Slingshot is a privately held, family-owned company headquartered in central Indiana, serving institutions ranging in size from less than 1,000 to nearly 20,000 students nationwide.

Here is what makes Slingshot different:

• Prioritizing students’ needs. Slingshot’s Equitable Access model aims to solve issues surrounding student preparedness and student success. Slingshot believes the baseline is all students, all materials, by the first day of class, at an affordable price.
• Pioneering Equitable Access has led to significant outcomes at partner institutions. A sample of five partner schools that implemented Slingshot’s Equitable Access programs saw an 8 percent increase in graduation rates.
• Commitment to innovation and exceptional service. With partners ranging from 1,000 to 20,000 students, Slingshot provides customized solutions to suit every partner’s needs.

Barnes & Noble will continue to be Carthage’s textbook and campus bookstore partner through the end of the 2023-24 academic year. For the rest of this year, students and faculty will continue the established process of procuring textbooks and materials for their courses.

Equitable Access is like a Netflix subscription: Students receive all their materials for one low rate. For a small fee, students can also choose a print or digital upgrade.

Equitable Access simply means that all course materials — regardless of financial aid status, academic program, learning format, or how much is required — are covered under one predictable per credit hour fee. All course material charges can then be paid for by financial aid, scholarships, or grants that exist on the student’s account.

Carthage’s partnership will begin with Slingshot for the Fall 2024 term.

All new first-year, international, and transfer students will be automatically opted into Slingshot beginning in the Fall 2024 semester. Students will be billed on their student account at the beginning of each semester.

In the Fall 2024 semester, all returning students can choose to opt into the EA program, and your student account will be charged at the beginning of each term.

If you choose to opt out, you will remain opted out for future terms, but you can opt back into Slingshot by selecting a preference on the “My Account” page of the Slingshot website. Students who stay opted out can still place online orders for their course materials from the Slingshot website.

All students receive their required course materials for every course, including consumable items like art supply kits, course packs, access codes, and workbooks, through the Slingshot Equitable Access program. By default, course materials will be a mix of physical rental books or eBooks dependent on availability.

For residential students, course materials are delivered to your dorm room before the beginning of the Fall and Spring terms. For commuter students or students enrolled in a J-Term, course materials can be picked up at the campus bookstore or mailed to an address of your choice. Digital items will be accessible via the Slingshot website. Email notifications will be sent when items are ready to pick up and when digital items are available to access.

Yes, course materials will be automatically provided and delivered at the beginning of each term and can be picked up at the Campus Bookstore.

If you add a course, Slingshot will automatically receive your enrollment information and process a new order for any materials that you need. An email notification will be sent as soon as the item(s) is available.

If you drop a course, you will receive an email notification and have 7 business days from the drop date to arrange the return of your course materials with no penalty. If no action is taken for physical course materials, the student account will be billed for the full purchase price. Digital books are automatically returned for you.

Students who opt into the Slingshot Equitable Access program can apply their financial aid to the cost of their course materials.

If you don’t want to participate in the Slingshot Equitable Access program, and would rather source materials on your own, you may do so by the designated due date each term. After that, your opt-out will go into effect with your next order. Opted-out students can still order books under the “Buy Books” tab of the Slingshot website.

Any course material that is greater than $500 in value will be charged outside of the per credit hour fee. Examples of such course materials are Nursing ATI software and specialized Engineering hardware and software.

In the months ahead, more information will be shared with students about the Slingshot Equitable Access program, how to register for Fall 2024 courses, and how to obtain your needed course materials