One of the largest out-of-pocket expenses many students have is textbooks. The CollegeBoard (2007) reports that undergraduate students can expect to spend about $1000 per year (or about $125 per three credit-hour class) on textbooks. That’s a huge up-front cost to absorb!
You can minimize the impact of this expense, however. How? You have several options:
- Plan to purchase your books early. This gives you time to shop around.
- Consider purchasing your books from an online vendor. You may have to pay shipping if you purchase your books this way, but it is surprising how much you can save on the overall cost—even after shipping!
- Consider purchasing used books. Used books in good condition can represent significant savings for the student.
- Look for an earlier edition of the same book. Many times there is little difference (other than pagination) between the revised edition and the prior edition.
- Look for an “international edition” of your book. Many publishers will offer this in addition to the U.S. edition, but the cost is typically much lower. Just check to make certain that the content is marked “same as U.S. edition.”
- Look for an e-book version of your text. Many colleges and universities offer students opportunities to purchase lower cost versions of textbooks from digital providers like MBS and Universal Digital Textbooks.
- See if the book is available through the college or university library or offer to share a book with your roommate or classmate. Either way you will have issues regarding the amount of time you have to use the text, but you can significantly minimize your costs this way.
- Check with the Student Services Office on your campus and find out if your college or university has a textbook lending program. There are a growing number of campuses offering this option.
- If financing your textbooks is absolutely beyond your personal capabilities, check to see if financial aid can cover this cost. Many colleges and universities have programs in place that permit students to charge the cost of their books to their financial aid. If your college or university does not offer this option or if you do not qualify because the aid you will receive will not cover this extra expense, ask whether a campus-based, short-term, emergency loan is available to help with textbook costs.
Until next time!
Lynn Byrne
Preparing for college admissions? Trying to find direction? Need a little help with the planning? Check out my college planning series:
- College Planning Made Easy--the planning and preparation workbook for the take charge, college-bound student,
- Paying for College Made Easy--a college financing guide designed to assist students and families in preparing and planning for higher education expenses; and
- The Great Scholarship Search--my guide for students and parents researching and applying for scholarship funding.
