How to Save Money on College Textbooks

Although the price of college tuition and fees has steadily risen over the years, college students are actually spending less on college textbooks and materials than they were a decade ago. The increased popularity of e-textbooks and textbook rentals, as well as a healthy secondhand textbook market, has helped create cheaper options for students.

Learn more about how to find cheap college textbooks and how to rent college textbooks to save money. You can also explore ways to sell college textbooks.

Although the average student is spending less on textbooks than they were a decade ago, the typical cost for course materials still amounts to hundreds of dollars each term. These steep prices may leave you looking for less expensive options.

Buying brand new textbooks from your college bookstore may be convenient, but you can pursue alternative routes to save money. Below are a few options that can help you secure books on a budget.

Digital textbooks are becoming more common, and they can be a convenient, relatively affordable option for students. Typically, e-textbooks are cheaper than their traditional counterparts, although these savings are not always significant.

E-textbooks can be read on a laptop, tablet, or e-reader. Along with their reduced cost, e-textbooks are more portable. Compare e-textbook prices at popular retailers like Amazon, Apple Books, Google Play Books, and eBooks.com.

If funds are especially tight, you may be able to survive a semester by borrowing textbooks from friends or splitting the costs and sharing. If you plan ahead, you could enroll in some of the same classes with friends each semester.

Sharing books with friends and classmates can help you save hundreds of dollars on textbook costs. However, you won’t have unlimited access to the texts and it might be harder to study at your convenience.

Purchasing books at the college bookstore is no longer your only option. With online companies like Amazon, CheapTextbooks, and Barnes & Noble, comparing textbook prices is convenient and can save you a lot of money each year. A simple search pulls up many textbook suppliers.

However, this wealth of options could leave you feeling overwhelmed, and you also have to be careful to avoid falling victim to scams. Make sure you review textbook companies before purchasing anything and double-check your book’s ISBN.

Many online textbook companies and campus bookstores now offer the option to rent instead of purchasing books. With some companies claiming up to 90% savings on certain books, renting can be an extremely affordable option.

If you rent, it’s important to read your rental agreement carefully and take good inventory of any damage to your borrowed textbooks. Some businesses allow renters to highlight and make marks in books, although some may charge you for damages. You should consider whether or not the textbook is necessary for future courses or your career path when choosing to rent instead of purchasing.

A completely free option for finding textbooks is to check with your campus library. Many campus libraries own a few copies of popular textbooks that patrons may check out or use in the library.

Although this option is free, it can be inconvenient. Some libraries may allow you to reserve books for specific days and times. Due to the limited number of texts, however, you’re not always guaranteed a slot. And because you don’t have your own copy, you may not be able to look up last-minute information while studying the night before a test.

At the end of a term, you may be staring at your pile of textbooks wondering what to do with them. Books are bulky, are difficult to transport, and may not have much future value depending on what they cover. As a result, selling used college textbooks is a popular decision for many students.

There are several options you can explore if you’re interested in selling your old textbooks. If you find buyers for your books, you can significantly lower the overall annual cost of your textbooks.

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