Why buy text books when you can rent them?
SEATTLE -- Ask any college student and they'll tell you "books cost too much." The College Board says the average student at a four-year public college should expect to spend around $1,100 this year on textbooks and other course materials.
Faced with skyrocketing prices, many students simply don't buy some of the books they need. The Student Public Interest Research Groups surveyed undergraduates on 13 campuses and found that 70 percent said they had decided not to buy one or more of their assigned textbooks because of cost.
"Now, most of these students believe textbooks are important for doing well in their classes and think they do worse without it, but they are still pushed by this high, high costs, to forego the learning materials they need, said Nicole Allen with StudentPIRGs.
Used books are the traditional money-saving option, but many required textbooks are not available used. In some cases, e-books are the answer. But paper books are still the format of choice.
So many savvy students now rent their textbooks.
"You pay the fee and you just give it back at the end of the semester and you're all done," Allen said.
The first major textbook rental sites were launched about four years ago. Now there are lots of them. Even Amazon and Barnes & Noble have entered the market. Renting can usually cut 50 to 80 percent off the new book price.
A company called Bookrenter has partnered with colleges and universities across the country to power their textbook rentals -- including the University of Washington and Washington State University. Chegg.com is another one.
The people who run the University Bookstore say the feedback has been great.
A better way to search for text books
Speaking of the University Bookstore, it is taking another step to help students save as much as they can on their text books by making all text book prices available on one search engine.
"We're laying ourselves wide open saying, here is our pricing," said Bryan Pearce, University Bookstore CEO.
The new price comparison tool at UBookStore.com was just launched last week. And you don't even have to be a UW student to use it.
Just go to the site, click on the course name. As long as the courses are the same, this price comparison tool gives you the required course reading list, and real time pricing of the necessary textbook wherever the book is available, be it new, used, for rent, or in e-book form.
"Students figure this stuff out, and so far we've been seeing great results," Pearce said.
The goal is to erase the negative perception many students have about book store pricing, and so far, it's working.
"Previously I just used Amazon but now I use that," said UW student Kevin Bukoskey.
University Book store says it's working so well in fact, it sees an increase in textbook sales to students from other universities across the country.
Faced with skyrocketing prices, many students simply don't buy some of the books they need. The Student Public Interest Research Groups surveyed undergraduates on 13 campuses and found that 70 percent said they had decided not to buy one or more of their assigned textbooks because of cost.
"Now, most of these students believe textbooks are important for doing well in their classes and think they do worse without it, but they are still pushed by this high, high costs, to forego the learning materials they need, said Nicole Allen with StudentPIRGs.
Used books are the traditional money-saving option, but many required textbooks are not available used. In some cases, e-books are the answer. But paper books are still the format of choice.
So many savvy students now rent their textbooks.
"You pay the fee and you just give it back at the end of the semester and you're all done," Allen said.
The first major textbook rental sites were launched about four years ago. Now there are lots of them. Even Amazon and Barnes & Noble have entered the market. Renting can usually cut 50 to 80 percent off the new book price.
A company called Bookrenter has partnered with colleges and universities across the country to power their textbook rentals -- including the University of Washington and Washington State University. Chegg.com is another one.
The people who run the University Bookstore say the feedback has been great.
A better way to search for text books
Speaking of the University Bookstore, it is taking another step to help students save as much as they can on their text books by making all text book prices available on one search engine.
"We're laying ourselves wide open saying, here is our pricing," said Bryan Pearce, University Bookstore CEO.
The new price comparison tool at UBookStore.com was just launched last week. And you don't even have to be a UW student to use it.
Just go to the site, click on the course name. As long as the courses are the same, this price comparison tool gives you the required course reading list, and real time pricing of the necessary textbook wherever the book is available, be it new, used, for rent, or in e-book form.
"Students figure this stuff out, and so far we've been seeing great results," Pearce said.
The goal is to erase the negative perception many students have about book store pricing, and so far, it's working.
"Previously I just used Amazon but now I use that," said UW student Kevin Bukoskey.
University Book store says it's working so well in fact, it sees an increase in textbook sales to students from other universities across the country.
Learn about changes coming to commenting