College Textbooks Don't Need to Break the Bank: 10 Tips to Save You Money
|
Posted By: Hija Chang on July 25, 2014 Nicole Allen Director of Open Education, SPARC With the summer now halfway over, students and their parents are looking ahead to college in the fall. In addition to budgeting for rising tuition costs, students are facing ever-increasing costs for their textbooks. Over the past decade, textbook prices have grown at three times the rate of inflation. This additional expense only adds to the trillion dollar debt problem our students currently face. According to the College Board, books and supplies now average around $1,200 per year, almost 40% of the cost of tuition and fees for a community college student. Sometimes it's even more. So what's a student to do? Even though textbook prices can be pretty outrageous, there are many ways to reduce how much you spend. Being smart about how you shop could save you hundreds of dollars this year. Follow these ten tips to save on college textbooks. 1. Find your ISBNs. Every book has a unique identifying number called an ISBN that helps you find the exact product you want no matter where you shop. Colleges are supposed to provide ISBN information in course catalogs, so that's the first place to look. You can also find them through the bookstore or by contacting your professor. 2. Shop online. You can find a wide range of booksellers online that may offer steep discounts compared to bricks-and-mortar bookstores. Popular sites for online shopping include Amazon.com, Half.com and Textbooks.com. You can also search multiple sites at once through price comparison services such as CampusBooks.com and BigWords.com. Make sure to look for coupon codes and special sales through sites like RetailMeNot.com, and through retailers' Facebook and Twitter feeds. 3. Rent textbooks. This is probably your best bet if you don't plan to keep the book at the end of the term. Most schools rent books right on campus, and there are also online options including Chegg.com and BookRenter.com. You can also rent textbooks digitally through sites like CourseSmart.com or CengageBrain.com -- just beware of expiration dates and printing limits. Continued: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nicole-allen... If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
 |
Hija Chang
Management, See Moss Interactive Bellarmine University class of 2021 Member Since January 2011 |
Comments
More From This Author
Latest News
 |
Rosen Foundation expanding scholarship program, partnering with Bethune-Cookman UniversityCarrying on the legacy of Harris Rosen and his commitment to education, today the Harris Rosen Foundation announced it is expanding its already-successful scholarship program and partnering with Bethu ...more
Reginald Culpepper • 297 Views • May 19th, 2026 |
 |
Sinners vs. Michael: Which Film Actually Won the Ultimate Culture Debate?While Antoine Fuqua’s Michael is dominating the box office with its electrifying, stadium-level concert recreations and a star-making, uncanny physical performance by Jaafar Jackson, critics and film ...more
TaQuan Ford • 233 Views • May 16th, 2026 |
Popular News
 |
North Carolina HBCU Unity DayShaw University - Elizabeth City State University - Johnson C. Smith University - Fayetteville State University - Livingstone College - North Carolina A&T State University - North Carolina Central Uni ...more
Reginald Culpepper • 109,467 Views • August 8th, 2016 |
