In the 2014-15 school year, the average full-time undergraduate student in the United States spent more than $1,200 on college textbooks and supplies, according to estimates from the College Board.
Don’t be a statistic. As you gear up for the new semester, follow these money-saving tips to cut down on that considerable figure.
1. Browse widely
No matter how you acquire your school materials, don’t just go with the first place that has what you need. It pays to do your homework in shopping, just as it does in college.
As with any major purchase, shopping online gives you more time and resources to compare prices between retailers. This can spare you post-purchase pangs of regret from finding the same book for less from a different retailer.
Make sure to shop around at a variety of sites. Try looking somewhere traditional, such as Barnes & Noble, as well as somewhere modern, such as eCampus.com.
2. Rent first
Renting textbooks is a cost-effective way to get the books you need without paying full price, particularly if you don’t plan on keeping your books long-term. Renting is an especially smart option for general ed courses — you know, the subjects you won’t necessarily need to revisit later for a capstone paper.
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Look for rental options (or digital versions) for this semester’s load of required textbooks, always being sure to check that you’re renting the correct edition. Then, put your math skills to the test to determine how much you’ll be saving. As you start your search, we recommend checking sites such as Chegg and Amazon.
3. Borrow when you can
Shopping (or renting) early is a surefire way to snag your textbook before it sells out, but it’s also an almost guaranteed way to pay more than you need to.
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Wait until the first few days of class to get a sense of how often your professor will require you to use the textbook. If you won’t need it in class every day, try borrowing a copy from the library as needed. This strategy won’t cost you anything.
4. Sync your schedule with friends
The librarian isn’t the only one who loans out textbooks. Team up with classmates to split the cost of a shared textbook. Or, if you take a class one of your friends has already taken, you may be able to borrow a book from him or her — or rent it at a better deal than you’d ever find online.
5. Look at last year
When you do buy, the edition number of a book can sometimes make a huge difference in its price tag. You’ll generally find that the newest edition of a textbook is more expensive than past editions. If it won’t affect your coursework (and there usually aren’t too many drastic differences between editions), opt for an older version instead of the freshly printed one.
For example, we found popular textbook The Art of Public Speaking 12th Edition by Stephen E. Lucas available for rent on Chegg for $38.99 to $40.99, depending on your shipping state. Click over to the 11th edition of this same book, though, and the cost to rent drops to $17.99.
6. Sell your old ones
If you’re a freshman just entering college, you may not own any old textbooks, but if you’re a sophomore, junior, senior (or super senior), you likely have a few works sitting on the shelf. Instead of letting them collect dust, sell them and use the extra cash to put toward this semester’s assigned reads.
Here’s another hint if you plan on selling your used books: Always keep them in the best condition possible so you can get a better price for them. That means no torn pages or excessive highlighting.
More from NerdWallet:
NerdWallet’s Guide to 2015 Back-to-School Shopping
7 Ways to Save on Back-to-School Shopping
3 Back-to-School Shopping Pitfalls to Avoid
Courtney Jespersen writes for NerdWallet, a website that helps consumers make smarter financial decisions.NerdWallet is a USA TODAY content partner providing general news, commentary and coverage from around the Web. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.
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