Just three years ago, students at the Bellevue Community College bookstore would throw a pile of textbooks on the counter each quarter and wait for the verdict. The cost was usually $200 to $250.

Now the typical cost is $350 to $400 — an amount distressing to many students, said Kristen Connely, store manager.

So this summer, BCC will become one of a few colleges in the state — and in the country — to offer a formal textbook rental program.