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Textbooks

Purchasing Options

Students must choose one of the following textbook purchasing options each semester. There is no partial acceptance or partial participation.

  1. [Default Option:] Buy all of your semester textbooks through NU-Q. Business and Finance will purchase your required textbooks for you and you will be charged a textbook fee to cover the costs. You will pick your textbooks up when they have arrived. This includes E-books.
  2. Buy all of your semester textbooks on your own. You will not be charged a textbook fee from Northwestern, but you are completely responsible for procuring your textbooks and getting them delivered to Qatar. This includes E-books. To select this option, you must elect to opt out by completing the opt-out of textbooks service request,  following the guidelines below:

Opt Out of Textbook Fee

  • Students may elect to opt out of receiving textbooks provided by the University. The opt-out decision must be made and communicated to Business and Finance one day prior to the beginning of classes each semester.  Students choosing this option must complete the opt-out of textbooks service request.  Incoming first-year students may opt out only with prior approval by Business & Finance.
  • Students who elect to opt out are fully responsible to acquire their textbooks and will receive no assistance from the university or library including all purchasing and shipping costs. This includes E-books.
  • Students who elect to opt out may NOT take any version of the textbook out of the library. All textbooks for the current semester are kept on reserve by the library and are for in-Library use only.
  • Before electing to opt out, students should review their course syllabi and/or discuss the option with their instructors to verify if the course requires access to the textbook during class time, for open-book exams, or when the library is closed. NOTE: If a student opts out, they will not be able to remove a current semester textbook from the library for any reason at any time, including tests/exams.
  • Once a student opts out for a given semester, he or she will not be able to opt back in for that semester. 
  • Choosing to opt out of textbooks will decrease the cost of attendance. However, the EFC will not be impacted for students on financial aid.
  • Finally, it is important to remember that textbooks are hand-selected by instructors for each course to support and enhance student learning. Students who opt out of textbooks may adversely impact their educational experience.

Request an alternative textbook format

Students may request an alternative textbook format. This procedure can take 3-5 weeks, so it is important to make your request in advance of the start of term. Learn more.

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