Campus Bookstores

Find Books and Supplies

At Central Piedmont's Barnes & Noble College (BNC), you will find everything you need for your classes as well as Central Piedmont swag and apparel. By using and accessing the bookstore, you also help Central Piedmont fund scholarships and campuses.

Bookstores are Open

All in-person bookstore locations are open for supply shopping and order pickup Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. You still need to buy all your textbooks online. Curbside pickup is available at the Cato and Central Campuses. For all campuses besides Central Campus, you can only pick up books at that campus for classes held on that campus; all other pickups should be made at Central Campus. The Merancas Campus bookstore is now located in the new Merancas IV Building.

Shop Online

Shop online at the Barnes & Noble College Bookstore at Central Piedmont website. 

Textbook Deliveries

Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Barnes & Noble is experiencing delivery delays from its publishers that may impact textbook deliveries. The bookstore is processing all textbook orders as quickly as possible in the order in which they were received. Choosing a faster shipping option will only reduce the shipping time after processing, it will not reduce the processing time for your order. Please allow five business days for your order to be processed; then, your shipping method will apply. Log in to your B & N account to view order statuses for your deliveries.

How to Order Textbooks on the Barnes & Noble College Bookstore Website

  1. Go to the Barnes & Noble College Bookstore at Central Piedmont website or download the free My Bookstore app.
  2. Select Textbooks, then Find Textbooks.
  3. Select the campus where your class is located. Corporate and Continuing Education students, select "Corporate and Continuing Education" as your campus.
  4. Complete all fields in the Term/Department/Course/Section columns. To find this information:
    1. Log into your MyCollege account.
    2. Go to Academics.
    3. Select Student Planning.
    4. Select Plan and Schedule.
  5. Once you have completed all fields, select Find Materials.
  6. On the Select Format menu, select the format you would like to purchase. (Before adding items to your cart, read all information for each item so that you do not order unneeded/extra items.)
    1. Required: must have for class
    2. Recommended: recommended/option provided by faculty
    3. Package Component: access code that is part of the required bundle. Do not buy both the code and the book bundle.
    4. Bookstore Recommended: items recommended by the bookstore that may be helpful for the course
  7. Select Add Item(s) To Your Cart, then Checkout.
  8. Create your account by completing all fields on the Create Your Account form. If you already have an account, select “I already have an account.” This is not your Central Piedmont login — you have to create a separate account.
  9. Select your payment method on the Payment Options page. Financial aid, dual enrollment, middle college, sponsored, and Veterans Affairs Education Benefits students: review the instructions in the following "Payment Options Instructions" section for additional payment options instructions. You do need to enter credit card information if you are renting textbooks, even if you are using financial aid or other funding to cover your rental fee. Continue reading for more information on renting textbooks.
  10. Review all information and select Submit. You will not be charged until your order is processed.
  11. Check the email address you provided for an email confirming your order.

Submit any questions on the Barnes & Noble College bookstore website or to sm8008@bncollege.com.

Payment Options Instructions

  • Financial Aid Recipients
    1. Select Financial Aid.
    2. Enter your Central Piedmont student ID number in the Card Number field.

    When making purchases with financial aid, if your available funds are not enough to cover the full cost of your order, you will need to provide another form of payment (credit/debit card) to pay for whatever amount due is left. You can only make bookstore purchases during times when you can use your financial aid to make bookstore purchases.

  • Career & College Promise Dual Enrollment Students
    1. Select Financial Aid.
    2. Select Peoplesoft (or Sponsorship if Peoplesoft unavailable).
    3. Enter your Central Piedmont student ID number in the Card Number field.

    Know how much funds/stipend you have available before your order to avoid your order not being processed. If your available funds are not enough to cover the full cost of your order, you will need to provide another form of payment (credit/debit card) to pay for whatever amount due is left.

  • Middle College Students
    1. Select Financial Aid.
    2. Enter your Central Piedmont student ID number in the Card Number field.

    CMS only covers course textbook/access code materials; they do not cover school supplies, calculators, or other items covered by normal financial aid. If your available funds are not enough to cover the full cost of your order, you will need to provide another form of payment (credit/debit card) to pay for whatever amount due is left. If your order is not processed due to lack of funds, please contact your middle college administrator.

    As a middle college student, you can only make bookstore purchases during times when you can use your financial aid to make bookstore purchases.

  • Veterans Benefits and Sponsored Students
    1. Select Sponsorship.
    2. Enter your Central Piedmont student ID number in the Card Number field.

    Make sure all your sponsorship paperwork has been processed before your order to avoid your bookstore order not being processed. If your available funds are not enough to cover the full cost of your order, you will need to provide another form of payment (credit/debit card) to pay for whatever amount due is left.

Services, Policies, and How-Tos

Be prepared for your first class with the materials you need.

  • Buy Textbooks

    Beat the rush and buy your books before class. Take advantage of any used textbooks that may still be available.

    • In order for booksellers to get you the correct textbook for your course and section, you must have a copy of your schedule when purchasing textbooks. This can be a paper copy or a screenshot.
    • Not all the textbooks for Central Piedmont are available at every campus. For example, the Levine Campus bookstore carries the materials for classes held at Levine and some (but not all) of the textbooks for online courses.
    • If you end up not needing the material, we do have a return policy.

    If we do not have your textbook in stock, ask a bookseller how you can order it from another campus.

  • Buy Books at the Bookstore Using Financial Aid

  • Rent Textbooks

    You can also rent textbooks for guaranteed savings. When shopping for textbooks in-store, the course information tag will display a "Rental" option. If shopping online, many books will display a rental option along with new and used options so that you can pick what's best for you. There is a one-time rental fee to rent a textbook.

    • You need to enter credit card information to secure the rental, no matter how you are paying for the one-time rental fee (e.g., if you are using financial aid).
    • You can write and highlight in rental books (but not excessively).
    • Rental books must be returned on or before the due date at the end of the semester.
    • Rental books cannot be returned damaged, which includes:
      • torn pages
      • missing pages
      • broken bindings
      • fire or water damage cuts
    • You do not get money back upon turning in your rentals.
    • Your card used to rent the book may be charged fees if:
      • You don't return the book.
      • Your book is damaged when you return it.
      • You return the book after the rental return due date.
      • You are a financial aid, Career & College Promise dual enrollment, middle college, Veterans Affairs Education Benefits, or sponsored student, and you do not have enough funds on your account to pay for your entire order once your aid is applied to your order.

    Return Rented Textbooks

    You can return rented textbooks for free through UPS. Learn more about how to return rental textbooks by mail.

  • Book Buyback
    • Book buyback is open during the last two weeks of the fall and spring semesters.
    • We cannot guarantee buyback for any specific books. Offers are subject to change.

  • Price Matching

    We will price match Amazon.com, BN.com, and local competitors. The item must have the same ISBN and not a peer-to-peer price. Ask a bookseller or check the bookstore website for more information.

  • Returns and Refunds

    To receive a full refund, you must meet the following criteria:

    • Provide the original receipt and original form of payment.
    • The book(s) must be in the same condition as purchased (e.g., codes not scratched, books sealed in plastic must be unopened, no writing in any new-condition books).
    • If you are returning the book because you dropped the class, you will need to provide proof of the course drop/change.

    Refund Timeline

    • Within the first 7 days of classes from the start of term — not the date of purchase.
    • If you drop a class, you may return your book for a refund within the first 30 days of classes from the start of term. You will need to ask for your refund at the store where you purchased the book. If you purchased the book at the Cato, Harper, or Harris Campus bookstores, you may also go to the Central Campus bookstore for your refund.

    Learn more about the Barnes & Noble College policies on how to return and get refunds on textbooks.

    Term dates

  • Faculty

    Select Books for Your Course Sections, Share What You Learn

    We can cater to any needs you may have and will be more than happy to assist you in selection of your textbooks, school supplies, reference books, and other items for your sections. Barnes & Noble College faculty textbook adoption and insights portal is your source for researching, adopting, and sharing insights about textbooks and course materials.

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