Uni and work and textbooks galore!

So you’ve all heard about the sky-high cost of attending university, whether it be through experience, word of mouth or the rally’s preventing the government from deregulating university fees to make them even higher. You may perhaps be thinking that it will not be so bad; after all you can just put it on HECS, to pay it off later in life.

In fact, much of the fees you will need to pay at university can be placed on the HECS-help scheme, so long as you fit the eligibility criteria found here.

A large cost that is often forgotten about, however, comes from the purchase of mandatory textbooks that often cost upwards of $100 each. A full time student will, therefore, often have to pay $400-$500 every semester, a huge amount especially for university students with a part time job!

But never fear, there are many ways to keep reduce the amount you will need to pay on textbooks, keeping it manageable for you!

1. Buy second hand – There are a many avenues through which you can find and purchase second hand copies of your compulsory texts. Most universities have a textbook exchange group established on Facebook, through which you can post your books for sale, and purchase off others. Websites such as StudentVIP also allow you to connect with sellers, to buy and sell textbooks directly from them either in person, or through an Australia post service.
2. Use the library – Students often do not take full advantage of the library facilities available to them, especially for borrowing compulsory texts. Whilst many books are used heavily throughout the duration of the course, some textbooks will be used sparingly. Therefore it may not be worth purchasing these! Borrowing these books from the library is a cheap and easy alternative that can save you plenty.
3. Remember to sell – whether you’ve bought second hand or new, selling these textbooks back at the end of semester is something that many forget or are simply too lazy to do! Remember to do this and put some extra money in your pocket to do it all again next semester

 

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