at the Book Desk (in the back of the store, near textbooks) and we will help you fill out a Textbook Want Card. We will place a rush order for your book and contact you as soon as it arrives.

Defective books will be replaced immediately. Both new and used books are guaranteed against defects, however, replacement of used books is subject to their availability. In cases where only new books are available, the customer will have to pay the difference in price between the new and used copies.

Textbook prices vary widely depending on your major and year of study, but expect to pay anywhere between $250-$400 per semester. Pre-med and nursing students will generally pay more whereas some humanities students may pay less. It is a reality that textbooks are not cheap. They are expensive to produce and compared with "bestsellers" they have a relatively small student-based sales market. Books at the Bookstore are sold at competitive prices and we welcome comparative shopping.

The Bookstore does not have any choice about the titles or prices of books ordered for courses. We can, however, offer used books at substantial savings to students. The Bookstore actively seeks to obtain as many used books as possible, often by dealing with four or five national used book wholesalers.

The best source of used books is still our own students. If you do not choose to keep a textbook as part of your permanent library, please consider selling it to the Bookstore during buy-back at the end of each semester so it can be recycled to another student looking for textbook savings.