This academic year, the UF Bookstore is running a textbook rental program that saved students a total of more than half a million dollars in the summer and fall semesters.
The program, which has been installed at more than 2,000 schools around the nation and was in full swing by the fall at UF, has had a successful start in Gainesville.
Bookstore director Lynne Vaughan estimated the savings at about $514,000, with almost 13,000 books rented from the on-campus store over the two semesters.
“Most stores will continue to rent textbooks to students to stay competitive,” she said.
Students can save about half of the cover costs on books by renting and then returning their textbooks to the store by a specified date at the end of each semester.
Off-campus bookstores like the Florida Book Store and Orange and Blue Textbooks have had rental programs for a while.
Charles Schmidt, director of public relations for the National Association of College Stores, said that the average student can save from 45 to 65 percent on textbooks per year by using the program.
“All of our stores are focused on reducing the cost of school materials for students,” he said. “The best thing about renting is that students can lock in savings up front without any risks that might be associated with selling back a book.”
Some UF students, such as Cody Johnson, were happy that the program was installed.
“I was able to rent textbooks for my non-major classes,” Johnson said. “I wasn’t going to need those books again, so I was relieved to save some money last semester.”
Other students don’t consider renting an option. Amber Himmler, a UF sophomore, said she prefers buying her books.
“I rented an answer book last summer from an off-campus bookstore and I lost it,” Himmler said. “It ended up costing more in fees than buying it new so that discouraged me from renting during fall semester.”
As for the future of the program, Vaughan and Schmidt both mentioned digital e-books coming into the picture.
“We feel that text rental is the bridge between purchasing physical textbooks and the future of digital e-book sales,” Vaughan said.
