7 Ways to Save on the Cost of Textbooks

As if the cost of tuition and room and board isn't high enough, the price of college text books is also enormous. Students are well aware of this fact, as the "estimated cost of textbooks" on most college websites hits at least $500. For students who are already struggling to find the funding for the skyrocketing price of tuition, this is simply not an acceptable cost for textbooks that will most likely not be used after the quarter or semester is completed. Fortunately, there are many ways to cut down on the cost of your textbooks this year. Here are a few of them.

1) Just borrow it: Simple enough, borrowing textbooks is one of the best ways to easily cut down on the cost of your education without compromising the quality of your studies. If you're a freshman, this can be more difficult since you probably won't know anyone who has taken the courses before you, but most colleges have student- created Facebook groups for textbook sharing. Try to join one of these before spending all of your money at your university bookstore.

2) Sharing is caring: If you know that you will not need to regularly review the book over the semester (if most of the material on the tests will be straight from the professor's notes or lectures), then you probably don't actually need to purchase a personal copy of the book. If you have a friend taking the same course, see if they will agree to share the cost of the book with you to use over the semester; you can split the profits from your re-selling of the book once the semester is over. Work out different (or the same) study schedules for the class and you should be able to both benefit from the book throughout the semester.

3) Rent a book: Growing in popularity, many bookstores and online textbook sources are offering "rent-a-book" options. Generally much cheaper than actually purchasing a textbook, these stores allow students to rent a book for a set fee as long as the student returns the book at the end of the semester in a respectable condition. If the price of renting a book is still very high, however, you may want to consider one of these other options.

4) Buy Used: Unless the book in question is a lab manual with tear out pages, there should be nothing wrong with buying a used book. Usually the cost is much cheaper, and often the condition of the book is almost as good as new. Even if the book isn't in the greatest condition, all of the information of a brand new book will still be in the used book. Additionally, I have found that used books often have helpful notes scribbled in them by previous owners-always a bonus. Since textbooks depreciate in value so much once they have been purchased, you probably won't be losing any more money this way than if you buy a new book and re-sell it at the end of the semester.

5) Go International: Sometimes this option works, and sometimes it doesn't. It is best to ask someone who has bought the international version of the book for the class before whether or not this is a good option for your class. Often, the international versions of many textbooks are available online for incredibly low prices and sometimes the only difference between these books and the standard editions is a paperback cover and the lack of color photographs. However, sometimes there are more significant differences between the standard and international editions. Again, to see if this is a practical option for you, ask someone who has taken the class before.

6) Talk to the teacher: Often, many professors have books on their booklist that they only have on there for reference; they do not require you to actually work any problems from the book or to turn in any homework from them. If this is the case, you may be able to get away with purchasing an older version of the same textbook. Often the differences between two editions of a textbook are very minimal and you will save a lot of money by purchasing the older edition.

7) Buy online: Perhaps the number one secret to saving on your textbooks is to purchase them online. University bookstores have incredibly marked up prices and you will save immensely if you choose to shop through online stores such as Amazon. (Additionally, Amazon is offering a one year student membership to their Amazon prime status-for free; this means free shipping on textbooks for those students who chose to take advantage of this incredible offer.) This year, it should be easier than ever for students to take advantage of online book sources as opposed to their university stores, due to the fact that universities are now required to inform students of the ISBNs for their textbooks. With a list of ISBNs available, shopping for cheaper textbook options can be done with ease and confidence that you are buying the right book.