This new option enables students to rent their textbooks for less than half the cost of purchasing a new printed copy. In addition, students will be able to rent their books either in one of the official Rutgers bookstores or from the store’s website.
"Rutgers is delighted that our bookstore partner is developing creative options that will make textbooks available at lower cost to our students,” said Bruce Fehn, senior vice president for finance and administration.
"We are committed to providing Rutgers students with the widest range of content options and price points available,” said Paul Maloney, vice president of stores, Barnes & Noble College Booksellers. “Whether students are interested in new books, used, digital, unbundled or now rentals, they know they can find what they want at the official Rutgers Bookstores.”
Barnes & Noble began piloting the rental program earlier this year at 25 campus bookstores across the country. More than 90% of the students surveyed said they would rent from their campus bookstore again.
The program offers a variety of convenience features. For example, students can highlight or mark the rented books just as they would if they purchased it and planned to sell it back to the bookstore. They can pay the rental fees using any form of tender accepted by the bookstore, including excess student financial aid funds and RU Express, and if students wish to convert a rental to a purchase, they can do so during the first two weeks of class.
The rental period is for the duration of the semester. Courtesy e-mails will go out as the end of the semester approaches to remind students to return their books, which are due back at one of the bookstore locations no later than 10 days after the last day of finals. The books can be returned in person or by mail.
Although it was developed specifically for students, the textbook rental program is available to all members of the Rutgers community on the New Brunswick/Piscataway campuses.
Additional details about the textbook rental program will be available in the coming months. For more information about the Rutgers Bookstores, visit www.rutgers.bncollege.com.
Established in 1766, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is America’s eighth oldest institution of higher learning and one of the nation’s premier public research universities. Serving more than 53,000 students on campuses in Camden, Newark and New Brunswick, Rutgers offers more than 280 bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and professional degree programs. The university is home to 27 degree-granting schools and colleges, and more than 150 specialized centers and institutes. Rutgers is also a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, a highly selective organization comprising the 63 leading research universities in North America.
Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest bookseller and a Fortune 500 company, operates 775 bookstores in 50 states. Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, also operates 639 college bookstores serving nearly 4 million students and over 250,000 faculty members at colleges and universities across the United States. For more information, please visit www.bncollege.com.
Media Contact: E.J. Miranda, Rutgers University
732-932-7084, ext. 613
E-mail: emiranda@ur.rutgers.edu