In recent years, colleges have begun experimenting with a number of techniques to make textbooks more affordable for, and more likely to be purchased by, college students.  From on-demand textbook printing at the University of Michigan to on-campus and online textbook rental options nationwide, it seems like at least two or three textbook pricing revolutions roll out each year.  This year, however, Williams College in Massachusetts is trying something entirely different:  giving textbooks away for free.

Starting this fall, students who receive financial aid at Williams will be able to charge their textbooks to their bursar accounts–an option available to students at many colleges–and then will receive college-based grants for the amount of their textbook purchase, which as far as Williams officials know, is an offer unique to their campus. The textbook program, as well as the reasons for its inception, were highlighted in a recent blog post in the New York Times’ college admissions blog, The Choice.

Williams previously offered financially needy students $400 book grants each semester, but found that some students still weren’t buying all their required textbooks, as they felt the money they spent on books was still coming out of their own pockets.  A textbook lending program through the library was used to supplement it, but there were concerns that students couldn’t make full use of borrowed books.  To allow students to highlight and annotate books, as well as reference them in subsequent semesters, the college decided to make sure students were able to purchase all required texts.  Thus, the current grant program was born, which Williams officials expect to cost roughly the same as the combination of the previous grant and library lending programs but to serve students more completely and efficiently.

Little touches like free textbooks can go a long way towards swaying students still working on their college search.  Regardless of the college you attend, you may want to factor textbooks into your scholarship search, as well.  While textbooks don’t seem like much individually, when the costs are added up, they can become a sizeable portion of a student’s college costs.  With many students paying for textbooks out-of-pocket, they can quickly create a problem with money management, increasing work burdens, credit card balances, or student loan debt.

Posted: under College Costs, College Grants.
Tags: books, College Costs, College Grants, institutional aid

Comments (0) Oct 27 2009

The stress and financial hardships of textbook buying may soon be a thing of the past, as a vast array of textbook rental options are expected to debut or expand this year.  According to a recent article in The New York Times, students will have increasing options for renting, instead of purchasing, the required books for many common courses.  Rental prices are usually substantially discounted from the retail value of the book and students who rent textbooks will not have to worry about whether or not the bookstore will buy back their text at the end of the semester.

A number of colleges and universities have unveiled on-campus textbook rental programs in recent years, making the texts for popular introductory courses available for a small fee.  More bookstores have begun to get in on this, with Barnes and Noble announcing a pilot program this year that will allow students at a few colleges to rent textbooks from their campus bookstores.  These programs allow students to rent textbooks as easily as they can buy them from the campus store, though they’re still only available at a handful of colleges and for a handful of textbooks.

Several websites have emerged in the last couple years offering online textbook rental services to students anywhere in the country.  These sites often have a wider array of books available for rental, though after shipping costs are figured in, their discounts may not necessarily be as deep as those offered by some bookstore-based rental programs.  Similar to buying textbooks online, online rentals also require some forethought and don’t work well with last-minute schedule changes.  Students have to order their books early enough to have them in hand by the time they begin receiving reading assignments.

Addressing this need for immediately available content is one publishing house that recently announced plans to enter the textbook rental market.  One company, Cengage Learning, plans to rent a number of its most popular titles to students and make the first couple chapters of each book available online to customers who have rented a physical text.  This reduces the stress of waiting for the book to arrive.

Taking advantage of textbook rental programs, as well as other options like used books and free online books, can help you stretch your college savings and scholarship awards further.

Posted: under Back to School, College Costs, College News.
Tags: Back to School, books, College Classes, College Costs, college news, college students, college tips, Tips

Comments (0) Aug 14 2009

Both for students starting college for the first time in the fall and for undergraduate students returning for another year, textbooks are too often an unwelcome and unexpectedly large expense.  With your scholarship awards and hard-earned money already going towards tuition and room and board, it’s difficult and unpleasant to have to shell out well over $100 for a book you’re unlikely to even enjoy reading.  There are ways to ease the pain of college textbook purchases, though.

Start Early and Get It in Writing

With classes starting up in August or September at most schools, your professors and the bookstore staff probably already know what books will be needed for fall, even if the textbook section of the campus bookstore isn’t open for business yet.  If you have your fall schedule figured out, now is a good time to start tracking down textbooks.

First off, get a book list for each course as early as possible.  This could take some doing, as not all professors in all departments have the courtesy to make book lists and syllabi available on a course website.  Typically, professors have to get lists to the bookstore, though, and the bookstore is generally supposed to make this information available to students.  If you can’t find this information anywhere, don’t be afraid to ask your professor through a polite e-mail.

Comparison Shop and Buy Used

With book list in hand, make note of prices at the campus bookstore, any off-campus textbook stores in the community, and popular websites that sell new and used books.  Try to find the best deal, and be sure to factor in shipping costs and how long it will take the books to arrive.

While the used book stacks are always the first to go at the bookstore, this isn’t the only place used books are available.  Check local used bookstores, as well as online retailers.  I’ve found books for literature classes at library sales, yard sales, and thrift stores too, so be on the lookout if you happen across any of these.  There’s nothing like picking up a $15 text for 15 cents.

Find It for Free

Got friends or older siblings who may have taken similar classes?  See if they hung onto their books and could lend you one or two.  You may want to try posting flyers in your dorm and common areas on campus, or utilizing free online classifieds for your campus and community.  The end of the semester is often the best time for this, but it could still pay off now.

Don’t forget the campus and public libraries, either, especially if you have the option of checking out a book for an entire semester, or if you will only need a book for part of the term.  Most colleges participate in pretty generous inter-library loan programs, and some let students keep books or renew books for fairly substantial lengths of time.

If you can’t borrow, you may also want to look into renting.  While not free, textbook rental services are less expensive than purchasing new books, and you don’t have to worry about trying to sell the books back at the end of the semester.

Apply for Textbook Scholarships

Many scholarship opportunities allow winners to apply costs towards any school-related expenses, including textbooks.  Additionally, several scholarship providers offer students money specifically for buying books.  Some are local scholarships and others are major-specific, but they are out there!  Do a free college scholarship search today to find some textbook funds.

Posted: under Back to School, College Costs, Tips.
Tags: Back to School, books, College Classes, College Costs, college students, college tips, Scholarship Search, Tips

Comments (0) Aug 13 2009

While fall classes may still seem far off for many students, incoming college freshmen and transfer students are already attending summer orientation and registration sessions.  Choosing classes leads directly to one of college’s biggest sticker shocks: the price of textbooks for those introductory classes.  With individual texts regularly carrying triple-digit price tags, a semester’s worth of textbooks you may never touch again can seem an unreasonable expense.

Increasingly, students skilled in money management are finding an array of options to make acquiring textbooks less painful.  Used bookstores abound just off campus at many colleges, giving the campus bookstore some competition and mitigating prices at least to some extent.  Particularly on-the-ball students race to the university library or avail themselves of inter-library loan options to check out required reading for free.  Other college campuses have begun renting popular textbooks for prices significantly lower than the cost of buying them new.

For other students, though, the Internet is the place to find discounted books for class.  A number of popular retailers offer used textbooks, though students may run the risk of getting an outdated edition or an instructor’s edition of any text they buy sight unseen.  Students who buy books online also face the same problem as students who buy from the campus bookstore: after the semester’s ended, you may well wind up stuck with an edition of a book you didn’t really want to own in the first place.

A few companies are now offering services that combine the convenience of online textbook shopping and textbook rentals.  The New York Times recently profiled Chegg.com, a website that allows students to rent textbooks online, similar to online video rental services. While paying $50 or more (plus shipping) for a book you don’t even get to keep if you want it can be hard to swallow, online rentals do have advantages.  Rental prices can be significantly cheaper than the price of purchasing a textbook, online rentals offer more selection, and students don’t have to worry about whether they’ll be able to find a buyer for their unwanted books at the end of the semester.

Whether or not you choose to rent your books for class, it’s nice to know that there are ways textbooks are becoming more affordable.  Cheaper books mean your financial aid and college savings can be stretched further, and that’s always a good thing.

Posted: under Back to School, College Costs, Tips.
Tags: Back to School, books, College Classes, College Costs, college students, financial tips, Tips

Comments (0) Jul 08 2009