It's bad enough to pay thousands of dollars a year to send a child to college. But there's more: Many students and parents don't realize how much they'll also have to spend on textbooks.
The cost of textbooks has soared in recent years, and many campuses now estimate that students will spend upward of $1,500 annually on course materials, according to the College Board.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Wednesday, August 19, 2009 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 4 National Desk 2 inches; 69 words Type of Material: Correction
Renting textbooks: An article in Sunday's Business section about how to save money on college textbooks quoted Jim Safka, co-founder of textbook rental company Chegg.com, saying the company does not penalize its customers for highlighting or writing in its books, and that highlighting was considered of value by many students. Safka did say that, but Chegg.com says that in fact, it does charge customers who write in the books.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday, August 23, 2009 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 4 National Desk 2 inches; 71 words Type of Material: Correction
Renting textbooks: An article in the Aug. 16 Business section about how to save money on college textbooks quoted Jim Safka, co-founder of textbook rental company Chegg.com, saying the company does not penalize its customers for highlighting or writing in its books, and that highlighting was considered of value by many students. Safka did say that, but Chegg.com says that in fact, it does charge customers who write in the books.
The expense is likely to hit particularly hard those attending low-cost community colleges, where the collective cost of textbooks often exceeds tuition. At Pasadena City College, for example, annual tuition and fees run $652, but the estimated cost for books and supplies is $1,638.
"The textbook market is broken," said Nicole Allen, textbooks advocate for the Student Public Interest Research Group in Boston. "The fundamental problem is that professors assign the books, often without any knowledge about pricing, and then the ultimate customers of the books have little choice about whether they should buy them."
That said, there are a vast array of textbook buying options that can dramatically cut the cost. But taking advantage of them takes time and requires organizational skills -- and even at cut rates, buying school books still isn't cheap.
"You can save hundreds of dollars every semester," Allen said. "The key is to shop around."
How can you cut your book costs?
Start with your instructors, Allen suggested. If they've already issued book lists, get the so-called ISBN numbers for each book. (These are like Social Security numbers for books, which allow you to make apples-to-apples comparisons while shopping.) Also find out whether the text can be purchased in soft cover or whether you can buy a previous edition.
Although some older editions are too outdated to use, others are nearly identical to the current editions even though some pages may have been moved or updated, Allen said.
If your instructor has been using the same book for some time, he or she may be able to advise you about whether the changes are significant. If the changes aren't earth-shattering, you can buy an older edition and borrow a book from a well-heeled friend when necessary or study with that person.
How much can that save? If you were to buy the 2008 edition of "Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry," you would probably pay the $216 retail price at your campus bookstore. But if you could get by with the 2004 edition, you could nab a copy for less than $20 at online retailer Half.com.
