Books and Course Materials
How do I get my textbooks for my semester away?
The drop downs below provide information on when and how students purchase textbooks for their classes during their semester away. In addition, students and faculty at NYU Global sites have access to an extensive range of online full-text collections including books, journals, audio, video and images, and a variety of library services including email reference through NYU Libraries' website.
NYU Abu Dhabi
Required textbooks and course materials -- listed as such in the course syllabus -- are included in the tuition fee. Additional readings may be suggested/provided throughout the course, mainly in electronic format. Students will be able to pick up their textbooks and course materials from the bookstore at NYU Abu Dhabi during the orientation period, and on the first day of classes.
NYU Accra
Students will be notified if they have to purchase texts for their courses prior to their departure. Other readings for courses will be available electronically via the NYU Global Library Services, or in hard copy at the site reading room for borrowing.
NYU Berlin
Students at NYU Berlin obtain their course literature through NYU Classes and/or by buying course books. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain the required course books in time for the start of the semester. As some US books take up to six weeks to be delivered from the US to Germany, we strongly advise that you purchase your books before coming to Berlin. If you plan to purchase any books after your arrival in Berlin, please ensure that these are available in a timely fashion (either at a bookstore or online).
To find out which books you need to obtain for which classes, a list will be published in early July (for Fall Semester) and early December (for Spring Semester) on the NYU Berlin course listings website and via your Admitted Student Blog.
Exceptions are books for your German Language classes (including advanced language courses), which will be pre-ordered at a local bookstore for students.
Students can typically expect to spend between $35 and $100 per course. In addition to the many electronic resources available through the NYU Library, we have a small read.ing room at the academic center where one or two copies of each textbook are available but only for use within the Academic Center. German books for all levels are also available through our German "mini library" in the German Studies office. You can search the NYU Berlin library catalogue here.
NYU Buenos Aires
Students will be informed prior to their departure of any texts they may need to purchase in the U.S and bring with them, and may do so through any bookseller. Books used in language courses will be received on site, and will be charged to students via their Bursar account. For many classes, students use resources made available to them by their professors, and do not have to purchase books.
For certain advanced language courses, students will read a short novel in Spanish, which may be purchased in Buenos Aires upon arrival.
NYU Florence
NYU Florence Books and Course Materials
The majority of courses at NYU Florence rely solely on digital materials made available by faculty through course sites and electronic resources available through the NYU Library.
For those courses requiring hard copy textbooks, these are available for loan in the library or for purchase at two bookstores in downtown Florence. Information on these bookstores is given during orientation, and faculty inform students on the first day of classes which bookstore holds the books for their courses.
Estimated Costs
All NYU Florence Italian Language textbooks and course materials are available to students without charge online on their course sites. Below a list of some estimated costs for other specific course areas:
Art History courses: approx. €70 per course.
Business courses: between €50 and €160 per course.
Economics courses: approx. €80 per course.
Politics courses: approx. €40 per course.
These two lists of required hard copy textbooks have consistently been selected by faculty: Fall textbooks and Spring textbooks.
Please note: These textbooks may vary based on new editions released or changes made by faculty teaching the course. These lists are to be used as a reference for you to have an idea about texts you will be using in Florence.
Textbooks in Villa Ulivi Library
Please keep in mind that in Villa Ulivi, the academic center of NYU Florence, there is a library where copies of each textbook are available for consultation and short term loans. Extra copies of some textbooks are also available for semester long loans.
Book loan service: Available Mon-Fri: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
The Ulivi Library offers two book loan options:
Semester-long loans of extra copies in storage: Here is the Textbook loaner list currently available in library.
Semester long terms:
Up to three books can be loaned on a first-come, first serve-basis.
Do not write in books.
Return books in the library at the end of the semester.
Short-term, two-week loans of extra copies in the catalog. Search our online catlog where to find out which books are available for loan. Catalog instructions.
Two week loan terms:
Up to three books can be loaned on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Do not write in books.
Reserves, renews and returns must be made in person in the library.
NOTE: One copy of all required books for courses will always be on reserve in the library for consultation and copying.
Affordability Tips
In an effort to make textbook purchasing more affordable, we would like you to consider the following points:
- Textbooks cannot be shipped to Florence prior to your arrival.
- Take note of the luggage overcharges with your airline when packing and bringing books with you to Florence.
- Where possible, consider using a “loaner textbook” from the Villa Ulivi Library. To get more information about “loaner textbooks,” look for the announcement in the Study Away Admissions newsletter that will provide a link and further instructions closer to your arrival date.
Any questions regarding required course texts and materials of any type can be sent to cristina.bellini@nyu.edu
NYU London
NYU London pre-orders textbooks for students through Blackwell’s bookshop in London, which brings the books to the site for sale during orientation. Blackwell’s is a chain similar to Barnes & Noble, and prices are comparable to stores elsewhere. Should students wish to buy their books at another time (i.e. upon adding or dropping a class), they may purchase the books at Blackwell’s physical location at 50 High Holborn, London, WCIV 6EP Mon-Sat 9:30 -8:00, Sun 12:00-6:00 (telephone #020 7292 5100).
Students may also buy books wherever they would like, and are welcome to purchase second hand copies. Blackwell’s may bring some second hand copies to their sale, but in general, standard rates will apply to the texts available at the orientation book sale. There are a number of bookstores on Charing Cross Road, which is a short walk from the Academic Centre. There is a Watersone’s opposite ULU, or students may use websites such as amazon.co.uk. Texts should be shipped to the student’s name at the Academic Centre: 6 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3RA, U.K., and may be collected from reception using an ID card.
Certain courses may require that students purchase customized textbooks or course packs from the New York NYU bookstore that may not be available in the UK. Students will be contacted by email if this applies to them. These may be ordered via the website (http://www.bookstores.nyu.edu/) or by phone (212-998-4667). Books are typically shipped out the next business day via UPS regular ground shipping. The cost of shipping is $6.00 for the first book and $1.50 for each additional book. Books should be delivered to the students name at the Academic Centre (address above).
NYU Madrid
At NYU Madrid, courses that require textbooks are Spanish language courses and the “Foundations of Finance” and “Introduction to Marketing” courses. The "Cervantes/Don Quijote" course requires a specific edition of the novel.
Spanish language textbooks are available for purchase at a bookstore in Madrid. Students will be informed of the textbooks they need to purchase after the language orientation sessions in Madrid. Prices usually range between 40-45 Euros.
Students enrolled in the “Foundations of Finance” and “Introduction to Marketing,” and the "Cervantes/Don Quijote" courses will be informed via email prior to their departure of the textbooks/novel they need to purchase. Students may purchase the textbooks/novel in the U.S. and bring them to Madrid, or may purchase the textbooks/novel at New York NYU Bookstore by certain deadlines, using the link provided in the email, and have them delivered to NYU Madrid. Students may also purchase the textbooks/novel once in Madrid through the end of the add/drop period. Furthermore, one copy of each textbook and of the novel is available for 2-hour loan periods in our small library on site.
NYU Paris
NYU Paris students purchase all textbooks at Eyrolles Bookstore, located in the same building as the NYU Paris academic center. All textbook lists can be found on the respective course syllabus. For classes that require course packets, these can be purchased at Mistral Photo printing office, located one block from the NYU Paris academic center at 40 Rue Saint-Jacques.
In general, students should expect to spend between €50-€300 depending on books and course readers, though some courses incur higher expenses.
One or two extra copies of all textbooks can be found in the NYU Paris library, located on the first floor (level 0) of the academic center. These are always available for on-site consultation. Nonetheless, all NYU Paris students are expected to purchase all books and readers listed as required by their professors in their syllabi. In addition, the NYU Library offers a number of electronic resources available online through the NYU website.
NYU Prague
At NYU Prague, students are not required to purchase any of their books in the US ahead of time.
Most classes will either use the paper course readers (available for free during the student's stay in Prague) or materials posted by their professors on NYU Classes; however, students of Czech classes will be required to purchase a Czech textbook upon their arrival to the Prague campus.
In addition to the many electronic resources available through the NYU Library, students may also access the reading room at the academic center's library, where one or two copies of each textbook are available for a loan. Student can search the database of the collection at:
http://clavius.nyu.cz/clavius/eng/baze.htm
NYU Shanghai
Students are required to purchase all required textbooks for each course that they are enrolled in Shanghai. Students are initially pre-billed for course materials before the semester starts. They will then be refunded or charged accordingly for the cost of textbooks and course materials. Whenever available, the textbooks and course materials used in Shanghai are electronic. Students also have the option to purchase required books and materials, however, students must verify the appropriate editions for the textbooks with NYU Shanghai. Information for textbooks and course materials will be available on the Shanghai textbook website one month before the semester starts.
NYU Sydney
Students will be advised prior to departure if they need to purchase any books at the NYU bookstore prior to their arrival, however, the UTS Co-op Bookshop supplies most required texts for NYU Sydney. Students can either buy their text online and pick them up from the store in Sydney (BOPIS), or visit the store to purchase the texts in person.
To view and purchase texts, students may go to the co-op website.
1. Select ‘NYU Sydney’ from the institution menu at 'Step 01'
2. Select the applicable semester from the drop-down menu at 'Step 02' and hit the 'Search' button
3. Select your course from the ‘Subject’ menu. (Courses that are cross listed have two codes and texts are the same for both listings.) A list of texts will appear under the menu.
To purchase the texts in person, students may visit the Co-op directly, which is conveniently located around the corner from student housing at Urbanest. The store is part of the University of Technology (UTS) campus.
Address: Co-op UTS, 3 Broadway, Ultimo 2007 (corner with Harris St)
Phone: +61 2 9211 3534+61 2 9211 3534
Email: uts@coop-bookshop.com.au
NYU Tel Aviv
Students will be notified if they have to purchase texts for their courses prior to their departure. Other readings for courses will be available electronically via the NYU Global Library Services, available for purchase on site, or in hard copy at the site reading room for borrowing.
NYU Washington, DC
For most courses at NYU Washington, DC, a list of the required and optional/suggested materials (e.g., books, videos, etc.) will be provided to students shortly before their arrival. Where possible, we request that faculty indicate whether specific editions of works must be used, and whether e-books may be used (when available) or if physical copies are necessary. Students may then acquire the materials for their courses from any online or brick-and-mortar vendor of their choice.
Students can typically expect to spend between $100 and $400, depending on their classes. Costs will vary, though, depending on the edition(s) required, whether students prefer new vs. used books, whether the works are hardcover/paperback/e-book, and whether there are rental options.
In addition to the many electronic resources available through the NYU Libraries, we have a reading room at the Academic Center where one copy of every required textbook or paperback is available for use within that room. For non-textbooks, there is usually also a second copy that may be borrowed for up to 12 hours from our Student Lounge.