For transfer students, the costs of a four-year college are daunting: tuition, room and board...and textbooks.

According to the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), the average student can expect to spend $450 per semester on books alone.

If you have limited funds, you might find it difficult to buy all their required textbooks, which jeopardizes your abilithttps://publisher.snap9.com/contributor/ContributionLite.aspx?cid=1179255y to excel in college.

But with a little understanding of the college textbook process, you can save hundreds of dollars over your college career.

Skinnier book packages
On your first day of class, professors will list the titles of their required course books. One of the things you will immediately notice at the bookstore is that new books often come packaged with items such as study guides, workbooks and Web site access codes. Sometimes professors use these additional materials, but more often they are not even aware what is included in these packages. You have probably noticed this at your community college already.

Before buying a full-price textbook package, be sure your professor actually requires the additional materials.

Used books
With Internet-based activities becoming a larger part of class activities, new textbooks often include the access codes necessary to activate these sites. But did you know that you can purchase these access codes separately? That allows you to buy used books without the codes. Go to the publisher’s Web site, which is listed either on the inside front cover or on the back of the textbook, to purchase these stand-alone access codes.

Publishers have a planned policy to change text editions every couple of years. The purpose is to force students into buying new books. Usually, very little information is changed from edition to edition except the price. Ask your professor if a previous edition of the required text can be used. Previous editions of textbooks can often be purchased for less than half the price of a new edition.

Free books
Every publishing sales representative provides professors with free copies of textbooks. They do this so professors can exam their books before they order for their classes. Many instructors request several additional copies of the texts they selected for their class and place them in the department office or library for student use. Encourage your professors to take advantage of this free-copy service.

Buying and selling books online
Where you purchase your textbooks can mean the difference between paying full price and saving hundreds of dollars. The local college bookstore will stock new and used texts, but they are often more expensive than other alternatives.

Online bookstores sell most college textbook titles, both new and used, at substantial savings. Many of these online sites will also buy back your books at the end of the semester for much more than your college bookstore.

Foreign books
When searching for online booksellers, be aware that textbooks sold in the United States ...