FAQ's

The Willmar Campus Bookstore is located to the right inside the front door of the Student Center building. The Hutchinson Campus Bookstore is located on the main campus in the commons.

We accept VISA, Mastercard and Discover. Students may also charge two weeks before the start of each semester and until the drop/add deadline to Financial Aid, which includes grants/loans, 3rd party funding and PSEO. We also accept cash and personal checks (with ID) in the store.

Yes, you will need to create an online account that will be used by the Bookstore to manage your order and shipping information. You may use your Ridgewater e-mail address or personal email address when creating your account. You will need your Tech ID (not your social security, not your star ID).

Textbooks are housed solely on the Willmar campus. Willmar campus students can purchase books on-campus or on the Ridgewater Campus Bookstore website. Hutchinson campus students can order their books in-store or on the Ridgewater Campus Bookstore website. Students will be able to pick up their textbooks when their orders arrive on campus. When ordered online, the books can be shipped via UPS or picked up on the campus requested after you have received an online order pick up confirmation email. An email confirmation will be sent immediately that your order was received. You will receive a second e-mail when your order has been filled, your account charged and your books are ready to be picked up or shipped out per your request. No charge will occur until your books are ready. Please wait for your second e-mail before trying to come in and pick up your web order. A photo ID (Driver's License, Student ID, or Military ID) is required to pick up your web order.

If your order has not been processed, we can cancel it for you, but you need to contact the Bookstore at 320-222-5590 with your name and Tech ID or order number.

Used textbooks are available in limited quantities for many classes on a first-come, first-served basis.

To access automatic eBooks, please follow these directions:

• Login to the My Account tab on www.ridgewaterbookstore.com • Once logged in, you will see a bullet point list. Click on Activate and Access eBooks • You should see each eBook title you have purchased • Hover over the book you want to access and click access. • Wait a few seconds while it loads (if you double click it, it will assume you already accessed it and won’t load) • Once it loads, you now have access to your eBooks • If you are having trouble, please contact the eBook provider before contacting the bookstore. They will be able to assist you! Providers • If you are having trouble with RedShelf eBooks, visit https://solve.redshelf.com/hc/en-us o Once there, click on STUDENT/CUSTOMER SUPPORT and then CAMPUS STORE RENTALS & PURCHASES • If you are having trouble with VitalSource eBooks, email [email protected]

Access codes, like Cengage Unlimited, are codes that come in a physical access card. These cards may have a scratchable code inside or be a printed sheet inside an envelope that is sealed. These items can be shipped to you, picked up at either bookstore after ordering online, or emailed to you. Please note: after we email you your scratched access card or open the envelope, you will not be able to return it.

You can rent a book for a percentage of the retail purchase price and then return it at the end of the semester. Here are some rental facts:

Renting textbooks saves you on average 50% when compared to a new, printed textbook. How will you know which books are available to rent? When purchasing from our Bookstore website, the RENTAL option will display in your book list alongside New and Used (if available). You can pay for a rental book using any form of payment (cash, check, credit card, financial aid), but a credit card number will be kept on file in case you forget to return it or the book is damaged. If the book isn’t returned or is damaged, the securing credit card will be charged for a replacement book (retail less rental price) plus a $10 processing fee. The rental is for one semester only. The rental book is due back to the Bookstore by the last day of the semester for which it was rented. Textbook rentals returned via mail must be postmarked by the rental return due date. If you decide to keep the book at the end of the semester, you will only pay the difference between the retail price of the book and the rental price (if paid by the last day of the semester). The Bookstore may refuse to accept your rental book at the end of the semester if the book is not in good condition. Good condition will be judged by the Bookstore staff alone, and generally means book spine intact, no excessive damage to cover or contents, all original pages intact, all original components present, and no excessive highlighting, writing or other markings. The book cannot have any liquid damage.

The Bookstore return policy is the same whether the book was purchased or rented. It is recommended to wait until you begin your classes to open any materials. Once a shrink-wrapped item or e-book/access card is accessed, scratched off, or envelope opened, they are non-refundable. Returns deadline is the drop/add deadline, the fifth day of the semester. If mailing books back to the bookstore due to being a distance learner, click here to find return instructions and mailing address!

Convenience!! Order online or shop the store! Guaranteed correct book. Only WE speak directly with the faculty regarding textbooks. Easy returns while on campus. Financial Aid, agency funding, and PSEO charging available. Customer service! We have a face to which you can return if problems occur. All profits go back into the college to provide direct services and to keep down tuition costs. Potential of 65% savings on used books (when you buy used and resell for use at term's end). Rental Books and E-Books offer a huge savings opportunity! Even with an ISBN, searching the internet for a textbook can be hazardous. A single ISBN can bring all manner of misrepresented products via the web--wrong editions, wrong packages, severely damaged books--and more. Too often, old editions, books without access codes, International editions, instructor's annotated editions or ancillaries are sent to students instead of the books they really need for classes.

In 2016, the Bookstore decreased prices for all textbooks available through the Bookstore: new, used, rentals, e-books, student manuals, online access codes and all other course materials. In addition to decreased prices across the board, the Bookstore is offering students more options such as purchasing a loose-leaf book instead of hard cover or purchasing an e-book or access code only instead of the textbook. The Bookstore encourages faculty to submit book orders early thus increasing the possibility of finding used textbooks from wholesalers instead of having to purchase new books from the publishers. In addition, renting textbooks is the lowest cost option to students. A used rental book often is about one-fourth the cost of a new textbook.

We will give a full refund on textbooks purchased from our store if returned in the same condition as purchased and within the timeframe specified in the Ridgewater College Bookstore Return Policy. All returns require the original receipt. If purchased using a credit card, the original card used must be presented in order to process the return.

You may mail your books back to the bookstore by the last day of the semester. Click here to find a return sheet!

Yes! Sell back your books at the end of each semester during finals week! Watch for emails and Facebook updates from the Bookstores regarding buyback dates and information. Sell books back at any time with our online buyback partner, MBS Textbook Exchange. Find how here!

Some course supplies and materials for PSEO are to be returned to the bookstore upon completion of your course. For supplies like calculators, directions and information guidebooks are listed below for your convenience. TI-30XIIS: Click here TI-84 Plus: https://education.ti.com/en/guidebook/details/en/C4D11EB6D86B47D19CD768E54A967441/84p  TI-89 Titanium: https://education.ti.com/en/guidebook/details/en/FA1DC891957E4700B46A67255850C592/89ti

Financial aid (grants/loans) must first be used to pay for tuition and then textbooks. Financial aid funds can be used for tool and art kits, chemistry supplies, lab coats, and other items required by the instructors for class. Excess financial aid funds can be used to purchase up to $50 in supplies at the Bookstore or one backpack. Financial aid cannot be used to purchase clothing or food items.

Yes. The campus bookstores sell gift certificates in store for any specified amount or can be sold over the phone to you. Gift certificates can only be used in store and cannot be used online.

Yes! Students with Ridgewater College email accounts can access Microsoft Office 365 for free! Go to https://www.ridgewater.edu/student-services-activities/technology-services/ for more information.

Financial aid (grants/loans), credit/debit cards, and cash can be used to purchase a bus pass in the Willmar campus store or online from the Ridgewater Campus Store Website. Bus passes include 20 $2 rides in town - $3 if same day service or out of town rides. If you have further questions, please contact the bus company at www.cctbus.org or call their office 320-214-7433.

Main policy link. It is Ridgewater College policy to provide on a flexible and individualized basis services to students who have disabilities, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.  Reasonable accommodations can be provided after registering with the office of Disability Services.  Please contact the Disability Services Coordinator : Jay Morrison on the Willmar Campus, @320-222-8040 ([email protected]). This publication is available in alternative formats upon request. Students with hearing or speech disabilities may contact us via their preferred Telecommunications Relay Service. Please allow adequate time for the college to respond to your request.