Let’s face it, college is expensive. The costs of college go far beyond those of tuition, board, and food. When saving for college many people forget to budget for one major hidden cost, textbooks. According to The Education Data Initiative, the average college student pays $285 for course materials in one academic year. With some hardcover textbooks costing well over $150, it is not surprising that 65% of college students skip buying textbooks. This leaves many students wondering, “How do I get cheap college textbooks”?
Saving Money on Textbooks
Surely there has to be a middle ground between skipping meals and buying textbooks, right? Absolutely! While it is tempting to purchase your materials from the school bookstore for convenience, there are a lot of options when it comes to obtaining textbooks.
Campus Bookstore
Students using scholarships or finical aid for their textbooks may not have a choice other than to purchase directly from the campus bookstore. If you find yourself in this position, do not panic, there are still ways for you to save some money.
Rent don’t buy! While it can be nice to own a copy of the textbook, sometimes it isn’t necessary. This is especially true for general education classes since you are unlikely to reference these books later in your educational journey. Renting textbooks can offer savings up to 80% (or more) off of the purchase price depending on the length of your rental. The type of book you are renting matters too. It is much cheaper to rent an eBook than it is a physical one.
Go with paperback books. Hardcover books tend to have higher quality paper and be more durable. However, paperback books tend to be almost half of the price of the hardcover edition depending on the purchasing location and the publisher. While the protection of a hardcover is nice, you are able to protect your paperback book’s pages using a reusable book sleeve. Book sleeves are customizable and can be found for around $10 to $15 on Amazon.
A pile of hardcover books from the Printing Center USA blog.
Cheap College Textbooks
You really start to save some money if you can find your textbooks in places other than the campus bookstore.
Rent from textbook rental companies. There are many different companies that offer cheap textbook rentals. Personally, I prefer Chegg since they have savings up to 90% off the publisher prices for textbooks. Thier customer support is outstanding and the offer fast shipping with free return shipping for the end of your rental. I have rented textbooks from them many times and I can’t recommend them enough. There are also websites like TextbookRentals.com that lets you compare the costs of renting from different sites. Think Kayak.com but for textbooks.
Check online marketplaces. If you live in a college area you are likely to find local listings on websites like eBay or Facebook Marketplace of people trying to sell their textbooks from previous semesters. The benefit from buying a book from another individual is that you are able to haggle or negotiate a price that is agreeable to both parties.
Buy an eBook. While I love the feeling of a physical book when studying, eBooks are often much cheaper because they do not require a physical medium in their creation which cuts down on the production costs. Another benefit to eBooks is that they are easily accessible if you have a smart device and do not require you to lug around a heavy object.
An eBook Reader leaned against a pile of books from The Tech Advocate blog.
Free College Textbooks
Check your local and campus library. Depending on how popular the textbook is, you may be able to borrow a copy from your campus or local library. While these textbooks are free, they may be in limited supply if you can find them at all to begin with. For this method, I recommend checking the library as soon as you know what textbook you need for the class.
Find digital copies online. There are a few places you can find free textbooks online. The only downside is that it can often take a while to locate a copy of the book and there is no guarantee that you will be able to find the edition of the textbook you are looking for. I recommend Library Genesis for finding free PDF copies of textbooks. Online chat forms like Reddit are also a good way to find possible PDF copies of textbooks, just make sure the file you are downloading has no malware or viruses with it.
Final Thoughts
While not all classes require textbooks, you may find yourself in a situation where you have to purchase a lab coat, some tools, or a software. No matter the subject, you are more than likely going to need to purchase additional materials for a class. When saving for college be sure to add a few hundred dollars’ worth of expenses for textbook and materials to your budget. If you are looking for other ways to save money than finding cheap college textbooks, then explore this article about ways to save money in college!
