How To Pay for College Textbooks: Affordable Options for Students

College costs can add up quickly. Although you might think the expenses end with college tuition and housing bills, textbooks represent another cost for students to squeeze into their stretched budgets.

College financial aid offices reported an average cost of $340 for textbooks in the 2024-25 academic year, according to the College Board. But when you factor in other required supplies, that number jumps to over $1,200. Not surprisingly, many students have to get creative to cover the necessary expenses.

This guide explores why textbooks cost so much and how to save money on textbooks for school.

Why are college textbooks so expensive?

A crisp new textbook can set you back over $100. Depending on your course load, you might need to shell out hundreds to get the books you need.

While this represents a significant cost to students, it's worth pointing out that the average student's spending on college textbooks and digital course materials has declined by over 45% in the last decade.

Generally, commercially printed textbooks are the most expensive option, especially when the course requires a newer edition of the book. Frequently updated textbooks often mean higher prices for students since it's harder to buy a used copy, and more difficult to sell the book back to the bookstore at the end of the school term. Additionally, bundling of extra materials with a textbook purchase, like software or workbooks, often drives costs higher.

Although online supplements and e-textbooks tend to be more affordable, these can still come with significant costs for students.

Current private student loan rates

Financial aid options for textbooks

After using financial aid to pay for tuition, consider leaning on any remaining amount to pay for necessary textbooks. Another option is to find textbook scholarships or grant opportunities to help you pay for your course materials.

Several scholarships exist specifically to help students pay for textbooks. These include:

• Bold Great Books Scholarship: Bold.org offers scholarship awards of $500 for winning students to use on textbooks. 
• BookScouter Quarterly Book Scholarship: BookScouter awards $500 to a qualifying student to purchase textbooks. 

In addition to textbook-specific awards, many general scholarships allow you to use the funding to pay for necessary books. Take the time to look for and apply for scholarships that might help you cover textbook costs.

As a last resort, you can also use your student loans to pay for textbooks. But keep in mind that you'll have to repay your loans after graduation, so limiting your loans can help you avoid an oversized financial burden after college.

Affordable textbook options for students

If you're looking to keep textbook costs low, consider renting the book instead of buying it. Generally, renting a book for the semester is more affordable than purchasing a book.

Unless it's a book you think you'll need again in the future, renting could be a better option. Many bookstores near campuses, and online platforms like Chegg, allow you to rent a book for a semester. Before you rent, run the numbers of renting vs. buying the textbooks you need to make sure it's the right move.

For books you want to keep, opting for the used version can lead to savings. For example, as of December 2024, the ninth edition of “Fundamentals of Nursing” has a list price of $144. But you can rent it used for $11.99 through Chegg.

When looking for textbooks, “Use comparison-shopping sites like BookFinder or CampusBooks to find the best textbook deals across multiple online retailers,” says Ben Kaplan, founder of Scholaroo.com, a scholarship search portal and author of “How to Go to College Almost for Free.”

Digital subscriptions and e-books offer an increasingly popular way to get access to the textbooks you need for less. “Choosing an electronic textbook can save students 40% to 50%, plus, they can access classic literature for free on sites like www.gutenberg.org,” says Kaplan.

If you are comfortable learning with the help of a digital book, this could be a way to cut costs for your situation.

Another cost-cutting solution is to purchase an older edition of the book.

“Always ask your professors if previous editions of the book are acceptable, as you can often find those used for steep discounts,” says Sabas Lin, chief technical officer at Knowee, a study platform.

“Better yet, compare older editions to the new edition side by side at the bookstore. Often, the book is very similar, but the chapters are swapped, and a bit of the information has been expanded,” adds Lin.

Creative ways to save on college textbooks

Beyond looking for a deal, you can tap into more creative ways to save on textbook costs. Here are a few options to save money on textbooks:

• Utilize textbook-sharing programs: Some colleges offer textbook-sharing programs, which usually involve stopping by the library to use the book for a few hours. If you only need to use the book occasionally, a textbook sharing or borrowing program might make sense.
• Access open educational resources (OERs): OERs make some teaching and learning materials available online for free. If a resource you need is available as an OER, you won't have to pay for access to the material.
• Share with a friend: If you don't want to pay full price but don't want to sit in the library to use the textbook, consider teaming up with a friend in the same class to split the cost of the book. Setting up a shared schedule between the two of you might help you save.

Tips for planning textbook costs

As you navigate textbook costs, a little bit of planning ahead can go a long way. Use the following strategies to make buying your textbooks less stressful:

• Budget for textbooks every semester: Expect to pay for textbooks each semester, and factor that expected cost into your budget. For example, if you set aside a few hundred dollars specifically for textbooks, that can make your life easier at the beginning of the semester.
• Buy at the end of the term: If you know what classes you'll be taking next semester, consider buying your textbooks at the end of this term instead of the beginning of the next term. You might score an end-of-term deal that lowers your overall costs.
• Ask your professors what you need: Although the syllabus might include several materials, some might be considered optional. Find out from your professor which books are optional and potentially skip that extra cost.