Briefly speaking: Ways to save on textbook costs

While the costs of a college education -- including textbooks -- have increased throughout the years, there are ways to save on these necessary tools.

"It's important that textbooks cost as little as possible to our students," says Jason Lorgan, book department manager at the not-for-profit UC Davis Bookstore.

In a 2005 study, the California Public Interest Research Group, or CalPIRG, a research and advocacy organization, estimated that students spent an average of $900 a year on textbooks and other course materials. In sample budgets, UC Davis estimates undergraduates will spend about $1,500 on textbooks and other supplies this year.

The UC Davis Bookstore is exploring new options to help students cut costs, including offering digital texts at 40 percent savings compared with new books. It is also recruiting faculty with large courses to participate in a pilot program to rent texts to students for about 35 percent of the cost of a new text.

Buyback program

Meantime, one of the best ways to save money is to buy a used book and then sell it back to the bookstore. To get the maximum 50 percent buyback from the bookstore, however, a book has to have been out for a quarter or two and in use the following quarter.

The bookstore, which offers cash for used books, holds special buyback periods at the beginning and end of each quarter, and it offers the best prices during finals weeks. The next buyback is Dec. 10 to 15 and Jan. 7 to 11.

The UC Davis family of bookstores -- including the campus stores specializing in law and veterinary medicine and the medical bookstore in Sacramento -- is the largest seller of used textbooks and has the largest buyback program among University of California campuses. The bookstore pays students about $2.1 million a year for their used textbooks.

Lorgan recommends that students shop early for used books. Also, he says they may not want to hold onto a book with the idea that they may crack it open in the future. "The longer a student holds onto a book, the greater the chance it goes to a new edition, and they lose the opportunity to resell it to the bookstore," Lorgan says.

ASUCD Book Exchange

Michael Reagan, statewide board chair for the California Public Interest Research Group on campus (CalPIRG), says the ASUCD Book Exchange is another great way for students to cut costs. Students pay a small surcharge to have their book on consignment at the student-run book swap. Students can use an online service to check the status of their sales and search for books they need.

"Students can often sell their books at a higher price than the bookstore offers and buy for lower prices," says Reagan, a senior from Oakland majoring in history.