TAP Information for Students

The Textbook Affordability Program (TAP) supplies funds to support registered Swarthmore students’ purchase of required course materials in the Swarthmore Campus & Community Store (Store).

TAP - Credit/Amount Information

  • Each registered student receives $800 in Swarthmore Campus & Community Store credit in a designated TAP account.  Credit for the full academic year is dispersed into the account at the beginning of the fall semester.
  • Unspent funds will carry over from the fall semester to spring semester of the same academic year, but will not carry over to the next academic year.  Any unused funds at the end of the academic year will not be available to the student.
  • To access your TAP funds when placing an online order at Store.Swarthmore.edu, log in with your Swarthmore College Log-In, which requires Duo Authentication.  When asked for your account number, use your student ID number. On the payment page, use the drop-down menu to choose “TAP” as your primary form of payment.

TAP - Textbook Purchase & Rental Information

  • Required course materials are covered: The student may use the $800 TAP funds in the Store to purchase required course materials for the student’s registered classes. To count as a required course material, the item must have been specified by the faculty member teaching the course as required for the successful completion of the course, must be listed in the syllabus, and the faculty member must have notified the Store accordingly by the course materials deadline.  Students may purchase no more than one copy of each course material.
  • Recommended and Optional course materials are also eligible to be purchased with TAP funds. 
  • Course materials for thesis courses, capstone courses, directed readings, and independent study are also eligible to be purchased with TAP funds.  The faculty member must email a detailed list of approved books to [email protected] for consideration by the Textbook Manager.  The Textbook Manager will reply regarding availability of the listed titles. Once the list is approved, the student must special order the books online which will be listed under the specific course.  If your materials exceed your TAP allowance, you are required to pay the remaining balance out-of-pocket. No returns or refunds will be accepted for these transactions.
  • Digital books available: The TAP funds can also be used to purchase digital books, eBooks and access codes through the Store’s online site. 
  • Rental Textbooks are covered:  Students may use the TAP funds to rent a print textbook either online or in the Store. It is the student’s responsibility to return the rental book to the Store by the return deadline, which coincides with the last day of exams.  Students may take their rented books off campus with them, but are responsible for shipping the rented book back to the Store by the last day of exams at their own expense.
  • If the student chooses not to return a rented book by the deadline, the Store will charge the student's TAP fund for the original purchase price of the book minus the rental fee already paid, and the student will then own the book.  If the student's TAP funds are not sufficient to cover the non-returned rental charge, the Store will attempt to charge the backup credit card provided at the time of the initial order. Note that the total cost to the student of a non-returned rental is the same as if the student had purchased the book outright at the beginning of the semester, with no additional late fees or penalties.
  • General school supplies such as binders, spiral notebooks, paper, pens and other general school supplies may not be purchased with the TAP credit.
  • This $800 Store credit is expected to help with the purchase of course materials, but is not intended to cover all of the student’s required course materials expenses.
  • Students are expected to budget their $800 carefully and plan to supplement TAP funds with payment out of pocket if needed. TAP funds are expected to help with the purchase of course materials, but is not intended to cover all of the student’s required course materials expenses.

TAP - Courses Audited or Taken Elsewhere, Part-time Students

  • TAP funds are only extended to students who pay Swarthmore College tuition. Students who take classes at Swarthmore but pay tuition elsewhere, including Bryn Mawr and Haverford students, are not eligible for TAP funding.
  • If a Swarthmore student is registered with the Registrar's Office to audit a Swarthmore class, that student is considered registered for the class at an audit level, and may use the TAP funds to purchase the course materials. If the student audits informally, without registering the audit, the TAP funds may not be used.
  • TAP funds may be used to purchase textbooks through the Store for the Tri-Co Philly program. 
  • TAP funds may be used to special order textbooks for courses taken at Bryn Mawr and at Haverford.  Email the Textbook Manager (textbook@swarthmore.edu) with the course location, name, and number, and specify which books are being requested. 
  • For courses at locations other than Tri-Co, including courses at the University of Pennsylvania, students can only use TAP funds to purchase course materials if the Store is able to special order the title.  Email the Textbook Manager (textbook@swarthmore.edu) with the course location, name, and number, and specify which books are being requested.  The Textbook Manager will reply concerning availability.
  • Students who participate in Off-Campus Study as one of two enrolled semesters will receive the full TAP funds for the academic year.  Students studying abroad can coordinate with Global Engagement or work directly with the bookstore for course materials. Any shipping fees for study abroad materials are the student's responsibility and must be paid out of pocket.
  • If a student is taking less than a full course load, that student’s TAP fund will be prorated at the same percentage as tuition. A student enrolled for only one semester will receive $400, rather than the full $800. 

Special Orders

  • If a required title is not available to order when the student purchases their textbooks, or is added to a course list later, the student may place a special order in the Store or online at Store.Swarthmore.edu and use their TAP funds to prepay the special order.  Most special orders arrive within 7 to 14 days. No returns or refunds will be accepted for these transactions

Shipping

  •  TAP does not cover the cost of shipping books to or from the student.

TAP - Textbook Return Information

  • Return of materials purchased with TAP funds must follow Store textbook return policies, which are posted at Store.Swarthmore.edu. Printed textbooks are returnable for credit through the last day of drop-add. Digital materials such as access codes and eBooks must be returned within 14 days of purchase or by the Store’s return deadline for the semester, whichever is first, and cannot be returned once they have been downloaded.
  • When a student returns for credit a textbook purchased with TAP funds, the textbook’s purchase or rental price will be credited back to the student’s TAP fund account. Course materials purchased using the TAP fund cannot be returned for cash or other tender.

TAP - Additional College Requirements

  • After the last day of classes, the course materials purchased with TAP funds belong completely to the student.  If the student wishes, the student can sell textbooks back to the Store for cash during book buyback at the end of the semester.  For more information on the Store’s Buyback Policy and exact dates, see Store.Swarthmore.edu.
  • Use of the TAP funds indicates acceptance of the rules covering TAP usage.  Misuse of TAP funds is a violation of Swarthmore College policy.
  • Swarthmore College may check the course materials purchased via this fund against the student’s registered classes. If a student uses the funds to purchase material for a course that the student is not taking, or to purchase more than one copy, the student will be required to pay for the non-covered material and may be disqualified for future funding.
  • All official program communications, including clarifications or changes, will be sent to the student’s Swarthmore College email address. This address will serve as the official channel for TAP-related information and individual notices to students, such as reminders to pick up ordered books from the Store.
  • If books purchased through TAP are not picked up by the last day of classes, the books will be considered abandoned and become property of the bookstore. The books will be donated to various establishments approved by the Campus & Community Store.There will be no refund for books which are ordered and prepaid but not picked up by the student.

TAP – Contact for Further Information