This summer, Amazon is opening a venue near UA’s campus where students, faculty, and the Akron public can pick up their packages and make returns.

UA is one of seven schools in the U.S. to receive an Amazon location near or on campus, according to Amazon spokesperson Deborah Bass. Since 2015, the company has opened locations at Purdue University; the University of Massachusetts Amherst; the University of California, Berkeley; the University of California, Santa Barbara; and the University of Cincinnati.

“We are excited to serve UA and the greater Akron community,” Bass said. “There are many contributing factors that go into our thought process as we decide where to open a new pickup location. Most importantly, we want to make sure a pickup location is as centrally located to the student community as possible so students can easily and safely pick up their packages at times that are convenient for them.”

Akron’s site will be located at 290 East Exchange Street, underneath University Edge Apartments. This location was chosen because it’s “centrally located near the University and easily accessible to students and the Akron community,” Bass said.

In addition, Bass said students will receive all the benefits of online shopping: sales, large selections, convenient delivery options, and free shipping. Amazon Students and Prime members will get free one-day pickup on orders.

“A uniform pickup and drop-off location would add convenience for a 21st-century service commonly utilized by students at The University of Akron,” UA junior Dominic Grossi said.

Along with being open to the public, anyone can apply to work at the new pickup location.

“We are an equal opportunity employer and hire both students and non-students for our locations,” Bass said.

Amazon offers a textbook rental program, similar to Chegg, that allows students to buy or rent textbooks for a much cheaper price online. Over the summer, when Amazon is available next to campus, students can pick up their textbooks and return them at their own convenience.

“I’ve been renting books off Amazon since I was a freshman,” said Leah Howard, a junior at UA.

Howard says she had Amazon Student for six months, but when it expired, continued buying books without free or expedited shipping.

“The only book I ever bought from the [UA] bookstore was extremely over-priced and available on Amazon for $40 cheaper,” Howard said. “I think the fact that Amazon is doing this is helpful to students who struggle financially to pay for college and a great way to save money.”

Amazon plans to continue expanding to other universities across the nation over the course of the next year, including at the University of Pennsylvania; the University of California, Davis; the University of Texas at Austin, and The Georgia Institute of Technology.

To learn more about Amazon Student, visit amazon.com/joinstudent.