Boston University

08/27/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 08/28/2024 01:13

Textbooks: What You Need to Know

Textbooks: What You Need to Know

Tips to help you shop and find the best deals

The BU Campus Store offers a variety of mediums for students to choose from for textbooks, including physical copies and e-books.

Student Life

Looking to Purchase, or Rent, Textbooks? Here's What You Need to Know

Tips to help you shop and find the best deals

August 27, 2024
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Allston Christmas and reports of Storrowing are just two signs that Boston's college student population has returned for the fall semester. For Boston University students, classes begin September 3, so it's time to hit the books (or bookstore).

Although textbooks are required for nearly every college course, they are quite the investment: the average textbook costs $105.37, according to Education Data's 2023 report. But don't fret: with e-books and rental companies, students have more options for funding their educational tools in cost-effective ways.

The majority of students will be drawn to the recently rebranded Boston University Campus Store (formerly Barnes and Noble @ BU) for its convenience when buying their textbooks. The store is on West Campus, across from BU's Fitness & Recreation Center (FitRec), so students can easily pick up their textbooks before classes start or ship them to their new address.

To do so, use the "View/Order Course Materials" tab under "Enrollment" on the Student Link. Once there, all needed textbooks will be listed. Students then select from used print, new print, e-book options, and rental textbooks options.

Kurt Mahnke, general manager of the BU Campus Store, says that just under 80 percent of all textbooks at the store are available for rental. "Renting a physical book in the store gives you an average of 60 percent savings, depending on whether it's a new or used book and what the savings is per title," he says.

BU Campus Store employees have been preparing for students to arrive on campus for the fall semester.

Since more students are using online textbooks in high school, Mahnke adds, they tend to gravitate toward digital options in college, too.

The BU Campus Store has responded accordingly. Their newest initiative, First Day, was originally piloted in fall 2022. The no-fuss program automatically delivers class materials to the student's Blackboard account on the first day of class. After that, students have until October 8 (the class drop deadline to avoid a "withdraw" on a transcript) to opt out of the program and pursue other avenues for purchasing their textbooks.

However, Mahnke says, over 90 percent of students in the program stay because of its convenience and pricing. By working with BU publishing partners, students participating in First Day reduce the cost of textbooks by about 32 percent, he estimates.

The BU Campus Storeis also continuing its Price Match program for textbooks found at lower prices on Amazon, bn.com, and other local competitors. However, this program applies to only physical textbooks. If you want a lower price for an e-book, you might want to try a different method.

Despite all the convenience and affordability initiatives offered through the BU Campus Store, buying from an outside vendor might still be a little easier on the wallet.

Some students opt for subscription services that offer a catalog of digital textbooks for a monthly payment, like Perelego, which offers over a million textbooks for $22 per month, or Scribd, which provides millions of e-books, online documents, and presentations for $11.99 per month.

First Day, the newest affordability initiative launched by the BU Campus Store, works best for intro level courses.

In the digital age, many individual textbook publishers have also expanded their online platforms, which now often include additional practice questions and assignments. For example, publisher Cengage has Cengage Unlimited, which gives access to any of Cengage's online learning platforms, their entire catalog of e-books, and four textbook rentals (shipping and handling not included) for $129.99/month. Competitor Pearson offers an à la carte option with a lower monthly price of $10.99/month for individual textbooks.

For students who are drawn to physical textbooks, BookScouter provides a platform of over 20 vendors for buying and selling used and new books. Upperclassmen with leftover textbooks from prior years can use Ziffit to sell their books and make some extra cash.

Ronan Nealis (Pardee'25) typically buys textbooks through BU and uses a mix of physical and virtual textbooks. He recommends waiting until the first day of class (after he sees the teacher's syllabus and has the first class meeting) to see if all the textbooks listed through the Student Link are actually needed.

Brady Willis (COM'25) echoes this and also advises students to talk to upperclassmen and friends who have previously taken the same classes. "Always ask your friends where they get theirs," Willis says. He also says professors will occasionally direct students to links or websites with free access to textbooks if they are available.

Whichever path you pursue, be sure to keep these things in mind before you rent or buy any textbook (virtual or physical):

  1. Do you prefer to be on a computer for your classes? If the answer is yes, digital is the way to go.
  2. Is there any chance you will use your textbook once the semester ends? If it's for an intro-level Hub course subject you have little interest in pursuing, it might be best to rent. However, if the class is major-related and you think it will be helpful in the future, it might be worth purchasing the textbook.
  3. If you do go with a physical textbook rental, make sure you take care of it! The appeal of that low rental price means nothing if the book is too damaged to return. Mahnke says students who rent through the BU Campus Store will not be charged for light markings or book use, as long as the binding is intact and there is no water damage. "It doesn't happen often that we're not able to take back a rental," he says, "and we encourage students to take advantage of the rental program because it provides such significant savings over buying a physical book."
  4. Keep an eye on the return policy for textbooks as well in case you drop a class, so you can get your money back.
  5. Finally, make sure, especially if buying from an outside vendor, that your textbook is the correct edition, as specified by your professor.

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  • Crystal Yormick (COM'26)

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    Jackie Ricciardi is a staff photojournalist at BU Today and Bostonia magazine. She has worked as a staff photographer at newspapers that include the Augusta Chronicle in Augusta, Ga., and at Seacoast Media Group in Portsmouth, N.H., where she was twice named New Hampshire Press Photographer of the Year. Profile

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