Catawba College students will have the option this fall to rent textbooks for their classes through the on-campus bookstore managed by Follett Higher Education Group. College Bookstore Manager Daniel Lowell says 40% of all titles for day classes and 37% of all titles for evening classes will be available for rent.
According to Lowell, students spend between $600 and $800 each semester on textbooks for their classes and the new option of renting could save Catawba students hundreds of dollars. The rental prices for eligible rental titles are displayed with textbook information on CatLink, the college's internal website. Students who have registered for fall classes can place an order for their textbook rentals and purchases online through the bookstore website (www.catawba.edu/bookstore).
"Even though all titles are not currently available as rentals, this is a great start," Lowell explained, noting he expects available rental titles to increase every semester.
In addition to Catawba, other college and university bookstores in the Charlotte area that are managed by Follett will also offer the textbook rental options to their students. These institutions include Queens University, CPCC, Johnson & Wales and Winthrop University.
The program is based on Follett's comprehensive pilot program that saved students nearly $2 million on their course materials in just one semester at seven schools. More than 90 percent of students surveyed who rented textbooks expressed satisfaction with the pilot program.
"We have been at the forefront of cost savings programs for more than a century," said Thomas A. Christopher, President of Follett Higher Education Group. "Helping to reduce the costs of higher education is part of our mission and we look forward to working with Catawba College to deliver substantial textbook savings to students."
Lowell explained that students can highlight in the rental textbooks, write notes in them, or have dog-eared pages as long as the books are returned by the deadline after semester finals. Students can order books online, then pick them up and return them at the bookstore.
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