Why are textbooks so expensive?

There’s no question about it, textbooks are expensive. Depending on your major, some students can spend
upwards of $600 a semester on books. There are several factors that determine the price of a new textbook,
most of which are decided before the books hit our shelves.

The National Association of College Stores has a chart on the most current textbook dollar figures.
Click here to check it out.

New Editions vs. Used Books

The University Bookstore works hard to stock our shelves with the most used books possible.
However, when a professor requests a brand new book or edition for their class
we are only able to offer new texts, as used books are not yet available.

Used books are always priced up to 35% less than the cost of a new book. 25% is the standard in pricing for bookstores nationwide.
We are priced lower the national standard.

The average profit margin for college bookstores nationwide is 26%. The University Bookstore
only takes a 23% profit margin – this means we try our best to keep new book prices as low as possible.

How you can save money on your books

Buy used books. They are always up to 35% less than new books.

Go to class first and find out what books you really need and what books you can borrow from the library or your classmates.

Ask your professor to put textbooks on reserve in the library. That way you won’t have to buy the book
for a couple of chapters and there will always be a copy in the library for use.

Bring your books to buyback during finals week. The sooner you can sell your books back the better.
Once the bookstore has reached its quota of books for next semester's courses, you won’t get as much money back.

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