Students may begin renting textbooks the week prior to the start of classes.

Online or Web Only students may request textbooks as soon as their registration is finalized, but books will not ship until the week before classes begin. Please request your books as soon as possible to ensure timely delivery before classes begin and assignments are due. Orders received before noon will be shipped the same day, while later orders will be shipped no later than the end of the next day. 

For students who will be attending classes on the main campus, you can pick up your rental books when you arrive on campus. No need to preorder or reserve your books, we are committed to ensuring each student who is enrolled in a class has a book available. 

For second 8-week classes you can pick up your books the week before your class starts. This ensures that both first and second 8-week classes have enough textbooks. 

Main Campus: 
Textbook Rental is located in the basement of Kent Library. The entrance is located on the east side of Kent Library. Students who are enrolled in classes held on the main campus will need to rent their books at the main campus Textbook Rental location. 

Regional Campus (Kennett and Sikeston):
If taking classes at a Regional Campus, you will pick up your rental books at the regional campus's central office. 

Online Classes  
Online students who only take online classes may place their book request by submitting their textbook request using our Web order form and the textbooks will be shipped to your home address. If you are an online student who lives locally, you can save on shipping expenses by visiting the Textbook Rental department to pick up your books. Don't forget to check with the Southeast Bookstore to see if you will need any additional books or materials for your course. 

When you receive your books, please compare your rental checkout receipt to your shipment. Please inform us of any discrepancies or damages as soon as possible but no later than one week after classes begin. 

Returning your textbooks is easy! There are several drop-off locations on campus during finals week where you can return your rented textbooks. You can always return your textbooks during normal operating hours throughout the semester at Textbook Rental, located in the basement of Kent Library. 

We will send two emails to all students reminding them of the due date, the available book return locations and office hours, and the hours of the afterhours drop box. We also mail a memo to students who are no longer enrolled to remind them to return their rental textbooks.

Effective August 1, 2021

Students who rent their textbooks through Southeast Missouri State University Textbook Rental Program, agree to the terms and conditions of the Textbook Rental and Return Policy.

All Textbook Rental books must be returned or postmarked NO LATER than 4pm the Monday after finals of the current semester to avoid any additional charges. Textbooks returned after the due date will be charged a $10 late charge per book up to 14 calendar days from the due date. Textbooks not returned within the allowable time period will be charged the publishers list price for a new replacement copy of the textbook. Both late charges and replacement costs will be applied to a student’s University account.

Textbook Rental books must be returned in satisfactory condition. All returned textbooks are checked for damages after they are returned. If a textbook is returned with excessive damage beyond normal wear and tear, a student’s University account will be charged the publishers list price for a new replacement copy of the textbook. Excessive damage includes, but not limited to: (water damage, mold, chewed or bite marks, missing covers, missing pages, missing book label, excessive highlighting, pages sticking together, stained, etc.)

All Textbooks should be returned to:  

Textbook Rental  
610 Washington Ave, North Dock  
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701  

Please make sure all returned textbooks have a tracking number for your protection. Textbook Rental is not responsible for lost textbooks.

During Finals Week for Fall/Spring Semesters Only

• Textbook Rental: Located in the basement of Kent Library 
• Towers: Check in table near the front desk Monday-Thursday 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., and Friday 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. 
• River Campus: At the Art Resource Center (Seminary Building), Monday-Wednesday 9 a.m. - 8 p.m., Thursday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Friday 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. 
• Regional Campuses: Kennett and Sikeston offices (check each location’s hours) 
• After Hours: 
  • The Book Return Drop chute, is located in Textbook Rental's Main Entrance Doors. Beginning the Monday of finals week and remaining open for 14 days following the due date, giving students the ability to return textbooks after hours. Textbooks may be returned up to 14 days after the scheduled due date, however, a late charge of $10 per book will be applied to the student's University Account. Please refer to the Rental/Return Policy regarding late and non-returned book charges.
  • The return chute is locked during business hours, please come inside to Textbook Rental to return your books.

During Finals Week for Summer Only 

• Textbook Rental: Located in the basement of Kent Library 
• Regional Campuses: Kennett and Sikeston offices (check each location’s hours) 
• After Hours: 
  • The Book Return Drop chute, located in Textbook Rental's Main Entrance Doors, will be available beginning the Monday before finals and remaining open for 14 days following the due date, giving students the ability to return textbooks after hours. Textbooks may be returned up to 14 days after the scheduled due date, however, a late charge of $10 per book will be applied to the student's University Account. Please refer to the Rental/Return Policy regarding late and non-returned book charges.

Return by Mail 

If you cannot make it to campus, textbooks may be returned by mail. Outlined below are some important notes about shipping your textbook to the campus.  

• Please select a strong box that can handle the weight of the books. Do not use cushioned or soft padded envelopes, they will often tear or come open during transit! If you ship a book in this manner and it is damaged when it arrives you will be responsible for the replacement cost. Using a strong box prevents this damage to the book during shipping. 
• Please make sure it is packaged securely to ensure it arrives undamaged and complete. 
• If you are reusing a box, please cover any previous labels and markings with a heavy black marker. 
• Return shipping is at the student’s expense. We encourage you to consider various shipping options, oftentimes a less expensive option is to use the United States Postal Service-Media Mail service to ship your books back to the campus. 
• Please use a traceable method of shipping when returning your books. 
• Textbook Rental is not liable for lost or damaged packages. 
• As long as the package is postmarked on or before the due date, it will not be considered late. We process all returns by the postmark date on the package.

Textbooks may be shipped to: 

Textbook Rental 
610 Washington Avenue, North Dock 
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701 

Bring your Student ID with you to return your textbooks. The computer operator will scan your ID and give you a receipt, showing the status of all your textbooks.

Or, login to MySEMO Portal, using the search bar, enter Textbook Rental Detail, and follow the prompts. 

We suggest that you purchase the book before the due date and your original rental fee will be applied to the purchase price of the book. Login to MySEMO Portal, using the search bar, enter Textbook Rental Detail, and follow the prompts.  

All sales are final! 

In order for the book to be considered in “satisfactory” condition, which is a determining factor of whether we will accept it back, we ask of you to please take care of our books. 

Please don’t: 

• Tear out pages 
• Damage the cover or spine 
• Stain the book 
• Spill water all over it or allow it to get wet (we cannot accept moldy books) 
• Write or highlight excessively 
• Remove/alter the Textbook Rental label on the front cover of the book 

Our shipping rates do depend on where it is going. In the Contiguous United States, we follow a simple $9.95 for the first rental book and $3.95 for each additional book per order/shipment, which will be shipped via United Parcel Service. UPS ground does not ship to PO Boxes; we must have a physical street address. Orders placed online usually take 1-2 business days to process and ship.  

We ensure all packages are sent and can provide a tracking number upon request. The shipping charge will be charged to your University account. Shipping charges are non-refundable. 

U.S. territories, Hawaii, Alaska, and international orders will have a higher shipping rate and we will mail those via the United States Postal Service, the charge will be determined by the weight and location it will be shipped. The appropriate shipping charges will be communicated to you separately for your approval. Once you have provided us with your approval, your order will be processed. Please allow additional time to complete your order. The shipping charge will be charged to your University account. 

We can ship your books next day or two day depending on the location only at your request; this can be very costly as it depends on the weight and where it is going. In state Missouri orders are not eligible for two-day shipping. 

When you receive your books, please compare your rental checkout receipt to your shipment. Please inform us of any discrepancies or damages as soon as possible but no later than one week after classes begin.  

All orders will be shipped USPS. Please allow additional time to complete your order. The shipping charge will be charged to your University account. 

Please follow these guidelines when filling out your order form or call us at (573) 651-2236 or email us at rentabook@semo.edu with the information below: 

• The Country must be the United States 
• The City must be entered as either APO or FPO 
• The State must be entered as Armed Forces America, Armed Forces Europe, and Armed Forces Pacific 
  
• You must enter your Zip Code 
• Always include your Full Name, Grade, and PSC or Unit Number 

These orders will be shipped USPS. Please allow additional time to complete your order. The shipping charge will be charged to your University account.