Textbook Rentals Going Strong
SDSU Bookstores Rent-to-Save program is one of the most successful book-rental programs in the nation.
The SDSU Bookstore book-rental program has proven so successful in its first two years that it is expanding to include more titles and more savings for students.
Fall 2012 marked the first semester that SDSU students rented more books than they purchased.
Program officials said students are renting more because of the savings — which can be up to $200 per semester.
“We know pricing is probably the key consideration among students browsing for textbooks,” said Ben Eisenstein, marketing manager at the SDSU Bookstore. “Rent to Save, in combination with our EZ Books service and Price Matching program, has helped us stay competitive when it comes to dollars and cents.”
Examples of savings include:
-
Chemistry 100 - Buy $64.45; Rent $40
Students save $24.45 -
Psychology 101 - Buy $107.65; Rent $61.40
Students save $46.25 -
Management 350 - Buy $138.50; Rent $78.95
Students save $59.55
With more than 2,000 titles, it’s one of the largest book-rental programs in the country. In 2010, the program received a $450,000 grant to increase its already dense library.
More than 80 percent of the textbooks offered by the SDSU Bookstore are available for rent.
How it works
The store will match any purchase price for new or rental books found in a retail store or listed online (excluding consumer-to-consumer transactions). The book must have identical ISBN, edition and condition (new/used) information, and it must be in stock for the price to be matched.
Students can purchase books they rent by paying the difference between the rental and purchase prices.
