Don T Pay For Expensive Textbooks Get Them For Free At The Library

Leo Migdal
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don t pay for expensive textbooks get them for free at the library

College is expensive, and if you’re a cash-strapped student seeking ways to save you’ve probably wondered how you can get free textbooks. Here are 10+ places to get them, both legitimate and (perhaps) legally dubious options. Jump to: Your School Library | Open Educational Resources | Free PDF Search Engines | Your Professor | Classmates | FinAid | Textbook Scholarships | Google Search | Book Previews | Bookshare There’s a good chance your college library has the textbooks you need – and you can borrow them for free. Many offer both physical and digital versions. “All good universities these days have free online copies of textbooks available through their online libraries,” says Chris Drew, Ph.D., a professor who teaches study and academic writing skills on HelpfulProfessor.com.

“With the rise of online learning of late, most university libraries are making textbooks available for free online for their students so you can access them from home.” Note that availability might be limited, so it’s a good idea to reserve your textbook copies early. Be sure to return books on time to avoid late fees. Written by Lauren Bennett - Verified by Amanda on April 17, 2025 In fact, the average cost of college in the United States is $38,270 per student per year, including books, supplies, and daily living expenses. You can soften some of the financial blow by getting some of your textbooks for free.

Textbooks can be really expensive. The cost of them has ballooned over the years, but more students are using eBooks, which can be 50% less expensive than their hardcopy version. The average college student spends $174 on new, printed textbooks for the year, and they pay $285 for course materials in one academic year. 65% of college students skipped buying textbooks because they were too expensive. Posted August 12, 2025 in Featured News, General Collections News, JMU Libraries News, Open Education News Students, if you’re feeling worried about how to pay for textbooks this semester, you’re not alone!

JMU Libraries offers several options to help students find affordable textbooks. We’ve created this list to share the ways we can help and additional ideas to try if we don’t have what you need. Not everyone can afford expensive learning materials. Here are a few things you can do: If you have ideas for additional ways we can support JMU students, join our Student Advisory Board or send us an email at libraries@jmu.edu. As a college student who wants to make the best grades, you need textbooks to aid your studies, understand your lectures, and in the end, pass your exams without fuss.

However, buying these textbooks can be a hassle due to their high prices, low availability, and minimal usage. Also, there are some textbooks that you won’t utilize fully as you only need a few chapters’ worths of information but no one is going to sell part of a textbook to you. Luckily, there are 33 websites where you can get college textbooks for free! Let’s have a look, shall we? Kicking off our list is Archive.org, a site that does more than you think. It offers an extensive catalog of media such as online books, PDFs, documents, and even old YouTube tutorials.

What’s more, you can download these books in different formats based on your preferences. With archive.org, you can back up your digital books and documents. As a website, it’s a testament to its name and you have access to media you can’t find anywhere else. With Bookboon, you’re not only getting access to textbooks for free but also textbooks that were written and published by the top lecturers of the best universities. Whether the course you’re studying is in the Business department, Economics, Literature, Science and Technology, you have a catalog of top-end books to pick from. Also, the site offers you a skill learning program for personal development.

As an Amazon Associate, Hip2Save earns a small commission from qualifying purchases in this post. Read our full disclosure policy here. Save on college expenses by shopping around for cheap textbooks and even FREE college textbooks! Here’s one area where you can save big for college! 📚 College is expensive!

Luckily, textbooks can be one of the easiest ways to save some money. Whether you have a student about to start their college journey or you’re going back to school for your Associate’s, Bachelor’s, or Master’s, here are some smart ways to save some money by sourcing... Follow these tips and you might just find some of your college textbooks free of charge! Several websites offer FREE digital versions of college textbooks. Here are the top websites to search. One of the most frustrating things about university life is having to buy expensive textbooks that are required for your courses – many students don’t realize that there are alternative ways to get these...

There are a few different options for obtaining free textbooks, and each has its own set of benefits. By taking advantage of these options, students can save a lot of money on their educational expenses. Non-profit organizations have been created in order to offer students/users with open educational resources (OERs). The goal of these organizations is to widen the availability of competitive learning materials to people all over the world. To help you find these organizations, we have put together a list of websites that offer free college textbooks. These websites can save you a lot of money on your education, so if you are ready to start studying better and smarter, then check out this list of resources.

OpenStax is a non-profit organization that provides free, high-quality textbooks for college students. It was founded by Rice University in the year 2011 with the goal of making higher education more affordable and accessible. OpenStax relies on partnerships with philanthropic organizations, such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to support its operations. Are you struggling with college costs? Here are some of the best ways to get free college textbooks. College is expensive!

Besides the cost of tuition, supplies and textbooks can add a significant amount to your bill. According to a survey done by the College Board, the average full-time, on-campus undergraduate at a four-year school spent an estimated $1,240 on books and supplies during the 2020-2021 academic year. That is a lot of money! Any college student will tell you that one of the most challenging parts of college is the expensive textbook costs. Some university textbooks might be a book you use for one semester and then never open again! These textbooks are often required to pass the class, and your professor will expect you to have them whether you can afford them or not.

So, if you need help getting a free college textbook, here are eleven ways to get free college textbooks.

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