Innovative Programs Help College Students Save on Course Materials this Fall

OBERLIN, OHIO, July 31, 2015 – College stores in the U.S. and Canada have spearheaded a number of programs to help students save time, anxiety, and most of all, money, when obtaining their required course materials. The National Association of College Stores offers a glimpse of initiatives occurring at campus stores across the country to help students get the best price for their course materials.

Low price guarantees

The Titan Shops Bookstore at Cal State-Fullerton offers students a Lowest Price Guarantee on all textbooks for the current semester. The store refunds 125% of the difference if students find a book they’ve purchased from the store at a lower price elsewhere.

Rent-a-Book

The CU Book Store at the University of Colorado Boulde r has created a textbook rental program that is one of the largest of its kind in the country, saving their students nearly $9.2 million over the cost of purchasing new books since the program was introduced in 2010.

Help for those in need

College stores witness it all the time: students who desperately need their course materials but have no financial aid or other means available at the beginning of the semester to pay for the books. So the Towson Store, at Towson University in Maryland , partnering with the school’s Student Government Association, introduced Textbook$Advance , a cash-advance of sorts, that allows students to get their course materials up front and pay at a later date.

Long-running rebate program

University Book Store at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle issues annual 10% rebates to students on nearly all purchases made at the store. It typically returns over $1 million per yearthrough this programand estimates it has provided more than $28 million in studentrebates since 1930.

Make a reservation; get a discount

Students at Ashland University (AU), Ashland, Ohio , can reserve used textbooks in advance of an upcoming term, ensuring that they get a lower-priced copy before supplies sell out. Juniors who reserve their textbooks receive a 5% discount on their textbook reservation and seniors receive a 10% discount on their pre-reservation. The AU Campus Store’s textbook reservation system has been widely embraced by Ashland students, with approximately half of undergraduates using it.

Book swap

Students at Seward County Community College (SCCC) in Liberal, Kan., can buy and sell textbooks directly to and from each other with the help of SCCC’s Saints Bookstore. The Saints Bookstore Textbook Swap helps SCCC’s students easily buy and sell textbooks online.

Online price comparison tools

Many stores use price comparison software to help students see prices from not only the store but also several other online sellers. These tools help students make smart choices and, unlike other similar price comparison websites, show shipping and handling estimates for more accurate comparison shopping. And when students use these tools, price comparison software industry experts say 80% of the time they end up buying their books from the college store as a trusted and reliable source offering a competitive price.

For more information on innovative cost-saving programs like these, contact your local college store to find out what they offer.