Book Advances allow you to use a portion of your anticipated financial aid to purchase textbooks and supplies from any business; however, certain required course materials are customized and only available from specific vendors.
Before purchasing your required course materials, please review your Mini-Syllabus to see specific requirements for textbooks, access codes, laboratory kits and other course resources.
Each semester, Rio Salado College will initiate a one-time only book advance that eligible students can use to purchase text books and supplies for upcoming classes. To qualify, the student must have a projected financial aid award, and have sufficient aid to cover his or her outstanding student account balance. In order to make sure that you are able to receive a Book Advance as early as possible, you must meet the financial aid Priority Filing Deadline for your semester block start date.
It is the student's responsibility to ensure that he or she meets all financial aid terms and conditions to qualify to receive the Book Advance. If a student receives a book advance, and is subsequently determined to not have been eligible to receive it, then the student is responsible for returning those funds to Rio Salado College.
Book Advance Amounts
| Semester Enrollment Level |
# of Credits |
Maximum Book Advance Amount for Semester |
| Full Time |
12 or More Credits |
$600* |
| ¾ Time |
9 to 11 Credits |
$450* |
| ½ Time |
6 to 8 Credits |
$300* |
| Less than ½ Time |
Less than 6 Credits |
$150* |
*To qualify for the maximum amount, students must have enough financial aid to cover their outstanding student account balance plus enough aid to also receive the maximum Book Advance amount.
Example: Alex is a full-time student at Rio Salado College taking 12 semester credits for the Fall Semester. Alex has $1,500 of anticipated financial aid, and an outstanding account balance of $1,000. Although Alex is enrolled full-time, she will only receive $500 for her book advance. The amount of book advance funds a student receives cannot exceed the amount of the student's anticipated financial aid.
Students who qualify to receive a book advance have the right to opt out of the process, in which case, funds designated as Book Advance monies will be included with the student's financial aid refund.
In most cases, book advances will be posted to eligible students’ accounts with Rio Salado College approximately 6 business days before the start of the student’s semester block. The funds will then be routed to students through the Maricopa Student Refund Program (MSRP). Students should allow 4 – 6 business days from the date the book advance is posted at Rio Salado College for the book advance to be received by Citi Prepaid Services. Students will receive an email notification when Citi has received and processed the book advance. If the book advance posts on a Friday or holiday, allow additional time.
In order to receive your book advance funds as soon as possible, it is essential for new students to monitor their Gmail account and Student Center at my.maricopa.edu for instructions to enroll in the Maricopa Student Refund Program. The debit card and direct deposit options are the generally the fastest way for students to receive refunds in hand. Typically, students receive a notification within 1 to 2 business days completing the Student Information Form when they first enroll at Rio Salado College. The debit and direct deposit options are generally the fastest delivery methods for students to receive refunds in hand.