Studying Graduate School Textbooks: How Much to Budget?

  • Thread starter Thread starter bh258
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Textbooks
AI Thread Summary
Graduate textbook costs can vary significantly, with some students estimating around $1,000 for ten classes at $100 per textbook. However, experiences differ widely; some students report spending as little as $140 for six classes, primarily by utilizing library resources or purchasing used or international editions. The discussion highlights that many students opt to borrow textbooks from libraries to avoid costs entirely, while others may resort to scanning books, despite the legality concerns. Overall, textbook expenses in graduate school can range from minimal to substantial, depending on individual choices and institutional practices.
bh258
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
how much are graduate textbooks

how much money did textbooks cost you in graduate school? Just in general I am not interested in an exact amount just in the general amount I would have to pay for each of them or all together, and I know each school requires different material.
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
Let me estimate 10 classes for an MS, each one requiring a textbook that costs $100 on average. $1K give or take? (Probably a little more than that, actually.)
 
10 classes for an MS? Plus you can always scam the textbooks from the library on the first day and not pay a cent.
 
TMFKAN64 said:
Let me estimate 10 classes for an MS, each one requiring a textbook that costs $100 on average. $1K give or take? (Probably a little more than that, actually.)

You sir, are out of your mind. I've been in grad school for almost an entire year now (six classes) and have spent a total of about $140 I think. All brand new, all hardcover. One of the books wasn't even for a class I was taking but just in a subject I wanted to know more about.
 
Topher925 said:
You sir, are out of your mind. I've been in grad school for almost an entire year now (six classes) and have spent a total of about $140 I think. All brand new, all hardcover. One of the books wasn't even for a class I was taking but just in a subject I wanted to know more about.

I've spent $120 or so on 2 classes for 2 books so far :( New, one hardcover (the expensive one).
 
maverick_starstrider said:
10 classes for an MS? Plus you can always scam the textbooks from the library on the first day and not pay a cent.

10 classes for an MS. At least where I went.

I like to keep my books though... admittedly, I could have shopped around and bought international editions for many classes for much less.

But yeah, out of my mind or not, about $1K.
 
Two words: term loans.
 
10 classes for an MS? Plus you can always scam the textbooks from the library on the first day and not pay a cent.
That's pretty much what the majority of students do here (Argentina). Not only physics students, I mean university students in general.
"We" scan books borrowed from the library so that we pay approximately 5 or 6 dollars a book of say 600 or 700 pages. Of course it's illegal and you shouldn't do this! An alternative of not spending that much money would be to spend a lot of your time in the University's library.
 

Similar threads

Replies
20
Views
2K
Replies
7
Views
2K
Replies
2
Views
2K
Replies
102
Views
5K
Replies
5
Views
2K
Replies
7
Views
1K
Back
Top