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The Villanova Book Store is here to show you how easy it can be to get the books you need!
How do I purchase the textbooks I need?
Come into the store with your course schedule and our staff will help you find the textbooks you need.
Very soon you will be able to place an order online using your course schedule.
Why are textbooks so expensive?
Textbooks are a valuable resource for students. They supplement and enhance classroom instruction, provide a common intellectual platform, offer additional references and perspectives, and are excellent review tools. While we understand that students are concerned about the price of textbooks, the real issue is not price, but value. When textbooks are integral to a course, and faculty teach and test from them, the book is seen more as an investment and less as an unnecessary or forced purchase. Textbook prices reflect real costs and a reasonable return on investment for authors, publishers, distributors, and college stores.
Why do students think textbook prices are too high?
The two main reasons are (a) sticker shock and (b) frustration when books aren't used in class the way students expect them to be used.
Textbooks are free for most students until they reach college. If their book-buying experience is limited to paying $9.95 for a paperback, having to buy three or four $80 or $120 texts is a shock. After paying a substantial tuition bill, families are often unprepared for an additional $200 to $500 textbook expense each term.
What are college stores doing about students' concerns about prices?
Because they interact with students face-to-face, no group is more aware of students' concerns about the cost of textbooks than college stores. Most stores agree that the important issue is value, not price. However, stores know that it is the perception of price they must address today; changing students' perception of the value of their textbooks is a more difficult and longer process.
Making used books available is the single most significant way college stores can reduce students' textbook costs. NACS estimates that, through the sale of used books, college stores have saved students more than $2 billion in the past 10 years. This has been at significant cost, since used books are more expensive for college stores to buy and sell than new books.
Do you ship textbooks back to publishers right after classes start? Why?
To help us prepare for the next semester, the Villanova Bookstore must return all overstock to the publishers so we have shelf space when textbooks for the next semester arrive. It is highly advisable that you purchase all of the textbooks you need at the beginning of the semester, because textbook returns begin about six weeks after classes start.
Are there any discounts or coupons I can use on textbooks?
Yes! Currently we offer a 5% in-store discount on textbooks.
How can I pay for my textbooks?
We accept Visa, Master Card, American Express, Discover, checks (with a valid ID), and cash. It is important that you save your receipts all semester in case you need to return or exchange a textbook for any reason. Please see our return policy.
My parents want to pay for my textbooks. How can they do that?
Parents can go online or go to the Wildcard Office in person and place money onto a student's wild card. Then you can come into the bookstore and make a purchase using the Wildcard and save 5%.
I am not a VU student. Can I purchase one of your textbooks?
Yes. You are welcome to visit the Villanova U-Shop and purchase textbooks or other fan items.
I’m shopping for my textbooks at the beginning of the semester, but you don’t have them. Why not?
There could be a few reasons that we do not have the textbooks you need.
- Perhaps the instructor will not be using a textbook or has chosen an alternative to a traditional book, such as an online resource.
- The instructor did not get his/her required textbook information to us by the deadline or hasn’t yet told us which textbooks they want to use.
- The textbooks have been ordered but have not arrived yet. In this case, we ask you to check back.
- The publisher we’ve ordered the textbooks from is out of stock and we must wait until they can get or print more.
For more detail on textbook status, please contact us at 610-519-4161.
I’m still looking for one of my textbooks several weeks into the semester, but you don’t have it. How can I get the textbook I need?
If it appears we've sold out, please ask a staff member for help. We may be able to help you find a copy or explain why the textbook you need is not on our shelves.
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