In a single semester, an average, full-time student will spend anywhere from $400-$800 on textbooks alone!

Every student hopes that they can spend as little as possible on their textbooks and there are many ways to make the cost of those books lower. These include: renting, buying from a friend, or simply looking up an online version. I’m here to give you the tips and tricks that I have found useful for lowering the cost of my textbooks. In this post you will find:

• When Should I Get My Textbooks?
• Should I Rent or Buy My Textbooks?
• Where Should I Get My Textbooks From?
• What Should I do if My Textbook Comes with an Access Code/Subscription?

First thing’s first,

When Should I Get My Textbooks?

I think this is probably the #1 mistake students make when the come to college. They look up their textbook list, see “required” and immediately purchase it. Big Mistake!

If there is one thing I have learned about buying textbooks it is, WAIT! I guarantee you 90% of professors will tell you that their textbook is “required” but it’s not. And when I say wait, I mean WAIT. Wait until you are actually being required to read the book or you feel you actually need it to buy it.

I know what you’re thinking. “What if I need it on the first day of class and don’t have it?” Professors are usually pretty lenient about students not having their textbooks on the first day. If you are absolutely going to need it on the first day, you will usually get an email or it will say it in the syllabus. Waiting until I find myself actually needing the textbook has saved me so much money.

Now, what about the ones you do need?

Should I Rent or Buy My Textbooks?

The answer to this question is simple.

Rent your textbooks!

If at all possible, rent your textbooks. You probably won’t use them again after that one course, so buying them is irrelevant. If you can give them back after you’ve used them, why wouldn’t you?

Where Should I Get My Textbooks From?

There are so many places to get your textbooks from, so how do you know where the best places to get them are? I’m going to tell you.

The #1 place you shouldn’t get your textbooks from unless you have to is your campus bookstore. This is where the textbooks are going to be the most expensive because they are usually brand new. I always look up these 3 websites when I’m looking for textbooks:

1. Campus bookstore
2. Amazon
3. Chegg

The way I do this, is I will pull up all 3 websites and put the ISBN # in all of their search engines. If the bookstore is only offering brand new books to buy, I immediately cross it off my list. Then I compare Amazon and Chegg prices and go with the cheapest rent option.

If all three websites are offering rent options, go with the cheapest one. Obviously.

What Should I do if My Textbook Comes with an Access Code/Subscription?

Some classes will require an online subscription for your class. This is so you can access an online version of the textbook and the homework assignments. These usually have 3 options. You can buy an access card with the hard copy of the book, you can just buy the access card, or you can purchase access directly through the website that the book is sold through. For example, my school uses Pearson or McGraw Hill.

The first thing I will tell you, DON’T buy a hard copy of the book. If you are getting an online version with the access then there is no need to buy the hard copy. You can’t sell it back or anything because you have already used the access code. And then you’re stuck with it.

The second thing, I do not recommend buying the access code. It is usually about $100 more expensive than buying access directly through the website.

Bottom line, buy access directly through the website that published the book. It is cheaper and you can usually select how long you want to have access for. If you are only going to need it for a semester you can select that option. If you know you’ll need it for another course, you can purchase a longer access option.

There You Have It

This article has tips and tricks to buying textbooks that I have learned the hard way. Hopefully you’ll get to save even more money than me by using the tips listed above.

About the Author: My name is Sophie Nguyen, and I am a 19 year-old college student at Texas Tech University. I am majoring in Kinesiology AKA exercise sciences. One day, I hope to become a physical therapist. I am starting this blog because I want to do something different and spontaneous. I want to learn more about the field that I am pursuing. I want to understand and apply everything that I am studying and learning. I want to share what I am learning in a way that everyone else can learn it too!

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