Questions about Textbooks at UIUC?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
1

Hi, I’m an incoming freshman at UIUC, and I have some questions about the process when it comes to purchasing textbooks:

-When do professors typically have their book selections listed? I’ve looked on the Bookstore website and some of my courses are still waiting for a list of book recommendations.

-Where else besides the Illini Union Bookstore can I find the professor’s book selections for the year?

-What’s the process to picking up books? Can we pick them up from the Union Bookstore, or do they have to be mailed to us?

-Do we have to pay online for the textbooks, or can we pay on campus at the bookstore?

-I personally haven’t ordered my books yet, not even the required ones. Is it already late for me to order the books? If not, when should I at least have ordered my required books?

-On the Illini Bookstore, for some of my classes they list some items as being “Part of Set.” What does that mean? Does that mean it’ll come free with my other items required for that course? Or do I have to purchase them as well?

If anyone could answer any of these questions, I’d greatly appreciate it. Thanks so much.

2

Hi there! Current student at UIUC here. Generally it’s best to wait until the first lecture of class to buy books, or at least until the syllabus is available. A lot of the time, the textbook isn’t mandatory or even used. You can order in advance from the bookstore or just go there and get the book like at any store. Unfortunately, TIS closed down last year so the only place in town to buy textbooks is the IUB. Alternatively you could use an online bookseller like Amazon to rent textbooks.