University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
IN-41: Textbook Affordability

Text Rental is a valuable service available to students at UWSP. The rental system is similar to a library through which students check out most of their course books and return them at the end of the semester. Text Rental was implemented in 1894 in an effort to make education affordable for students attending the Stevens Point Normal School. The primary textbook usage at UWSP continues to be through Text Rental and instructors are required to use Text Rental. See Part A for guidelines concerning Text Rental. Under some circumstances, however, rental cannot provide the breadth and scope of texts required or recommended for a course, or a department wants majors to purchase certain texts, or other reasons exist for the purchase of some books. As described below, these needs must be requested through the Supplemental section of the University Store. See Part B for further information about Supplementary Materials. Usage of texts/course materials authored by UWSP faculty must comply with all campus Text Rental guidelines. Text Rental is the only entity on campus authorized to enter into negotiations with publishers and book suppliers concerning text rental contracts. PART A - TEXTBOOK Textbook Rental is a self-supporting service financed through student text rental fees. Undergraduate students pay a per-credit fee in their tuition for the rental of one textbook per course. Graduate students are not assessed text rental fees and normally purchase their texts. However, graduate students enrolled in slash courses (undergraduate/graduate) may rent their texts upon payment of a rental fee based on a per-credit assessment. Furthermore, although distance education students do not have the same access to library textbooks as traditional students many professors use only portions of textbooks via PDF or eBook versions that are substantially cheaper than hard copies. Additionally, some professors use Open Access text as well.