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FAQ - General

Frequently Asked Questions

Panther Ready is a course material model that lowers the cost of materials for students and ensures students have access to all of their required course materials on or before the first day of class. Through this new program, physical books will be conveniently packaged and provided to students on a rental basis (with an option to purchase at the end of the semester), and digital materials will be delivered directly within the Canvas Learning Management System. At the end of the Semester (or 2 consecutive terms within the same semester), students will receive email reminders to return their physical course materials to the bookstore.

 

*** Automated Panther Ready emails are distributed each academic term to ensure students receive important program information, deadlines, and reminders. These communications are sent to all eligible students and may continue even if a student has previously opted out of the program. Students are encouraged to remain subscribed to ensure they receive timely communications regarding their participation options and key dates. ***

 

 

Step 1: After registering for classes, students who haven't opted out of Panther Ready will receive a welcome email with information on next steps for Panther Ready.

Step 2: One month before classes start, you will receive an email instructing you to select your delivery method (in-store pickup or shipped directly to you).

  • Students who choose to have their book package shipped directly to them can do so for a flat shipping fee of $8.99
  • To verify your order or view your course material portal (available 30 days before classes begin) check your portal.

Step 3: An email notification will be sent when your order is ready for pickup or when it is shipped by the bookstore.

  • Digital course materials will be available in Canvas on the first day of class.

Step 4: At the end of the semester, last day of finals, return your rented books to the bookstore. The bookstore will send an email to remind you.

  • To ship your books back to the bookstore, a flat fee of $5.00 can be obtained through your portal or sent from the bookstore via email.
  • Digital books will be removed from Canvas, or depending on the book publisher, the book can remain for an extended period within Canvas.

That's it! After completing Step 4, you're officially enrolled in Panther Ready. Each semester, you'll receive emails with the option to opt out if you choose.

*** Students who are not enrolled in the current term may occasionally receive an automated opt-in notification. If they attempt to opt out, they may receive an error message because they are not eligible to participate in the program, ***

 

The program provides all required textbooks, lab manuals, access codes and digital textbook versions to eligible students. 

The program does not include consumables that cannot be returned or reused, such as lab goggles, dissection kits, molecular model kits, engineering kits or nursing kits.

The program does not include consumables that cannot be returned or reused such as lab goggles, dissection kits, molecular model kits, engineering kits or nursing kits.

All eligible students will be automatically enrolled in the Panther Ready Program. Once a student is opted in, they are not able to opt out in a subsequent term. Students who do not wish to participate must opt-out during the opt-out period open every Semester approximately 35 days prior to the last day of the add/drop date. 

Some exclusions apply; such as zero credit courses, Thesis Courses, Dissertation Courses, Field Study Courses, and others. View your charges on your Student Account for more information on non-participating courses. For those non-participating courses, opting out is not required. However, please review your student account charges to confirm eligibility.  

Students have the option to opt-out of the Panther Ready Program each semester during the opt-out window. The opt-out window is open ten (10) days after the first day of the applicable term or semester.  By opting out, students will not receive their required materials in a convenient package and access to digital content will be removed after the opt-out window closes. Options for purchasing course materials after opting out can be found on the bookstore website. To begin the opt-out process, please log in to your portal (available during the opt-out window for each term).

Opting-out will opt you out of the Semester, including Term 1 and 2. If Term 2  is your first term in the Semester, you may email the bookstore@fit.edu or FlTech@bncollege.com within the opt out window to opt out. 

Receipt of automated marketing emails does not indicate re-enrollment in the Panther Ready program. Students who have successfully opted out and received a confirmation email from the bookstore remain opted out of the program.

 

To change your opt-out status and opt into the Panther Ready Program, please logging into to your portal, click on the Opt-out button on the Panther Ready webpage, or follow the instructions found in the opt-out confirmation email you received after opting-out. Please note you must make your final selection by ten (10) days after the first day of the applicable term or semester.  

 

If you opted out at the beginning of the Semester, and taking courses in a Term 2 and would like to opt back in, please reach out to the bookstore upon registration of the course for eligibility.

The deadline to return all rental textbooks is the last day of finals. Students will receive email reminders about the rental deadline to their email address.

Yes, you can purchase the physical textbooks at a reduced rate during the designated return period. If you would like to buy the book brand new, then you may want to Opt-out of Panther Ready. Visit the bookstore website for rates on new books.

Yes, you will still be required to return continuation course textbooks. You will be issued the same title for the next semester of the continuation course.

The bookstore will send you reminders. If you do not opt out, your materials will be held at the bookstore, digital materials will be accessible within Canvas, and your student account will be charged.

You may return the book to the bookstore on the same terms and timelines currently in place. If you drop a class and enroll in a different class, the bookstore will “swap” the required textbooks/codes so that you have what you need.

For general questions about Florida Tech's Panther Ready Program

For technical assistance with digital materials in Canvas

For student account questions

The flat rate is $27 per credit hour, or $405 for a 15-credit course load. For comparison, Florida Tech previously recommended that students budget $600 for books and supplies each semester.

No. The Panther Ready program is set up by semester, not by individual courses or terms. Students cannot opt out of select courses while remaining enrolled in Panther Ready for other courses during the same semester. The student will be responsible for purchasing course materials for all your courses during that term.

For example; Fall 1 and Fall 2 are both part of the Fall semester. If a student chooses to opt out of Panther Ready for the Fall semester, that opt-out applies to both Fall 1 and Fall 2. Opting out of Fall 1 automatically opts the student out of Fall 2 as well. This helps keep the program and billing process consistent throughout the semester.

You can change your status and opt back into Panther Ready by visiting the link in your opt-out confirmation email. Please note that the opt-out window opens 30 days before the start of the semester, and you must make your final selection before your earliest add/drop deadline. Once a student is opted in and the opt out deadline has closed, they are not able to opt out in a subsequent term. The deadline is firm and no reimbursements will be issued.

Yes. If you do not opt out, your materials will be held at the bookstore, your e-book course materials are made available during that time through Canvas, and your student account will be charged.

You can still opt out, but you have 48 hours to return the textbooks. If you do not return the books within that period, the charges will remain on your student account.

A semester is a 16-week academic term. There are three semesters each academic year: Fall, Spring, and Summer.

A term is a shorter session within a semester. For example, Fall Term I and Fall Term II are both 8-week terms that concurrently take place within the full 16-week Fall Semester. At Florida Tech, depending on the program, there are several different term lengths.

If you have your books for your course from a previous semester, its important to review whether any new courses for which you registered require any required books. Visit the Bookstore website for some comparison shopping. It may be conducive for you to stay opted in if you have a variety of books worth more than the $27/credit hour fee.

Students who receive an incomplete are required to return their printed rental materials by the designated due date. If they wish to keep the book, they may choose to purchase it at a fair market value. Digital rentals follow the standard rental timeline. In some cases, students may continue to have limited access to the digital material after the semester ends, depending on the publisher’s license and access policies. If you have a unique circumstance, please reach out to the bookstore for assistance.

MBS will no longer be available for obtaining books for courses at Florida Tech. Panther Ready will provide you with all the course materials you need in one step if you remain opted in.

Yes, if you are an Athlete or a student on a scholarship, this program is applicable to you. The cost will be applied toward your scholarship expenses.

Panther Ready covers all required course materials, and applicable charges may be eligible for coverage through your VA education benefits. Because eligibility and benefit coverage can vary, we recommend that VA students contact the Military and Veteran Student Services (MVSS) office (mvss@fit.edu or 321-674-8036) for specific information regarding eligibility, approved expenses, and benefit coverage. Please note that Panther Ready includes only required course materials. Any supplemental materials, supplies, or optional items are not part of the Panther Ready program. For assistance with those items, please visit the bookstore.

The Bookstore offers the following "Panther Ready Student Digital Access Guide" to students opted into Panther Ready on how to obtain their digital course materials in Canvas.

No. The format of course materials (physical or digital) is determined by the faculty member during the course adoption process. Once the adoption has been finalized for a semester, an alternate format cannot be provided through the Panther Ready Program.

Students are encouraged to share their format preferences with their instructors for future semesters. If a student prefers a different format than the one selected for the course, they may obtain that format independently at their own expense.

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