Student FAQ

A. SPU’s course material program is administered through the SPU Online Bookstore and provides all students with all of their required course materials on the first day of class at one affordable price.

A. Although all students pay the same tuition and fees, regardless of their major, there is still a financial disparity in the costs of textbooks and other course materials. To address this issue and promote equal academic opportunities for all students, this program adopts a pricing model for course materials that aligns with the other costs of attendance. By doing so, it aims to reduce the financial disparity and ensure that all students, regardless of their field of study, have access to the educational resources they need in order to succeed.

A. Visit the website at spu.textbookx.com and log in with your Seattle Pacific account. Your “Student Homepage” will appear, which will list all of the courses that you are registered for plus all of the materials that you will receive.

A. Yes, all students at Seattle Pacific are included in this program.

A. Yes, all quarters are included in the program.

A. Yes. You can choose to opt out if you like, though we strongly encourage everyone to take advantage of this program because it offers discounted course materials with the advantage of being ready for your classes on the first day. To opt out, visit the bookstore website and log in with your school account, then click “My Courses” at the top of the page. This page will list the opt-out date. Please note, you will be responsible for obtaining your own course materials and must return any materials that have already been sent to you.

Opt-Out Policy:

Students will have the window of 3 weeks prior to the start of a quarter through the 10^th day of the quarter to opt out of the Falcon Advantage course materials program in total. Opt out is not available by course, only by quarter (i.e., opt out for Winter Quarter, not for UCOR 2000). Students also have the option to opt back into the program after having opted out during this window if desired. At any time, students who have opted out of the Falcon Advantage program and need course materials can purchase their materials through the Online Bookstore. Course materials purchased outside the Falcon Advantage program are non-returnable and non-refundable. After the 10^th day of the quarter, course materials are only available for independent purchase through the Online Bookstore. When students opt out of the Falcon Advantage program after having received their course materials (or notification that their course materials have shipped), all materials must be returned per the same rules as the Dropped Course Return Policy. 

A. Yes, you have until the given opt-out date (10th day of each quarter) to decide whether to participate. 

A. No, the bookstore will send a confirmation email so that you know what materials you will be receiving, but you do not need to take any action to ensure the materials are delivered.

A. This program provides a mix of physical and digital texts, and often depends on faculty choice and availability. You can log into your bookstore account to see which items are physical and which are digital.

A. Equitable Access provides a mix of physical and digital textbooks. If a digital-only text is assigned, students have the option to purchase a print accompaniment in addition to the digital text that they will automatically receive as part of the program. If you wish to buy physical texts, you can select them and check out as you would on any other ecommerce website. Pay with credit, debit, PayPal, Google Pay, or ApplePay.

A. Yes! The bookstore sells branded merchandise like apparel and gifts, as well as course supplies and other items. Visit it at spu.textbookx.com/merch. You can browse and order other items as you would on any other online retail store.

A. No, physical textbooks will not need to be returned at the end of the quarter as they will remain your property. If you would like to sell your books, you will have the ability to list them on the Bookstore website. Click on "Sell" at the top of the page and follow further instructions. For digital course materials, you may have time limits on how long you can access them. You can review expiration dates in your bookstore eLibrary account. If, however, you have dropped a course and already received your course materials, you will need to return any physical books by the 10th day of the quarter or you will be charged for them. You can log a return on your online profile and return all physical books to Mailing Services. Any digital course material will be removed from your eLibrary account.

A. Go to the designated campus pickup location, Mailing Services. You can change the delivery address if you like through the website.

A. The school will send out several notifications reminding you to pick up your books. If you do not pick them up by the 10th day of the quarter, they will be considered abandoned, but you will still be charged for the materials. Abandoned items will become the property of the school.

Abandoned Book Policy:

All course materials related to the Online Bookstore and Falcon Advantage program must be picked up from Mailing Services located in Falcon’s Post by the person named in the “Ship to” field within the first 10 days of any quarter. Presentation of a Falcon Card (student ID) or another form of ID is required at the time of pick up. Reasonable efforts will be taken to notify the student that their item(s) is available for pick up by Seattle Pacific University and the online Akadémos bookstore. SPU may store your items for no more than 10 academic days. Any textbook or other course material items that are not claimed by the student within 10 days of the start of a quarter will be deemed abandoned. After the 10^th day of the quarter, the institution has sole discretion to sell or otherwise dispose of the abandoned items in any manner it deems appropriate. If any costs are incurred by Seattle Pacific University for taking ownership of the abandoned items, these costs may be transferred to the student. Under no circumstances will these course material charges be removed from your student account or waived. The student agrees to absolve and hold Seattle Pacific University harmless for the abandoned items. 

For additional questions about any of these policies, please send inquiries to bookstore@spu.edu.

A. All digital course material access information will be emailed to you on or before the first day of class. Depending on the item, materials will be available through your LMS (Canvas) account, a publisher website, or through VitalSource (Akadémos). If you ever need a reminder about what digital course materials you should have access to, visit your eLibrary in your bookstore account to see a master list.

A. Vitalsource (Akadémos), the main platform through which the bookstore delivers digital items, is fully accessible. If physical copies of materials are needed, students should contact the school’s accessibility office on a case-by-case basis.

A. The cost is added to your student account and calculated on a flat cost per student per credit hour, regardless of how much each individual textbook costs. For the 23–24 academic year the cost per credit hour is $18.

A. Students will see a charge appear on their Student Account, reflected on their statement from Student Financial Services, to be paid with the rest of their owing balance for the quarter’s tuition, etc.

A. Refunds will be processed in accordance with existing deadlines and procedures through the school’s registrar’s office.

Dropped Course Return Policy:

It is the policy of Seattle Pacific that course materials provided through the Falcon Advantage program for courses a student is registered for, then subsequently drops, must be returned to Falcon’s Post by the 10^th day of the quarter. Students must visit the Akadémos portal to mark course materials as being returned, then bring their materials in original condition to the bookstore. Any materials not returned by this deadline will be charged to the student’s account at the regular per-credit hour rate designated by the program for that quarter. Under no circumstances will these book charges be removed from your student account or waived if materials are not returned in their original condition by the 10^th day.

A. Adding a class: The bookstore will continually check for new enrollments in classes up until the add/drop date (10th day of the quarter), so any new materials that are needed will continue to be processed. To check the delivery status, visit your bookstore account and click “Track.”

A. Dropping a class: If physical items were delivered to you, you will receive an email with return instructions. For digital course materials that have not been accessed, codes will be deactivated and you will no longer have access to the materials. If you have already accessed digital course materials for dropped courses, please contact the bookstore for further instructions. 

A. For further questions regarding any digital course materials, please contact the Falcon Advantage Program online help center at spu.textbookx.com/help or call 866-271-8063. 

For further questions regarding any physical course materials, please come see one of our Bookstore representatives situated on campus at the Falcon's Post or email bookstore@spu.edu and include your Student ID for a quicker response.

A. If you’ve recently added a course, then the order might still be on its way. Visit the website to review your personalized Student Homepage, which will show you when items arrived or if they are still on their way. You can also contact the bookstore for a status update or to review your account in case there is a discrepancy.

A. If there is a problem with the items that were delivered, the bookstore will replace them as needed. Contact them via the Help page on the website.

A. Contact the bookstore through the website and they will assist you. Make sure to include your email, course name, course section, and the isbn of the missing item.