One of the things that makes Southeastern very unique is the fact that we are one of the few colleges in the country that has a textbook rental system. Now with the rising costs of textbooks (up FOURTEEN PERCENT in the last year alone!), there are budding entrepreneurial start-ups like Chegg (http://www.chegg.com/) and Campus Book Rentals (http://www.campusbookrentals.com/) - and a little company called Barnes & Noble - that are starting to enter this market - with the cooperation of universities and their bookstores.
Read about these developments here in an article from today's Boston Herald:
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2010/07/26/as_college_text_prices_soar_students_get_a_rental_option/
What are your thoughts? How much do you think this has saved you as a student over your college career? What does this mean to you as a professor? Post your thoughts as comments here on the blog...and share this post to show how little old Southeastern Louisiana University has been doing something for decades that other leading colleges and universities are scrambling to put together now to serve their students!
David
P.S. An Important Point: This blog is not endorsed by, funded by, supported by, controlled by, (insert your verb here) by the Administration at Southeastern Louisiana University. All the input you see here is being done by faculty, staff, and students who care about Southeastern, and we are taking our own off-duty time and effort to use this space to publicize the things that are being done, today, on our campus and in our outreach beyond.
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This is true! I transferred here from ULM and textbooks each cost $100 or more. So students would be paying an average of $500-$700 each semester just for books. Some students made copies from others books and some just did not buy a book at all. I love the fact that Southeastern is under the textbook rental system, very creative.
ReplyDeleteI transferred from LSU, where textbooks ranged from $100-$290 dollars. Southeastern's textbook rental system is one of the reasons I transferred.
ReplyDeleteYeh this is very true. I LOVE the textbook rental system we have at SLU. I would hate to have to pay full price for books like at most universities.
ReplyDeleteNo wonder this idea is spreading throughout the country. It is a great idea. Friends at other colleges are often jealous of our rental book system. It not only is cheaper for students, but the process of getting books is much simpler than shopping around for books.
ReplyDeleteSoutheastern's text book rentals are awesome. I went to Our Lady of the Lake college for a semester and paid at least $500 for my books, and when I resold them I got maybe $150 back if that. Then I transferred back to southeastern and really appreciated the text book rentals. It's a great system and I think more colleges should do it.
ReplyDeleteRenting text books is almost something that sounds unthinkable in other schools. This is why i love southeastern. I hope SLU never changes the rental book policy.
ReplyDeleteI transferred from UNO and renting a textbook will clean out your pockets. I paid $180 for 1 textbook. When I found about SELU textbook rental after transferring here, I couldnt believe it until I actually went to go rent the book. I had some money in my pockets to pay a few bills with.
ReplyDeleteSoutheastern has a wonderful book rental program which saves the average student approximately $500 compared to buying books from other universities. These savings can be spent on other items needed for the semester. More universities should use this model to make books affordable to the average student.
ReplyDeleteI went to southeastern for the first time the year the hurricane hit and the renting of textbooks saved me alot of money. After that one year i went back to going to UNO and my books average atleats 600 dollars. I think all schools should go to the rental system.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to other attributes that Southeastern has, the book rental is one of the great things about going to school in Hammond. Even though the cost of education has risen, as well as the textbook rental has risen, it does not compare with the very high cost of purchasing books for college and then having to resell them at a lower price when your class is over. Overall it is a great savings and one I support.
ReplyDeleteThe textbook rental system made Southeastern very appealing to me. It really serves as a great innovative tool for most students.
ReplyDeleteI was impressed when I first started here with the rental system. I have had to try to resell textbooks at other schools, and it is a nuisance on a good day and a nightmare on bad ones! I had problems at a different school with textbook theft since people would lose theirs and/or pick up a book that belonged to someone else. Rental reduces the theft since you can't resell a book for money, which I like. Keeps people from trying to cash in on others!
ReplyDeleteRichard Hight
I believe that textbook rentals are the best. I absolutely love being able to rent my textbooks at a small price compared to buying them. When I was attending another college and had to buy my books I was probably spending anywhere from 500-800 per semester on books. Renting textbooks has definitely saved money!!
ReplyDeleteI am very appreciative of the textbook rental system....ever since my first attempt at my degree 20 years ago. Procrastination led me to having to purchase a few textbooks. Needless to say, not having to worry about this expense is a blessing! And to think Southeastern is one among a few to think of its students this way. :-)
ReplyDeleteFirst let me say that I feel so bless to be able to rent a text book then have to buy one, so much cheaper and so much more convent. I don’t understand why everyone else hasn’t jumped on the bandwagon with this one. I can’t imagine buying a book for that amount. Hello renting saves money. I think that LSU and other schools be making little deals with book companies.
ReplyDeleteThe ability to rent the text books as we do at SLU is nice. I have been to many different colleges and by the time you purchase your text books you have almost paid another semester of tuition. Once the semester is over you go back to sell them and they want to give you $10 or less for it or better yet there is a new edition so we do not want it.
ReplyDeleteI went to LSUE for a year, and had to purchase my textbooks. I probably paid between $400 and $500 dollars. They let you sell your books back at the end of the semester so I did. They paid me about $160 for my books after only using them a semester.
ReplyDeleteI think that one of the things that makes Southeastern a great school is the textbook rental system. It saves me and my parents between $500-$1000 each semester. Most classes that I have had rarely use the textbooks, so paying only a small fee for each textbook is worth it rather then spending almost $100 on a book that is not even opened during the semester.
ReplyDeleteAt LSU it cost me around $500.00 a semester. They do allow you to return purchased text books, and they give you a small amount back for what you originally paid. This amount is little to none. At Southeastern, I am able to rent text books for about $100.00 a semester.
ReplyDeleteI am very thankful that SLU uses the textbook rental system! Textbooks are very expensive and spending $500+ per semester can become very costly. I would much rather pay $100 for textbooks that I'm only going to use a few months.
ReplyDeleteOne of the main reasons I attended Southeastern was the fact they have this textbook rental system. Personally, I only tend to buy books for my major anyway. This method has saved me thousands of dollars. This system really comes in handy for those of us who take courses, such as electives, in which we're never going to have to use that information again. Paying one fee for rentals is more preferable to me than the prospective amounts I could be paying.
ReplyDeleteSince Southeastern has one of the few textbook rental systems, i think this definitely draws more students to the school. I couldn't imagine having to pay for my books each semester. It is hard for the average person to get buy on a daily basis and if they had to spend extra money on books for school they would only be in a worse position. The few people that have started their own business renting textbooks to students have put themselves in a position where they are needed and will be used for a long time because i don't see rental systems coming to other colleges soon.
ReplyDeleteI have 6 textbooks for this semester worth a total of $1168.25 if bought out right, opposed to the $175 rental fee I paid. Whenever a university can save students around $1000 per semester, that is impressive. That's $8000 we save by attending SLU and our tuition is relatively lower already. It's about time other schools and even private companies begin to tap into this system. I wish they wouldn't though because it makes us unique, it is our competitive advantage over everyone else.
ReplyDeleteIt's so great that Southeastern could implement a textbook rental system. I'm an Accounting major and some of the books we do have to buy cost a pretty penny, but knowing how much money Southeastern has saved me, I have no problem with buying a pricey Accounting book every other semester. Friends of mine who attend other schools wish they had rental systems because they spend up to and over $500 a semester in textbooks.
ReplyDeleteOne of the reasons I chose to come to Southeastern is because we had text book rental. A lot of my friends went to LSU and ULL and they paid so much money for text books it was crazy. By SLU having the text book rental service, it saves a lot of money and I have some extra money left over. It doesn't seem to be that big of a deal but after hearing my friends say, " I paid $500 for books this semester", and you know at the end your not going to get really what you paid for it. I really do appreciate this service they have set up for us. It was defiantly one of the reasons I told SLU.
ReplyDeleteI am taking a Biology course at BRCC this semester and I had to purchase my book for the class, $95.00. I think that the textbook rental service at SLU helps tremendously and it should be available to all universities.
ReplyDeleteI have transferred to Southeastern from another university in Ohio and it was such a nice surprise to see that I can rent my books here. I was spending so much money on textbooks, especially when I had to buy them from the bookstore and at the end of the semester they would give u back 15% of the price you paid. Southeastern is great for having textbook rental and I hope that many other universities will follow and save students a lot of money.
ReplyDeleteI think what Slu is doing is great. When I tell people about the rental process they don't believe what I am telling them. It is a great way to save money because it is hard enough as a college student to get along. I couldn't imagine other students struggles who have to pay for text books as well.
ReplyDeleteI started college at LSU in 1999, and I spent almost $1000.00 on books. Being able to rent books at Southeastern has saved me tons of cash. I do wish I could have kept some of the books though. That's the only bad part.
ReplyDeleteSoutheastern has a great text book rental system. They are inexpensive so students can afford to get books for classes. I love SLU
ReplyDeleteI think the textbook rental system is a great thing. Some people do not have an extra $1,000 to dish out after paying for tuition. Since I have been going to college the tuition has never dropped nor stayed the same. The textbook rental system makes it more affordable for students and parents.
ReplyDeleteWhen I attended BRCC, the cost of one book was around $100. To save money, I went to the rental book store in the area, and yes the cost was lower, but not too low to rent. The book rental was a little over $80, so I ended up purchasing the new book. When I enrolled at SELU and noticed the fee for Books on the fee bill, I was surprised at the total cost for majority of the books that were needed for the semester. Having this type of system may encourage students to get the necessary book that is needed for class instead of just hoping that the book will not be used so they don't have to worrying about getting it. This system is also a advantage point for SELU because more students are wanting to enroll to minimize some cost of attending college.
ReplyDeleteI love the fact that we can rent books here at SELU instead of purchasing them. It saves you a lot of money and you don’t have to keep the books. I attended another school for a year, which I had to purchase all of my books and when it came time to sell it back to the school they tried to give me $5.00 for a book that had cost me $95.00. That was so unfair. At that moment, it was time for me to transfer back to SELU. I believe all schools should have this textbook rental system.
ReplyDeleteIts a good thing our school has.. Textbooks can be extremely expensive and also it can be difficult to try and find the book for the lowest price. Also some people tend to not purchase textbooks bc of the price. So including the costs of rental textbooks in the final price of tuition is a great idea and gives no excuses for students to not have a book.
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ReplyDeleteRenting textbooks for college classes is an awesome idea. Those companies who invested in this will soon see the benefits of their idea. Students who attend these colleges experience a more efficient and cheaper way to get the books they need to do well in school.
ReplyDeleteOther Universities need to start the book rental system. It really helps students financially, especially when in college every student has to stretch their dollar as far as it can go.
ReplyDeleteIm extremely happy that Southeastern uses the textbook rental system! I used to go to Delgado and would spend a few hundred dollars on books. Now there are no worries! A lot of my friends stress over having to buy books but thankfully I don't have to worry about that anymore. I think what Southeastern is doing is really smart and gives them an edge over other universities.
ReplyDeleteThe tetx book rental idea is a great one and im glad southeastern does this. All my other friends are always talking about how much books cost, and how it drains there money. This policy should be implemented at other universities to help our there students.
ReplyDeleteI feel as though testbook rental is a great program for students. I have spoken to students at other universities and a large portion of their debt is from purchasing text books. I am very thankful that Southeastern offers this option. Students have enough to face at graduation. By eliminating the cost of buying textbooks takes a huge burden off of students.
ReplyDeleteI have been coming to Southeastern for five years now and have enjoyed the fact that i have not needed to have extra money for my books. I have many friends that attend other universites, and they dislike the fact of spending all that money on getting all the books, when you go to return them the book store only rebuys them for a substainal lesser cost.
ReplyDeleteI have not attended any college other than SLU, and I don't plan to, but I am impressed by the book rental program. I understand that these books are very expensive and I am grateful to SLU for giving them to me for free, for some time. LSU has its students purchase their own book and can cost upwards of $700. I am sure thankful for the textbook rental department!!
ReplyDeleteThis semester was also the first semester I realized they had prices of the books on the back page. I am very thankful selu has a program that provides every single one of our books for our classes. It is very convenient and smart. I love it!
ReplyDeleteI first started at BRCC and my first semester books were over $500. I was shocked that I had to spend that much. Since coming to SELU I spend only around $100 per semester. A friend of mine, majoring in accounting (the same as my major), just spent over $700 in books this semester alone. I'm thankful that Southeastern has a rental system.
ReplyDeleteThe students at Southeastern are very much blessed to be able to rent textbooks and the other colleges and universities should consider a textbook rental program as well.
ReplyDeleteThe prices of textbooks are pretty ridiculous. The book rental system at Southeastern is a great way for students to save lots of money. I can honestly say that I myself appreciate it, coming from B.R.C.C. I can remember some semesters where the costs of my books where almost double what my tuition cost was.
ReplyDeleteEveryone should feel lucky that we have the rental book system. I know I am. Most universities have their student buy the books, and the prices range very highly. The bigger and newer the books are the more the cost. With the rental system, it doesn't matter how big or new the books are because everything is one flat price. So we are definately blessed with this system.
ReplyDeleteBefore I transferred I had to buy my books. And when you sell them back, you don't get bearly what you paid for them. Southeastern's textbook rental system is the best to me.
ReplyDeleteI definitely feel that universities should have a textbook rental because it does help the students save over a thousand dollars over the years. I have a friend who attends another college and she says alone for books, she pays over a thousand.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that most of Southeastern's books are available to rent. I think ive had to pay for 2 books and they were both under $100. I have plenty of friends who go to LSU and some of their books are like $400 and I just cant imagine paying that price to use a book for 6 months! I think every college should have rental books available
ReplyDelete12 hours @ LSU= $900
ReplyDelete15 hours @ BRCC= $500
SLU's rental system really helps out financially. now if we could just get more parking.....
I think this is wonderful for Southeastern to take the lead in the push for the textbook rental system. Prices have become worse every year for students buying books no matter how bad the economy. Southeastern has found a niche for students deciding between SLU or local universities(LSU).
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ReplyDeleteIt really is amazing how much these text books cost. I am thankful for the way SLU rents out the textbooks because some semesters I have 5 plus books and that is close to $1,000.
ReplyDeleteI have been at Southeastern since I was a Freshman,and I think that rental textbooks should become a standard for all universities, it seems ridiculous to have to buy a textbook for outrageous prices and only use it for a semester.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion I feel that the textbook rental at southeastern is the best thing about southeastern. Books are extremely expensive if you would have to buy them out right. I would think that over the time I have been enrolled in southeastern, the textbook rental system has save me hundreds to maybe even thousands of dollars. I am grateful to go to southeastern.
ReplyDeleteI have been to LSU and BRCC and at both schools I had a huge bill for school books. Even with BRCC rental program I was still paying several hundred dollars. I really enjoy the textbook service that is offered at southeastern.
ReplyDeleteI have never attended another university, but I have friends that go to other schools. They are always complaining about the price of text books. I tell them that I pay less than $200 for all of my text books and they are visibly jealous. I really appreciate the text book rental system.
ReplyDeleteThere are many classes that i need 2 books, so I'm glad that they have rental books here. The books are so expensive and i only use for one semester. After semester, you have to try to sell it or put them in the closets. My boyfriend goes to UNO. He always complaining about the intuition increases and now he has to find money for books.
ReplyDeleteI began southeastern in August 2006. I left In 2008 to try my luck at Nicholls State University in their Marine Biology program. I wound up back at SELU mainly because of the textbook rental system. As a marine Biology student, I would spend around 1200 a semester in just textbooks. Even buying used textbooks would cost around 800.
ReplyDeleteSarah said...
ReplyDeleteI love how Southeastern has a textbook rental system. I have friends that go to LSU and UNO and they pay so much for books. They always complain on how much they spend for textbooks.
I agree I've had the privilege to go to both BRCC and Southeastern. At the time I went to BRCC you had to pay for books, and yet the tuition was cheaper than SLU's, you had to pay for all of your books, so it really wasn't much cheaper. Southeastern's rental system is great.
ReplyDeleteI transferred down from Ole Miss and I can remember Freshman year paying almost $250 per book for each class. Hard to complain about a $45 rental fee. It's been great!
ReplyDeleteI am also a transfer student from Tennessee Tech and I remember my bill for all of my books one semester was about $500. I have been at SELU since Fall 2008 and when I found that we rent books for $35 I was shocked and very happy about it. It has saved me hundreds probably thousands. I always thought it was ridiculous the way my previous university would sell the books for like $100 a book and then you could sell them back at the end of the semester. Then they'd tell you at the end of the semester that the book had been discontinued but they'd buy it back for like $2. Now that made me mad. It was all just a way to rip off us poor college students. Thank you Southeastern for being so smart!
ReplyDeleteI forget sometimes that not all other schools have a textbook rental system, since it's all i've known. I feel bad for my friends at LSU who have to worry about buying all of their textbooks on top of the other bills they have to pay. I see that the profit on textbooks is spread to a good bit of contributors, but i still think the prices are way too high for just a book. They should keep in mind that students have other things they need to pay for. But I am thankful that that is not something I will never have to worry about.
ReplyDeleteSLU's textbook rental system saves me roughly $600-800 a semester. I know a lot of people that go to LSU and at the end of each semester they're complaining about how they sold their books back to the bookstore for a fraction of what they paid for them. Hey, better them than me.
ReplyDeleteCan't beat text book rentals(well unless you get the books for free), I am surprised that it is taking other Universities so long to catch on and offer rentals.
ReplyDeleteI remember at a school in Alabama, I paid hundreds of dollars on books. I am so glad I transferred to Southeastern and I am so glad Southeastern has this textbook rental program. I
ReplyDeleteIt is so nice to have textbook rental at SLU. When I attended LSU back in 2006 I would pay an average of $500 a semester on books!! It was a pain...
ReplyDeleteI love not having to buy my own text book, being able to get a nearly free book with everything already highlighted is a dream come true to someone like me. Everyone should have their books used and already simplified.
ReplyDeleteI personally attended LSU for 3 years and the cost of text books was outrageous. Every semester I would shell out $6-900 just one books. Then at the end of the semester when you sold them back your would get maybe 25% of what you paid, that's if they even took your book back. If the course discontinued a book, you were stuck with it. I am personally glad SELU has a rental system. Saves a lot of time and headache.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the textbook rental system that Southeastern offers is for the best. I mean you already have to spend a fortune on going to school only to have to pay twenty percent more on school books. It helps out students who can't afford paying 300 dollars for one textbook that they will probably never use again.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great system because a lot of book get updated every year. Also save a lot of money at the end of college renting books. it is perfect for student this system.
ReplyDeleteTextbook rental is amazing! My LSU friends spend $500 on books a SEMESTER. I feel bad for those who are biology majors there, they spend about $200 more. I mainly like renting because of the helpful studying notes that are often left by previous borrowers. I'm glad SELU has a rental system.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that we do not have to pay for textbooks. All of my friends that go to LSU tell me very semester how much they have to spend on books and it is insane the amount of money they have to spend.
ReplyDeleteI brag to my coworkers who go to LSU how much I pay for books. I love our system.
ReplyDeleteI went to a school in MS for a semester and we had to pay for books the we got to "sell" them back for about $20. Its a pain when someone steals your book also. Now that we pay a flat rate at SLU its alot esier.
ReplyDeleteRenting textbooks saves you money and gives you the same result in your classes as buying your books. Rent textbooks don’t have the risk of becoming worthless by the end of the semester
ReplyDelete