At the end of each school term, students experience plenty of stress while they study for exams, secure internships, move out of student housing, and await final grades. However, for many students, anxiety also builds over how much money they will receive for their textbooks during buybacks.

While exams and final grades are part of college life, textbook buybacks have often led to frustration and disappointment as students are surprised by the buyback value of their textbooks, oftentimes receiving pennies on the dollar of the original prices.

After speaking extensively with students and school administrators alike about buyback programs, we recognized that, not only are they a common frustration for students and universities, there’s an important factor that has gone largely overlooked:

Student estimates of future buyback prices influence when and how they obtain their course materials.

As the initial decision around textbooks occurs long before the buyback process ever begins, students cannot accurately estimate future buyback prices. This lack of transparency has left students in the dark over whether to buy used, new, or rent their materials. Some students, concerned over a potentially low or altogether absent buyback value, may even wait until later in the semester to purchase, impacting their performance and learning.

In a world where time is a commodity and the rate of inflation for education expenses has far surpassed that of health care, the idea of a traditional college experience is taking on a new dimension. The erratic economy over the past two decades has dictated the need for low-cost and innovative alternatives to higher education. This need coupled with the rise of a digital world has bred a college experience that can be specialized and completed from anywhere. Online programs allow students the opportunity to participate in class and complete coursework when it fits their schedule and at a price that is increasingly more affordable. More than three million students in the U.S. are currently pursuing a degree entirely online. This number is only expected to grow as student interest increases, institutions expand their online offerings, and employer acceptance of an online degree rises.

In an effort to make online education more affordable, we have seen an increase in accredited online-only universities. Los Angeles Pacific University (LAPU) was built to provide a best-in-class online university - making it their mission to remove the barriers to affordability and accessibility with a high-quality, faith-integrated education that is intentionally accessible, career-relevant, and committed to student success. Backed by over a century of experience in providing superior on-ground educational opportunities with Azusa Pacific University, LAPU is taking online education to the next level.