books fees

Sinaj · 08-29-2009, 01:47 AM

My son recieved a full scholarship to Stanford which is supposed to also cover his books. When he goes to the bookstore to get those books, will he be expected to pay for them and be reimbursed at a later time or will they have some sort of student accounting for the award and apply the book charges accordingly?

walkyu · 08-29-2009, 11:44 AM

Due to some changes this year, students who receive aid for books will now be able to "charge" the cost of books to their StanfordCardPlan. This is precisely to prevent students who are receiving full aid from going broke buying books before their financial aid is available. I suspect this means when the time comes to buy books, your son will just swipe their Stanford ID at the bookstore to purchase books.

"Effective September 1, 2009, the StanfordCardPlan will be offered to students only and will allow them to charge up to $1,000 per quarter at the Stanford Bookstore and other on-campus locations. The charges will be added directly to the student’s University bill. This change accommodates the needs of students who often must purchase books and other necessities early in the quarter before their financial aid is available. In order to participate in the new StanfordCardPlan, students will need to accept the 2009-10 Terms and Conditions of the StanfordCardPlan. The 2009-10 Terms and Conditions will be posted at this site by September 1, 2009."

Taken from: Fingate - Overview: StanfordCardPlan

Olive_Tree · 08-29-2009, 06:09 PM

So this $1,000 will not be paid by students' money but their scholarship's correct? I'm also in the same situation.

walkyu · 08-30-2009, 04:50 AM

If you have scholarship money that covers this cost, yes. Essentially it will appear as a charge to your Stanford bill, so if your aid/scholarship is meant to cover that cost, the charge will disappear down the road.

Olive_Tree · 08-30-2009, 10:01 AM

One last question: does the StanfordCardPlan cost anything?

walkyu · 08-30-2009, 12:56 PM

Nope! The CardPlan used to be an account you added money to in order to print, etc. Now it's just an account you can charge to that shows up on your bill. No fees or anything like that.

Olive_Tree · 09-08-2009, 12:47 PM

So I just got approved for the StanfordCardPlan but am I supposed to get an actual card or what? I mean, when I go to buy my books do I just say I'm on the CardPlan? What do I do?

Olive_Tree · 09-10-2009, 12:24 PM

Bumping! Does anyone have an answer to my last question?

asian75 · 09-10-2009, 04:30 PM

Stanford Cardplan is your ID. Just swipe your ID. And if you get full scholarship they will refund the extra money back to your bank account (if you set up direct deposit) or send you a check. Even if you have full financial aid, it doesn't mean the book will be covered. Check your account for the details

c1ndy · 09-12-2009, 05:41 AM

This is the answer I got from the FA office:
"You will be getting $1692 when you get here (actually after you
enroll in classes). That is meant to be for your books, your spending money
for fall quarter (probably including a bicycle) and maybe enough money to
get home for Christmas break. You will be able to use your ID card to get
textbooks at the bookstore. The amount you "charge" will end up on your
university account and you'll have to pay it with the $1692. Or you can
wait until you get the $1692 and buy the books with cash/debit card. You
don't need to get your books before you go to class. In fact it isn't a
really good idea because your professors might give you information at the
first class session that will let you know if you need all the books right
away, some of the books never, etc."