When you attend online school, you may be surprised at one way you may save quite a bit of money – college textbooks. Since hardcover textbooks sell for hundreds of dollars and professors very rarely cover the entire text (or even half, in some instances), many online courses are making use of a convenient and inexpensive alternative, the e-book.
The cost of textbooks has risen dramatically over the last 20 years. In fact, they outpaced inflation twice over, according to a report released by the U.S. government. Another report conducted in California in 2008 found that at community colleges nearly 60 percent of student’s total education costs went to buying textbooks.
That is why many educators and colleges are turning to e-textbooks. E-books are publications that are available online through specialized publishers. At online colleges, some are also created by the college or even the instructor of the course.
Besides being a huge money-saver, e-books are also good for the environment. When it is time for a new edition, there is no need to reprint them. They also do not lose their value once they are all marked up with highlighter.
Another added bonus of using e-books is the search function. No more flipping through pages trying to find the answer to an assignment. Just type in a related word, hit enter, and the computer will scan the book for you in seconds – no more paper-cuts!
August 2, 2010
E-books sound like a great way to save on college expenses. What kind of courses offer them?
August 2, 2010
If it’ll save me money, I’m all for e-books! More schools should implement them.
August 2, 2010
Are the e-books provided or do you still need to purchase them?
August 3, 2010
Sounds pretty convenient. Paying for textbooks is the worst!
August 4, 2010
Is it true that online courses are just cheaper overall?
August 4, 2010
This is amazing, students will be saving so much money with E-books! I can’t even say how much money I have spent on textbooks that we hardly even used!
August 5, 2010
What a great idea. Are all of the textbooks available online?
August 7, 2010
I have been wondering when text book would be available online. Now instead of paying 150.00 for a book that I use very little, and then selling it for 12.00, I can save that money!
August 15, 2010
Does anyone know if the e-books will be completely free or just less expensive than regular ones?
August 16, 2010
Hopefully this kind of thing will catch on and we won’t have to pay for textbooks again!
August 26, 2010
pretty soon we won’t even have to leave our houses anymore!
September 1, 2010
E books are such a great idea. I find it much easier to study from a computer than with a book anyway.
September 2, 2010
It’s 2010, 20 years ago people would have sworn that all books would be digital by now xD
September 3, 2010
E-books are just more convenient since you can fit many within one reader. That way you don’t have to carry a backpack full of textbooks. Does anyone know the price difference between the actual hard copy and the digital book?
September 5, 2010
I can’t wait until I’m issued my first e-book!
September 7, 2010
Interesting, seems like we’re past due for our e-books!
October 14, 2010
Hi Cory, E-textbooks can cost up to 50% less than traditional textbooks and often have multiple resources that come with it.
October 14, 2010
Hi Matt, e-books can cost up to 50% less than actual hard copies. In some cases, online university tuition even includes the costs of e-textbooks.
October 18, 2010
This is really great news! I really think online school is such a good idea and this is another.
October 19, 2010
This is a big factor for me when choosing online classes. Is there a way to tell which courses are using e-books before you sign up?
December 11, 2010
In my first semester of college last year my books, if I got all of them from the college bookstore, would have cost me over a thousand dollars! That’s just ridiculous! I’d kill to have all my classes use E-Books and its great to know that at least some one some where isn’t getting screwed over with high book prices. Do you guys have a list of colleges that use E-Books? I’d might consider transferring, haha.
January 20, 2011
Hey Trina. While the majority of online courses use eBooks, there is no way to really find out if the course uses one or not. You could always try emailing the professor prior to signing up to find out what books they intend to use.