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5 Creative Ways to Find College Textbooks on the Cheap

By U.S. News & World Report

As college students across America return to their campuses this month and begin new classes, the cost of textbooks weighs on their minds and wallets.

The easiest route, of course, is to simply stroll down to your local campus bookstore and buy all of the books for your chosen class, but that’s rarely the best option. You’re often better off shopping online for textbooks, buying them used or even renting them from textbook rental services.

However, the options don’t end there. There are many additional avenues to follow if you’ve got a big list of textbooks to buy and not enough cash. Here are five fresh approaches you may not have tried.

[See: Basic Money Lessons You (Probably) Missed in High School.]

Use your social network and swap books. Know people in your major? Talk to them and see what classes they took last semester and whether they still have those books around. You might be able to borrow that book for a semester or buy it for a low price. Even better, you might find that you took a class last semester that your friend taking this semester, which allows you to swap books.

It never, ever hurts to check your social network before buying a textbook. Just simply list the classes you’re taking and the books you need for the coming semester, and list any books you have from the classes you took last semester. You may find yourself borrowing, trading or buying books at a low price and saving a ton of money, thanks to your friends.

Talk directly to the professor (and to assistants) about textbook options. Many professors understand the financial crunch that college students go through when it comes to textbook-buying time. Often, if you address the textbook situation with your professor directly, you’ll find that the professor has a creative solution in store. Perhaps the textbook is just a supplement to the course notes, or there’s an alternate textbook that works well.

Don’t limit such questions to the class professor, either. Talk to the teaching assistants and see if they have any ideas or resources that you can tap. Sometimes, a TA will have an extra copy of a book that he or she can loan to the first student who asks, or perhaps the assistant knows of a good source for inexpensive books. Your TA may even have an unexpected solution that the professor might not be aware of.

[See: How to Talk to Millennials About Money.]

Share a textbook with a trusted classmate. If you’re taking a class with someone you trust and expect to study with regularly — perhaps even your roommate — the two of you can share the cost of a single copy of the textbook. This allows you to split the cost in half and, if you’re buying used, can get the price down to just a few dollars for many classes.

Of course, this requires some cooperation and planning. You will be unable to actually look at the textbook at the same time, so be sure that you have a good agreement in place with regards to handling assignments and studying prior to an exam. Simply planning to study together can resolve this difficulty, but you should be sure that you have a stable friendship with this person, so that you’re not stuck without a textbook just before a major exam or project is due.

Use an older edition. Many textbooks have a very similar older edition with surprisingly few updates from edition to edition. When looking at textbooks for the class, check to see whether an older edition of the book is available at a low price. If it is, check with the professor and the teaching assistants to see whether the older edition is compatible with the class.

Even better, many professors and teaching assistants will often have access to a few copies of older editions of textbooks and, if they work with the class, will allow students to borrow them. It doesn’t hurt to ask.

[See: 12 Best Part-Time Jobs to Pay the Bills.]

Choose class offerings based on textbook requirements. At many universities, you may find different sections of the same class may have different textbook requirements. A professor who teaches a particular class in the fall might require a $200 textbook while that same class, when taught in the spring, is with a professor who uses only extensive notes that he or she shares freely.

When considering which classes to sign up for — or when you’re adding and dropping classes — look for sections that have a low-cost textbook offering. If you’ve got some scheduling flexibility, put off classes that require an expensive book this semester but have used inexpensive texts in the past. This takes a bit of homework, to be sure, but it can save a tremendous amount of money if you choose smartly.

Using these strategies in concert with smart purchasing of used books and book rentals can save college students a tremendous amount of money.

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5 Creative Ways to Find College Textbooks on the Cheap originally appeared on usnews.com

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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