How To Get Textbooks For Half Off
PALM DESERT – College costs add up fast. Many students struggle to pay tuition and buy books.
“Just one book is $138, it’s going to be expensive,” says Victor Duran, College of the Desert student.
Now, College of the Desert is trying to cut the high cost of higher education by offering more, cheaper options like renting instead of buying.
“They have some good books to rent and it’s a lot cheaper than buying,” says C.O.D student, Auston Rolph.
On average, it’s 50 percent less to rent a book than to buy new. The only problem is availability.
“We have limited titles, but it’s expanding,” says Dean Goetz, C.O.D Bookstore Manager.
“I think it’s a really good idea, but I wish they had more,” says Duran.
The renting option is a pilot program, about 60 books will be offered this spring and by fall hundreds will be added.
“The best thing we can do is offer our students options,” says Goetz.
The school is also offering other cost saving programs for students. One makes it so students never have to pick up an actual book, instead they can do it all from their computer by using digital textbooks.
“It can be downloaded on three different computers. It never expires and you can keep the book for life,” says Goetz.
Online reading is half the price of a real book. It takes some of the load off student’s wallets and backs.
“It’s more convenient, you don’t have to carry the books around,” says Rolph.
School leaders say, as technology continues growing so will these programs and your savings.
There is some more good news for students. The Mary Jane Lane Estate just gave the school one-point-5 million dollars which will go into a C.O.D scholarship fund to provide textbooks for deserving students.
