The high price of textbooks is often a problem for students, causing them to seek cheaper alternatives. Now, NSU offers students another option.
This semester, the NSU bookstore began letting students rent textbooks, saving them up to 50 percent of what they would have spent on new books.
Nick Fagnoni, NSU bookstore manager, said that the rental program was started to give students more choices and the program has been well-received by students.
“It’s helping students, especially if it’s a book that they won’t need for more than a semester,” he said.
Fagnoni said that one appealing aspect about the rental program is the immediacy of it. Instead of waiting for online orders to ship, students can get the same savings by going to the bookstore.
“I’ve seen a lot of students who have come in and are very much appreciative of the fact that they can rent textbooks now,” he said.
Students who want to sell back books at the end of the semester may only receive 50 percent of the original price or less. With rentals, they can mail textbooks back to the store by printing out a free, one-time-use return shipping label online.
However, not all books are available for rent. Ebony Delgado, sophomore biology major, had to buy a $160 algebra book at the bookstore because it was not available for rent. Usually, she said, she uses Chegg.com for her textbooks and only goes to the NSU bookstore to buy textbooks exclusive to NSU. Delgado said she will still use Chegg.com if it is cheaper than renting at the bookstore.
Alex Walker, an NSU bookstore employee said that students are constantly seeking the cheaper options and are now requesting more rented books.
“If there aren’t any more rentals they prefer used,” he said.
Despite the savings, not all students are choosing to rent their books. Melissa Fernandez, doctorate student of computer technology education, bought her instructional design textbook even though it was available to rent.
“I will probably forget to return it, so I’ll just buy it,” she said.
Others don’t consider renting as an option because of the nature of their classes and academic programs. Amrita Singh, doctorate psychology student, said she has to buy her books, but she finds cheaper ways of buying books like ordering from amazon.com.
“Because I’m in graduate school, most of them I have to keep. I save about $150 to $200 dollars each semester,” she said.
Rented books are due ten days after the last day of finals and students receive emails reminding them to return them.
