Textbooks are necessary expenses that are making college students' education expensive. However, there are things that students can do to save money on these materials.
It was previously reported that, to save money on textbooks, students can check alternatives for their required textbooks. Instead of buying them brand new, they can opt to rent, buy used, get an e-book or buy a previous edition. They can also ask their friends and check if they can split the cost of a book. They can borrow from those who have taken the class as well.
According to U.S. News, there are resources available in many college and universities that can help students cover the cost of textbooks. A Marquette University student revealed how he cut his textbook costs in half.
"I wanted to figure out a way to spend less, so I reached out to some of the different services that Marquette had, and figured it out that way," Mitchell Arman said. "My biggest piece of advice is to do a little exploring."
Students can take advantage of their schools' financial aid awards. It was noted that a lot of college students used financial aid to pay for their textbooks. One way that they can save is to keep their receipts and appeal to the financial aid office to increase the cost of attendance to cover the difference, if their total textbook costs exceed the allowance.
There are also school emergency funds which can be used for expensive books or a suit for an interview. Moreover, experts have found that college students are saving on textbooks because of online sources. Students are borrowing e-books and using school libraries to find online open sources. An open textbook is one that has been funded, published and licensed for free use and distribution.
Several universities are also partnering with booksellers to give discounts and price reductions to its students. Purdue University has partnered with Amazon.com to give 30 percent discounts on textbook rentals to its students. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has partnered with eCampus.com and provides a discount of up to 60 percent off on textbooks. Scholarships are also still very helpful in lowering textbook costs.
