Free to Choose to Rent or Buy Your Milton Friedman Textbook at UC-Berkeley

An article in the Oakland Tribune reports that UC-Berkeley has a textbook rental (rather than purchase) plan to hold down student costs.

Excerpt from http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_15773670

BERKELEY -- UC Berkeley students may have a tough time finding a room to rent before classes start Aug. 26, but they won't have any trouble renting another back-to-school staple: textbooks.

The Cal Student Store now allows students to rent select course texts for the semester, a less-expensive option that can save students nearly half the cost of new books and offers a significant savings over even used books. Most students spend about $1,000 a year on textbooks, according to campus figures.

"I'm renting this textbook because it's cheaper," said second-year student Natalie Fakhreddine, who plans to major in business. "It's easy to do."

For her and other economics students, the rental program means "Free to Choose" by the late Milton Friedman is $6.75 to rent, compared with $15 if purchased new or $11.25 used.

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Note: The late Milton Friedman was said by Gov. Schwarzenegger to be his favorite economist.