UNCW students rent textbooks

The school year is back in session for UNCW students. And they may have a lighter load to bring to class. It’ll definitely be lighter on their pocketbooks.

UNCW is partnering with Barnes & Noble to rent books to students. It’s often a fraction of the price it would cost to buy the book new or used, and you just return the book at the end of the semester.

“Once I finish a class I’m probably never going to look at it again so I figured it’d be a lot easier,” says UNCW student Keith Larsen.

For example, a book on nutrition costs $121 new and $91 used. But to rent it is just $54. And now UNCW students have a fourth option, e-textbooks, where they buy an e-book card and use the code to access the book online. At $57, the cost is similar to renting the book, but with some drawbacks. E-textbooks only allow students to print a certain number of pages and the online book eventually expires, sometimes after one month.

Some students say sticking to the old-fashioned way of buying books isn’t all that bad. “I like the selling back part,” says Matt Daddio. “If your parents give you money, you can sometimes keep the money you get back from the sold books.”

The big perk is now students have more options. “We knew several years ago that the textbook industry was changing,” says Associate Vice Chancellor of Buiness Services Sharon Boyd. “What we’re trying to do is provide a variety of options and let the students choose. That way as we grow different programs, we’ll see which ones they gravitate to and we’ll try to be ready for them.”