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10 Best Resources for Free College Textbooks in 2023

Free college textbooks are the need of the hour. The consistently increasing textbook costs have amplified the financial burden of students driving them to work overtime to buy course books and supplies. Many students have to borrow money to meet their educational expenses while some others skip buying pricey textbooks putting their degrees and career at risk. We cannot ignore the contribution of college libraries in providing free access to college textbooks including traditional books, eBooks, and Open Education Resources. However, the students who don’t have access to these libraries are still looking for free resources for learning. To get them through it, we have compiled here the 10 best resources for books. So, without mincing words, let’s overview the best websites to find free college textbooks.

When to Get College Textbooks

A student should buy textbooks before the start of their academic semester or year. This will allow them to be fully prepared for their coursework and ensure that they have all the necessary materials to succeed in their classes. In some cases, professors may not require students to purchase all of their textbooks right away, and may instead provide a list of required readings as the semester progresses. In these cases, students should still try to obtain the necessary materials as soon as possible to avoid falling behind in their studies.

How to Get Free College Textbooks

Visit these websites to get free textbooks for students and find the needed book by name, author, or ISBN. Place an order to get delivery of the paper books or download the PDFs if you prefer digital books. There is no complicated or timely process and you can get your needed books in no time.

#1. SolutionInn

SolutionInn is an online learning website that has been serving students since 2009. The website provides homework help and textbook solutions to help students better understand concepts and solve complex mathematics and financial problems. Additionally, it provides free textbooks for high school and college students letting them get one free hard-copy book in their academic year. There is no other resource available online that provides free hard-copy textbooks except SolutionInn. So, if you want to get study help or a free textbook, you can sign up for the website to deep dive into the website services.

#2. Project Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg is one the best resources for free college textbooks online. It is a volunteer-driven effort to digitize and archive cultural works, including books, music, and other materials. The website offers over 60,000 free e-books, which are mostly older works that are in the public domain. These books are available in a variety of formats, including ePub, Kindle, and plain text, and they can be downloaded for free.

#3. Internet Archive

Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library that offers access to millions of free books, movies, music, and other materials. The site offers a mix of public domain and copyrighted works, and many books are available for free download. The site also offers a feature that allows users to borrow e-books for a limited period, similar to a traditional library lending program.

#4. Wikibooks

Wikibooks is a wiki-based platform that allows users to create and edit textbooks. The site offers a collection of free textbooks on a wide range of topics, and anyone can contribute to the site. The textbooks are licensed under a Creative Commons license, which means they can be freely used, shared, and adapted.

#5. Google Books

Google Books is a digital library that offers access to millions of books, including both copyrighted and public domain works. Users can search the database and preview books, and some books are available for free download. Google Books also offers a feature that allows users to search the text of books for specific keywords or phrases.

#6. Open Textbook Library

If you are looking for free PDFs for college textbooks, Open Textbook Library is a great platform for that. It is a collection of free, peer-reviewed textbooks that are available to anyone. These textbooks cover a wide range of subjects, from accounting to zoology, and they are created and reviewed by faculty members. The textbooks are licensed under a Creative Commons license, which means they can be freely used, shared, and adapted.

#7. OpenStax

OpenStax is a non-profit organization that offers free, peer-reviewed textbooks for college and high school courses. These textbooks are available in a variety of formats, including online, PDF, and print-on-demand. The textbooks are created and reviewed by experts in the field, and they are designed to be high-quality and up-to-date.

#8. Library Genesis

Library Genesis is a search engine that provides access to millions of free books, including academic and scientific works. Many of these books are copyrighted and may not be available legally, so the site operates in a legal grey area. The site is frequently shut down by authorities, but it often resurfaces with a new domain name.

#9. Bookboon

Bookboon is a digital publisher that offers free textbooks and business e-books. These books are available for download in PDF format, and they are funded by advertising. The textbooks cover a wide range of subjects, including engineering, IT, and economics.

#10. Libretexts

Libretexts is a platform that offers open educational resources, including textbooks and other educational materials. These resources are peer-reviewed and cover a wide range of subjects, from biology to sociology. The resources are licensed under a Creative Commons license, which means they can be freely used, shared, and adapted.

Hope this article would help you get free academic and reading material. We recommend checking out these sites for free reads before buying a high-priced textbook.  

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Rabia Kanwal

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