Students struggling with fees, housing and other university expenses have a chance to save up to 80 percent on the cost of textbooks.

Chegg.com is a textbook rental Web site that offers students an alternative to buying used or new books, instead of being forced to buy from a bookstore.

“We try and solve the growing need to get textbooks.” Chegg CEO and co-founder Aayush Phumbhra said. “Students can rent the book and don’t have to worry about selling it.”

Santa Clara based Chegg was started in 2003 in an attempt to solve the growing demand for affordable textbooks. “Chegg was started as a student-to-student exchange, like Craigslist for students,” Phumbhra said.

The Web site realized that students wanted more than just a place to sell their textbooks, and Chegg began renting out textbooks. Today it has two million titles.

"I really like the website. Sometimes it doesnt have the books i need but when it does its great. They always send the items to me on time and it's very convenient" said Freshmen Ashley Storey 18.

In 2005, the California Student Public Interest Research Group conducted a study showing that most campus faculty do not take into account the rising price in textbooks when assigning required books.

“One innovative way to lower students’ textbook costs is allowing students to rent rather than purchase.” stated Maketextbooksaffordable.com in a release.

The company further attempts to encourage students through environmental activism. A tree is planted for every book rented from its Web Site. The trees are planted throughout the world, often where the publishers are cutting them or where scientists have deemed trees are necessary to combat global warming according to Phumbhra.

“[Students] really like environmental policy, they really identify with it, ” Phumbhra said.

Approximately 1,200 trees are cut down to produce one million textbooks, according to Chegg. Chegg currently has a partnership with reforestation group Eco-Libris.

Students at SF State have often looked to alternate venues to get textbooks.

“I only buy [textbooks] when I have to,” said Tori Breitkopf, a 22-year-old liberal studies major. “I will try a variety of sources like Amazon and half.com.”

Freshmen Rachel Green, 18, doesn’t buy her books from campus either, opting instead to use half.com.

“I got two of my science books for $40 each,” she said. Upon hearing about Chegg, she said she plans to check out the Web rental site in the future.

Phumbhra, a San Francisco resident, said Chegg is not trying to compete or put college bookstores out of business, but rather attempting to serve a different need. “Students are going to want the convenience [of university bookstores], they are on campus,” he said.

Marlon Schieber, 22, said he typically buys his books from the store on campus, although he does look at alternatives. He said he often does not know which classes he plans to stay in, so buying from the bookstore makes the most sense because of its return policy.

Not all students share Schieber’s point of view. “The bookstore is my last resort,” Breitkopf said.

One problem for students renting a textbook is paying damage costs, or not being able to write in the books. Should someone damage a book, Chegg will charge depending on the severity of the damage. If the book cannot be rented again, students will likely have to pay the full price to replace it. Limited highlighting is permitted.

Another problem is availability of needed titles, but Phumbhra said they have most university textbooks in stock.