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Textbook Services

General Information

Location

Textbook services is located in the lower level of the Station (map).

Office Hours

Monday – Friday
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

General Information

The Textbook Services Office oversees the textbook rental program, in which primary course textbooks are provided to students on a rental basis for most undergraduate courses offered at the university. Students are assessed a per credit hour fee for textbook rentals each school term. Under the textbook rental program, students pick up their textbooks at the beginning of each semester from Textbook Services and must return the textbooks by 5 p.m. of the last day of finals of the semester to Textbook Services. 

Late fees are charged when textbooks are returned late. A $10.00 per day fee begins to accrue for each day after the last of finals of each school term for which the textbook(s) is not returned. Late fees will accumulate up to a total amount of $50.00 after the student fails to return a textbook for 5 days following the last day of finals for the school term. After 5 days of late fees, students will be assessed the $50.00 late fee plus the price of the textbook(s) not returned.

First-time freshmen and transfer students may elect to opt-out of the textbook rental program if they wish. Students who wish to opt-out of the textbook rental program must complete the Textbook Rental Program Opt-Out form and return it to the Office of Student Account Services by the following deadlines:

  • August 1 for fall school terms, or within one week of enrollment if enrolled after August 1;
  • December 1 for spring school terms, or within one week of enrollment if enrolled after December 1; or
  • Within one week of enrollment for summer school terms.

Students who elect to opt-out of the textbook rental program cannot opt back in and are responsible for buying textbooks at their own expense. Students are expected to have the required textbooks for the start of each class. The Textbook Rental Program Opt-Out form can be accessed online View PDF and is also available in hard copy at Textbook Services.

Textbook Pick-Up

Hours for picking up textbooks will be posted before each semester for students to view. All students must verify on-line at the beginning of the semester before picking up their textbooks. Students should bring their ID card with them to pick up their textbooks. Students can have someone else pick up their textbooks as long as they have verified and provided their 919#. If textbooks are picked up after the designated times, there will be a late fee assessed to the student's university account. See the miscellaneous fee schedule for Late Textbook Pickup fee.

Used Books

Students may also purchase discontinued textbooks at a reduced rate. Students wishing to purchase textbooks currently being used may do so by contacting Textbook Services at 660.562.1150.

Contact Us

Textbook Services
The Station
800 University Dr.
Maryville, MO 64468
Phone: 660.562.1150
nwtxbk@nwmissouri.edu

Online Students

Students at Northwest pay a per credit hour usage fee for most of their primary textbooks and Textbook Services is available for online students. Northwest Online students may order their primary textbooks for most undergraduate courses through the University Textbook Services. This office may be contacted by e-mail at nwtxbk@nwmissouri.edu. Please include your Northwest ID# (919#), the course numbers you are enrolled in, and your shipping address.

Online students must pay for shipping charges on borrowed materials. All textbooks, CD's, and other course materials borrowed must be returned to Textbook Services, 800 University Dr., Maryville, MO 64468, within one week following the day of the last scheduled final exam. A $10.00 per day fine begins after this date and can accumulate up to $50.00 plus the price of the textbook, CD's, and/or course materials not returned.

Graduate Students

All Textbooks for 600 level courses must be purchased elsewhere. All 100-500 level course textbooks may be rented through Textbook Services if a book is available. See the miscellaneous fee schedule for current graduate student textbook rental rate.

Textbook Pickup and Return Process

Please email nwtxbk@nwmissouri.edu with any questions concerning textbook pick-up or return.

Textbook Returns

For Fall 2022:

  • Textbooks can be returned to Textbook Services, located in the lower level of The Station on the Northwest campus in Maryville, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
  • Textbooks can be returned to Northwest-Kansas City (Suite 400, 6889 N. Oak Trafficway, in Gladstone), from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Call 816.272.4621 for more information. 
  • To avoid late fees, textbooks being returned in-person must be returned by 5 p.m., Friday, December 9, 2022, either to campus or Northwest-Kansas City.

Returns Shipped from Home

Students who cannot return textbooks at Northwest’s Maryville or Gladstone locations should use the pre-paid UPS return label provided below by the University to ship their books. Students who use their own shipping label will not be reimbursed.

The Northwest-provided shipping label is available until Tuesday, Dec. 13, and textbooks must arrive on the Northwest campus by Friday, Dec. 16, 2022.

Any textbooks returned after Dec. 16 will be assessed a late fee. Replacement costs for textbooks not returned also will be charged to the student. Shipping costs for packages shipped after Dec. 16 will be paid by the student. Ship to:

Textbook Services
Northwest Missouri State University
800 University Drive
Maryville, MO  64468

Textbook Pick-Up

For Spring 2023, students can pick-up their pre-packaged textbooks on the upper floor of The Station during these hours: 

Date Time
Sunday, January 8 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Monday, January 9 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Tuesday, January 10 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Wednesday, January 11 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Textbooks picked up after 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, January 11, 2022, will be assessed a late fee of $30.

If you are unable to pick up your textbooks, you may have someone pick them up for you as long as you have completed the online verification and the person picking up the textbooks has your 919#. 

If textbooks need to be shipped for spring online courses, complete the request form below. Be sure to use a current shipping address.

Textbooks Shipping Request Form

Don't Forget About Online Verification

Online verification opens Wednesday, December 14. You must complete your online verification before picking up your textbooks. If you have questions about verification, please contact the Registrar’s Office at 660.562.1151.

For Faculty

Northwest Missouri State University is unique in that it provides primary textbooks for undergraduate students. Textbook Services, located in the Station, pre-packages and issues textbooks to undergraduate students for each semester. Students pay a usage fee (currently $6.00/credit hour) to use the service. Students are responsible for returning their textbooks by the end of finals week each semester to avoid late fees.

  • Textbooks are used for a minimum of 3 years. When the textbook is up to change, the instructor(s) is free to choose the textbook they feel most appropriate for the course. New textbooks are purchased after a requisition has been submitted to Textbook Services. The requisitions are available through the department chairs and must be signed by the appropriate chair before sending it over to Textbook Services. Department chairs will have the deadline dates for orders and will provide that information to faculty. There are print outs sent to the departments listing current textbooks and the year that the book was adopted to help with requisition decisions. The Textbook Services manager is also available to answer any questions that come up regarding textbooks used for certain courses.
  • One book per course (all sections) is housed in Textbook Services. Special circumstances are handled on an individual basis. These requests must be accompanied by a written explanation and will be given consideration. If a book is requested to replace a textbook that has not been used for the full 3 years, a similar procedure is followed. A written explanation is required and an agreement for longer use may be expected.
  • Instructors who do not obtain desk copies from the publisher may check out a copy of the textbook from Textbook Services. Lost books are the responsibility of the instructor who checked it out. All textbooks must be returned before leaving the university.
  • If the need arises for additional copies of the textbook currently being used, the department chair will approve the order and forward it to the Textbook Services. The print outs mentioned before are used to compare enrollments to the number of textbooks available.


Any additional, supplemental books that are required as well as lab manuals, workbooks, etc. are ordered through the Bearcat Shop. Any other reference type materials requests should be submitted to the library.

Textbook Services
The Station
Northwest Missouri State University

Phone: 660.562.1150
Email: nwtxbk@nwmissouri.edu