• Used Textbooks: The most common alternative, usually available at the school bookstore or even at a general bookstore carrying academic texts.

• Rent Textbooks: An option offered for most textbooks from the school bookstore. Pay a fee to borrow a textbook for the duration of the semester and return it by the required date.

• Older Editions: A great option for courses based on material not subject to rapid change. New editions often simply contain minor changes in wording and content organization.

• E-Textbooks: Currently gaining much popularity as an alternative to their customary paper based predecessors. Dependent on the required digital devices for use.

• Use ISBN: Each textbook comes with an International Standard Book Number. This numerical code located on top of the bar-code can be used to specifically search for textbooks at bookstores.

These are several options that are commonly chosen in order to reduce spending on textbooks. The amounts saved from each alternative vary, as do the conditions of the purchased/rented materials. All of these options are available online, some sites that offer such services are listed under the “Buy/Sell/Rent” tab.