Few people outside of students and their parents may realize that one textbook can cost up to $950. Particularly for students in the STEM programs, required textbooks demand high price tags. The sometimes prohibitively steep cost of these essential learning tools prompted COD’s development of the $5 Textbook Rental Pilot Program.

Lisa Wendel Memorial Foundation, the Berger Foundation and COD Friends of the Library donated $100,000 to initiate the program. At an incredibly discounted cost of $5, students can rent their required textbooks for a semester on a first-come, first-serve basis at the Palm Desert and Indio Bookstores.

Shekinah Daffon, a COD Student, shares “I see a lot of my peers stressed about how they are going to pay for textbooks for their classes. This program decreases the burden associated with those books and provides financial relief so they can better focus on their coursework.” Currently, the rental program offers fundamental textbooks for: Accounting, Chemistry, Calculus, Psychology, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT), Fire Protection Services and Social Statistics books. In the future, COD would like to acquire more textbooks and make them available through the program. Even with financial aid, scholarships and grants, college is expensive for many Coachella Valley students.

To support those pursuing a degree at COD by defraying the high cost of textbooks, donate to CODFoundation.org.