How to Pay for College Books: Free, Cheap, and Last-Resort Options

College is one of life’s biggest expenses, with some students spending hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of their education—and significantly more after you factor in student loan interest.

On paper, textbooks may look like a small drop in the bucket next to the astronomical cost of tuition, but college materials like textbooks, supplies, and technology can be cost-prohibitive for many students. On average, an undergrad student spends $1,370 a year on books, according to the College Board. That’s nearly $5,500 in books for a four-year degree.

To help, we’ve compiled a list of ways to get free college textbooks, plus tips on using financial aid to pay for supplies and how to find college textbooks much more affordably.

Table of Contents

1. How to pay for college books with financial aid
2. 5 ways to get college textbooks for free
3. 7 ways to save money on college textbooks
4. How to pay for college textbooks when all else fails

How to pay for college books with financial aid

You can use your financial aid, such as scholarships, grants, work-study funds, and, yes, even student loans, for textbooks. While it doesn’t help you get free college books, using your aid means you don’t need to drain your bank account to cover the cost.

Your aid first goes to the cost of tuition and, if living on campus, room and board. You’ll receive whatever’s left for the term as a disbursement to use for other educational expenses, including college textbooks.

The problem? Sometimes, disbursements aren’t available at the start of the term. First-year undergrad students and first-time borrowers might need to wait 30 days into the term to receive their first disbursement. This causes big headaches for students who are learning the ropes, like the Redditor below:

How do I pay for materials when my college doesn't disburse until 30 days after I start classes?
byu/Hot-Masterpiece-9233 incollege

Note: The U.S. Department of Education requires schools to provide a way for you to get your books and supplies by the seventh day of the term if you’re eligible for a disbursement that hasn’t yet arrived. Still, that means you’ll be without books for the first week of class. Flag this for your professor; they may be able to help you in the interim.

5 ways to get college textbooks for free

You may not need to wait for that disbursement—or use financial aid at all—to get your college textbooks. There are several legitimate ways to obtain your class’s source material without spending a penny.

Here’s how to get college books for free.

1. Speak with your professors

Before making any purchases, especially if you’re on a tight budget, tell your professors you’re having trouble affording the books. Some professors may offer PDFs or loaner copies, or they may advise that the book isn’t truly necessary.

2. Find free college textbook PDFs online

Some of your textbooks might be available online, in PDF form, totally free. You can run a Google search for the textbook with the words “free” and “PDF” (or ask ChatGPT to find the book for you), or check legitimate sites such as:

• OpenStax
• Bookshare
• Free-Ebooks.net
• Digital Book Index
• bioRxiv
• Bookboon

Reddit is another good source for finding free college textbooks, but proceed with caution. Some Redditors may recommend questionable sites with pirated materials. Stick with legitimate sites only.

Does anyone know any other websites to get textbooks for free or cheaper? I don't want to spend the ridiculous amount of money for textbooks during college. Any recommendations?
byu/JU571C8 inUTSA

3. Apply for college textbook scholarships

Applying for as many scholarships as you can is a good idea; it reduces the overall cost of college and could mean you don’t need to take out student loans. But if your scholarships only cover the cost of tuition, seek out additional opportunities, like scholarships for textbooks.

For instance, BookScouter sponsors a $500 quarterly textbook scholarship, and the Dell Scholars Program includes book credits, in addition to the $20,000 scholarship. Other great opportunities include the Hit the Books Scholarship and the Direct Textbook Essay Scholarship.

Scholarships open and close all the time. Run a quick Google or ChatGPT search every month to find new opportunities.

4. Borrow from someone who’s already taken the class

If you know students who’ve already taken a course you’re enrolled in, ask whether they kept the book. Some students keep textbooks after a class, especially if it’s relevant to their major.

You can offer them a small fee to rent the book or let them borrow one of yours in exchange, but chances are good that other students understand the pain of expensive college textbooks and may let you borrow it for free.

5. Check with the library

Both your school library and local libraries may have textbooks you need for class. While you shouldn’t expect to be able to keep the book the whole term, you can make photocopies of the book (or snap pictures with your phone) to reference throughout the course.

Libraries might also have digital copies available.

7 ways to save money on college textbooks

You won’t be able to find every textbook you need for free, but that doesn’t mean you’re required to pay the high sticker price at your school bookstore. Here’s how to save money on college textbooks.

1. Share with your classmates

If you and a few other classmates have several of the same classes, consider splitting the cost of all the required books evenly and sharing the books. Keep the pool small, like two or three close friends, so you can make sure the books are easy to access when you need them.

2. Buy used

Buying college textbooks secondhand is a great way to keep costs down. Your college bookstore likely sells used textbooks, but you can often find cheaper options online or at off-campus used bookstores.

3. Rent college textbooks

Renting textbooks through the college bookstore or online stores can seem expensive, and you can’t sell the book at the end of the term, but it’s a viable way of getting the book for less. Just make sure you understand what you can and can’t do. (Rental companies usually request you keep highlighting and writing to a minimum.)

4. Find e-book versions

In some cases, required textbooks may be available in a digital format. If you don’t mind not being able to highlight a physical copy, this is a good way to save money.

5. Only purchase some of the books

Wait until the start of term and speak with your professor (or email them before classes begin if you can). Explain your struggle with affording textbooks.

In some cases, the professor may tell you certain books are only “recommended reading” but aren’t crucial to the class. If the professor only uses a chapter or two of one book, they may offer to provide scans of the text.

6. Buy an older edition

College textbook publishers know how to make money: Often, they’ll have the authors make the smallest of updates to text, or they’ll change the formatting, and then they can sell an older book brand-new again.

This means you might be able to get away with buying a cheaper, older edition. Just do your research to understand whether the older edition is similar enough to the edition requested by your professor to get you through the course.

7. Resell your textbooks

No matter what you pay for your textbooks upfront, you can always recoup some of that cost by selling them at the end of term. You can sell them to the college bookstore and general used bookstores, but you can also try listing them online or selling them to companies like BookScouter and Chegg.

How to pay for college textbooks when all else fails

Sometimes, it’s impossible to find certain college textbooks for free, and even the cheap options you find may still be more than you’re able to afford out of pocket. Here are some last-resort options to consider.

After you’ve exhausted free or cheap options, consider working during the summer or between semesters for extra income. This is a great way to earn money to cover books and other supplies needed for college in a way that doesn’t interfere with your school year.
As you get into your senior and junior years, you can even use income from paid internships to gain experience in your field of study and cover essential college materials.

Get a part-time job or work study

You might have been offered a work-study job as part of your financial aid package. These can be ideal if they’re on campus and related to your field of study, but often, you’ll make more money if you get a part-time job off-campus.

Having a part-time job as a full-time student can be challenging. Make sure the job won’t interfere with your study time, and prioritize using the money you earn to pay for textbooks, school supplies, and essentials (like food and clothing) before spending it on more fun activities.

Use student loans

If your scholarship and grant money only covers the cost of tuition, and you don’t have cash on hand to pay for your textbooks, use your student loan disbursement as a last resort.

I advise limiting student loan usage as much as possible because of the high interest rates and impact on your finances after you graduate, but if you have no other way to pay for the supplies you need, pay for your books with funds from a student loan. That’s what they’re there for.

But remember: It’s best to prioritize federal Subsidized and Unsubsidized Student Loans over private student loans. We recommend only turning to private loans if you still need help after other forms of federal aid.

If you do need to use a private student loan, limit your search to only the top lenders. Here are some of the options we’ve named the best private student loans (and why):

• College Ave: Easy application, low rates, and flexible repayment options
• Sallie Mae: Fastest path to cosigner release
• Earnest: Skip a payment once a year
• SoFi: Earn $250 for GPAs of 3.0 or higher (and use that money for textbooks each term!)