Tuition isn’t the only bank-breaking expense for college students; textbooks and room and board can carry a hefty price tag as well.  I can’t help much with the room and board fees, but I do now how to cut back on your textbook costs.  Try a combination of these six ways to save money on your books, and your wallet will thank you.

College Books

1.  Check Out the Bookstore.

An obvious first stop is your university bookstore.  On many campuses, students can sell back their textbooks at the end of the semester for a little cash.  The used books are then sold back to students for a sometimes significantly lower price than the new copies. Before purchasing a used textbook, flip through to make sure the there isn’t too much highlighting and that no pages are ripped or falling out.

2.  Shop Online.

Check sites like Amazon Prime" service to students for free. Register using your .edu email address and enjoy perks like free 2-day shipping.

3.  Visit the Library.

A lot of professors will put a handful of copies on reserve hold at the library that can be checked out for an hour or two at a time.  Just enough time to complete a reading assignment, copy down the homework assignment or scan a few select pages.  Cost: $0.

4.  Use the Internet.  

Some publishers offer online or eReader editions of select textbooks.   Because online versions avoid the printing and shipping costs associated with hard copy textbooks, these versions are often significantly cheaper.  Bonus for you: online textbooks are easily searched and are significantly lighter than a regular book.  You may not be able to rely on eReader versions for all your texts, but there will likely be a few you can get for less money.

5.  Find a Friend.

Ask around to see if any of your friends or classmates have already taken the class and still have the textbook.  If they don’t want it anymore, offer to buy it off of them.  If they are hoping to keep it as a reference text for the future, perhaps they will allow you to borrow it for the semester.

6.  Share It.

If you have a friend or roommate taking the same course as you, why not split the cost and share a textbook?  This works best if you are in different sections of the same class or know that you won’t need to use the book in every lecture or discussion.  I don’t recommend sharing textbooks if the professor is prone to open-book exams.

How do you keep your textbook costs down?

Image: College Books by wohnai, Creative Commons 2.0