The WUSTL Campus Store will offer textbook rental services through the Rent-A-Text program beginning fall 2010.
Rent-A-Text gives students an option to rent rather than purchase textbooks — and see savings that represent, on average, 50 percent off the price of new textbooks, according to Follett Higher Education Group.
The Rent-A-Text program will allow WUSTL students to:
- Choose a preferred form of payment, including campus card;
- Highlight and take notes in the book, which are considered part of the normal wear-and-tear associated with coursework; and
- Buy their textbook at the end of the term if they want to keep it.
Through the program, textbooks can be rented at the Campus Store in Mallinckrodt Center or online at wubookstore.com with in-store pick up.
“The Washington University Campus Store is committed to providing students with affordable textbook choices,” says Tara Bone, director of auxiliary enterprises, who oversees the Campus Store.
“We hope the Rent-A-Text program will be an economical option for students,” Bone says.
Rent-A-Text will be offered through WUSTL partner Follett Higher Education Group, the leading provider of bookstore services and the foremost supplier of used books in North America.
The program is based on Follett’s comprehensive pilot program that saved students nearly $2 million on their course materials in one semester at seven schools. More than 90 percent of students surveyed who rented textbooks expressed satisfaction with the pilot program.
In addition to textbook rental, the Campus Store offers many Ebooks, or digital versions of textbooks. Ebooks typically are about half the cost of printed textbooks. Some Ebooks are replicas of the printed version; others offer enhanced options.
The Campus Store also offers traditional textbooks.
“Students have more choices than ever before when purchasing their course materials,” says Betsy Schneider, director of the Campus Store. “Students can choose the option that works best for their budgets and study habits.”
For more information about Rent-A-Text, visit rent-a-text.com or facebook.com/rentatext or contact Heather Clark at (314) 935-5584 or heather_clark@aismail.wustl.edu.