Purdue University North Central has partnered with Follett Higher Education Group to offer students a Rent-a-Text textbook rental program beginning with the 2010 fall semester. 
The textbook rental program is an additional avenue for students to reduce the cost of textbooks and make education more affordable. Renting textbooks for the semester will save students an average of at least 50 percent off the cost of purchasing new books. It is estimated that PNC students will be able to save $283,000 in the 2010-11 academic year with the addition of the textbook rental program.
In addition, students may choose to either rent new or used textbooks. At the end of the semester students will have the opportunity to purchase the book at a reduced fee if they would like to keep it. Students will have the freedom to highlight the books and take notes as they would with books they own.
The textbook rental program will be available in the PNC bookstore on campus, or students may order the books online and pick them up at the campus store. Initially, about 20 percent of the PNC textbook titles will be eligible for rental and PNC and Follett will work together to increase the number of available titles.
Previously, students purchased new and used books each semester and had the opportunity to sell their books back to the bookstore following each semester. During the 2009-10 academic year, the used books program saved PNC students more than $140,000. The book buyback program returned more than $280,000 to students.