San Diego State University’s Equitable Access textbook program costs students $19.75 per credit, but some opt for cheaper textbooks outside of this program.
One student who opted out is Kimberly Watkinson, leading her to search for textbooks on her own.
“I do it through my own means. I buy them on Chegg or Amazon, or sometimes I look for students who have the same class as me, and maybe they can sell me their books,” she said.
Some of her professors offer the class materials for free, through PDFs and other alternatives.
“There are some classes, mostly in childhood development, where we only look at articles and they are usually free and posted on Canvas. Or they use books that are from friends of them,” Watkinson said.
She added that collaborating with classmates is a good way to lower individual costs.
“I’ve had classes where I even share a book with another person to do the assignments because it’s so expensive that I cannot afford it,” Watkinson said.
While her textbook plans are constantly shifting and the costs are demanding, they haven’t had a bearing on her academic ambitions.
“I learn about how much the books cost when I am in the class because there’s some professors who post how much they are,” Watkinson said. “But I haven’t dropped out because I find my ways around and maybe share with another person, buy it somewhere else, or rent it.”
Kimberly’s story gathered by California Student Journalism Corps member Noah Lyons.