With eTextbooks becoming more readily available to college students, options are expanding for students who choose to purchase or rent textbooks.
With college textbooks, students have the option to purchase a new or used textbook or rent a textbook or eTextbook. The options can change depending on what is available for any particular textbook.
Angelle Caillouet, bookstore manager, said she believes rentals are going to become very popular, but the best option always depends on the class. She explained that average spending for textbooks per semester is about $600.
In the University Bookstore, 43 percent of the textbooks available for purchase were also available for rental in the fall.
Students also use companies like Chegg and BookRenter.com, but the decision of whether to rent or buy depends on the student’s major and class.
Kristi Ribas, mathematics sophomore from New Orleans, said she has tried many textbook options including purchasing a new textbook, used textbook or renting a used textbook or eTextbook.
“It all depends on your major and how the class and textbook will benefit you later,” Ribas said. “I buy the books that I know I’ll want to reference in my upper-level classes, and I rent the ones that I know I will never need again.”
For example, the cost of a new Biology 106 bound textbook is $187.35 in the University Bookstore but can be found online for $130.95. A used textbook can be purchased for $140.50 in the University Bookstore, but can be found online for $117.99. The eTextbook can be rented for 180 days through Nook Study for $94.95.
Ribas said eTextbooks are a good alternative for textbooks that must be brought to class.
Purchasing a textbook can be an accommodating option for students who plan to use the textbook throughout college or for students who are comfortable highlighting or marking in their textbooks.
Local bookstores, like Big Worm Textbooks or Textbook Rentals Inc., can also offer alternatives to purchasing new books if used books are not available at the University Bookstore.
Buying a used book can be the right decision in classes that have required the same textbook for many years. This option can save money because a new edition may arrive and prevent selling it back to the University Bookstore. Students also search online retailers, like Amazon, for used books because online retailers often have discounted prices.
Many required textbooks can be sold back at the end of the semester for a percentage of the original price.
Caillouet said the best time to resell books is during final examinations at the end of each semester. New editions of textbooks arrive yearly, so students risk selling back an outdated edition for less money.
Although renting textbooks may be price efficient upfront, overall it may be counterproductive if the textbooks can be resold at the end of the semester. Also, if a rented textbook is lost, damaged or not returned on time, there may be additional fees.
Devin Bergeron, biology junior from Houma, said that he always rents his textbooks.
“I would like to think that I will look back at my books one day, but I won’t,” Bergeron said. “Anything I need to know can probably be found online anyway.”
