The Cost of College Textbooks
The cost of textbooks for college students is surprising to many. What consumers neglect to remember is that it takes a great deal of time to have these books written. The writers behind these books spend countless hours ensuring that the content is accurate. Those publishing and taking credit for the books cannot profit or earn their spent funds back without charging an appropriate cost for them, even though the books are only used for a short period of time.
High School Fees versus College Fees for Books
High school students have a standard textbook fee to pay. College students have to pay for each book at retail prices. This general textbook price comparison is the easiest for students to comprehend. In high school, the fee basically rents the book to the student for their school year. In college the books are owned by the students. Cheap textbooks are provided for high school students since the school maintains possession to use the books for several years.
Cost for General Studies
General course studies, for students without an exact major, average $500 per semester. College students will find cheap books for these general studies. Most of the time, the books are available on campus at the campus bookstore.
Cost for Specialized Studies
Specialized studies such as molecular science are more difficult to teach given the subject matter. This means that it takes more time to complete the required textbooks. The cost of each book for specialized studies ranges from $100 - $400 per textbook. For those carrying 6 courses, the required textbooks can cost up to $2,400 for a single year.
Average Cost for One Semester
Some courses are only a single semester long. The cost of these books is typically lower ranging roughly $75 each for general studies. Specialized courses that last only one semester are slightly higher averaging $100 per textbook.
Average Cost for One Year
Most college students carry between 6 and 8 courses per school year. Averaging out the cost of textbooks at $100 each, this brings the cost to roughly $800 for one year.
In some cases, textbooks will be cheaper on-campus with an average of $60 each for general studies and courses that are attended by more students. Keep in mind that the more students that take a specific course, the cheaper the textbooks are. This can significantly reduce the cost of books for one entire year of college down to $500.
Average Cost for Four Years
College students should expect to pay between $2,000 and $4,000 for textbooks over the course of 4 years. These costs vary so widely based upon the types of studies available. Medical students and law students typically pay more for their textbooks given the type of career path they are choosing so the $4,000 range is appropriate here. This also leaves room for changed majors, dropped and added classes, and smaller books required for the classroom studies.
Course Selection
The reason that book costs are so varied for college students is that each student has a different set of courses. Each course is a different difficulty level and a specific area of study such as science, medicine or law, simply cost more to compile.
Finding Discounted Textbooks
College students with limited or no financial aid can find cheap or discounted textbooks online, at resale shops and by posting wanted ads in online for sale websites. Websites such as Amazon and eBay also have listings for these books available closer to the start of the school year. Although rare, in the United States, using the Freecycle network may land a college student an expensive textbook for no charge.
College tuition and boarding costs are high enough. Do some research and find discounted textbooks to help financial aid funds stretch further. Unexpected costs do come up for special projects and additional reading assignments where funds are also needed. Consider using a website that provides a way to compare book prices before you make a purchase. These sources scan thousands of resources to find every book of a specific title that is for sale. As a college student, you have to be diligent in spending funds wisely, especially if you are dependent upon a student loan, financial aid or your parents for financial support.
High School Fees versus College Fees for Books
High school students have a standard textbook fee to pay. College students have to pay for each book at retail prices. This general textbook price comparison is the easiest for students to comprehend. In high school, the fee basically rents the book to the student for their school year. In college the books are owned by the students. Cheap textbooks are provided for high school students since the school maintains possession to use the books for several years.
Cost for General Studies
General course studies, for students without an exact major, average $500 per semester. College students will find cheap books for these general studies. Most of the time, the books are available on campus at the campus bookstore.
Cost for Specialized Studies
Specialized studies such as molecular science are more difficult to teach given the subject matter. This means that it takes more time to complete the required textbooks. The cost of each book for specialized studies ranges from $100 - $400 per textbook. For those carrying 6 courses, the required textbooks can cost up to $2,400 for a single year.
Average Cost for One Semester
Some courses are only a single semester long. The cost of these books is typically lower ranging roughly $75 each for general studies. Specialized courses that last only one semester are slightly higher averaging $100 per textbook.
Average Cost for One Year
Most college students carry between 6 and 8 courses per school year. Averaging out the cost of textbooks at $100 each, this brings the cost to roughly $800 for one year.
In some cases, textbooks will be cheaper on-campus with an average of $60 each for general studies and courses that are attended by more students. Keep in mind that the more students that take a specific course, the cheaper the textbooks are. This can significantly reduce the cost of books for one entire year of college down to $500.
Average Cost for Four Years
College students should expect to pay between $2,000 and $4,000 for textbooks over the course of 4 years. These costs vary so widely based upon the types of studies available. Medical students and law students typically pay more for their textbooks given the type of career path they are choosing so the $4,000 range is appropriate here. This also leaves room for changed majors, dropped and added classes, and smaller books required for the classroom studies.
Course Selection
The reason that book costs are so varied for college students is that each student has a different set of courses. Each course is a different difficulty level and a specific area of study such as science, medicine or law, simply cost more to compile.
Finding Discounted Textbooks
College students with limited or no financial aid can find cheap or discounted textbooks online, at resale shops and by posting wanted ads in online for sale websites. Websites such as Amazon and eBay also have listings for these books available closer to the start of the school year. Although rare, in the United States, using the Freecycle network may land a college student an expensive textbook for no charge.
College tuition and boarding costs are high enough. Do some research and find discounted textbooks to help financial aid funds stretch further. Unexpected costs do come up for special projects and additional reading assignments where funds are also needed. Consider using a website that provides a way to compare book prices before you make a purchase. These sources scan thousands of resources to find every book of a specific title that is for sale. As a college student, you have to be diligent in spending funds wisely, especially if you are dependent upon a student loan, financial aid or your parents for financial support.