Where can you find the cheapest college textbooks online? With education costs on the rise, college students are seeking ways to save money wherever possible. However, a person can only eat so much ramen soup or mac and cheese. Enter the online textbook marketplace.
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Industry giant Pearson offers selected eTextbooks and a subscription-based digital study program. Since 1844, this British multi-national company has been part of the education industry, providing courseware and other digital options for today's learners.
Only eTextbooks available here
Some students prefer hardcovers or paperbacks for textbooks, but that's not an option at Pearson. Instead, you'll find access to over 2,000 digital texts. You can choose to rent them for six months or have lifetime access. Rental books are available instantly and students will have the digital tools to search, highlight, and take notes in them. The eTextbooks also have customizable flashcards and audiobook options to help all types of learners. If you need your rental text for longer than the allotted time, you can extend access and be charged a fixed monthly amount until canceled.
Study tools offered via subscription
Offering to get students "exam ready" and help them "actually understand" their courses, Pearson+ is an optional subscription service which includes Study Prep, an unlimited access video program that offers explanations, solutions, and practice problems in over 20 subjects, including biology, business, chemistry, health sciences, math, physics, and social sciences. Users can upload their class syllabus and receive videos personalized to their course. Tutors explain solutions, and interactive AI videos and summaries are a bonus feature for some titles. Additionally, users have access to a social community to gain deeper understanding about class lessons. Study Prep can be used even with a non-Pearson textbook if desired.
Try out subscription features
Before you decide if you want Pearson+, there is a place to try out their AI tutor tool with your own questions. You can also check out examples of their feedback from "subject matter experts" through sample videos. The service can be either bundled with your eTextbook or purchased later. It will be billed monthly until it is canceled, so be sure to cancel it when you're done with the classes you need it for. The Pearson+ subscription is an additional $6 per month when bundled.
Payment options
For rental eTextbooks on Pearson, you can choose to pay in monthly installments or an upfront payment (there's no discount for paying upfront). The textbook we have used for an apples-to-apples comparison across the retailers we evaluated costs $59.94 at Pearson to rent for six months or $84.94 to purchase for lifetime access. (This cost is the same average cost across online retailers.) The benefits of "lifetime access" includes full internet and app access to the eTextbook for five years. If you want it beyond that, you'll need to download the title, and the license is non-transferable. While it's nice to be able to rent a digital textbook to save money, if you need it for more than six months, it's probably better to just purchase it so you don't end up paying more than the cost of the text.
Changes from previous reviews
The last time we looked at Pearson+, the rental terms were only four months, but now they are six months, and customizing loan time is not an option. Additionally, you don't have access to all of the textbooks with one subscription fee; it's a pay-per-book cost.
Returns not accepted - or are they?
Pearson previously offered a 14-day refund guarantee, and some listings still mention this. However, the FAQs clearly state that this is no longer an option. Then again, further along in the FAQs it also states that purchased eTextbooks may be refunded within the first 14 days, so there is definitely conflicting information here. Bottom line: if you think you may want to return your book, ask before buying it to get clarification on the policy.
App for on-the-go
The Pearson+ app is available for study help at home and on the go for both iOS and Android users. While highly rated (4.7 on both Apple Store and Google Play), some users find it to be extremely frustrating when it comes to audiobook controls and trying to see diagrams in the eTextbook. One complained of the difficulty switching between reading on the web browser and app, noting he experienced many issues when he did. Others ranted about the robotic AI-voice and deemed it unusable for math or science classes.
Customers warn you to stay away
Pearson Education is not accredited by the BBB and has received a dismal "F" rating for failure to respond to complaints. People reported unexpected charges for Pearson+ and frustration with not having a shorter rental term, though a majority of the complaints we saw were regarding the company's testing services. Across online review platforms, they don't fare much better. Out of over 500 reviews, the company has a terrible 1.9 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot. Other sites list them at 1 star or 3.6 stars, though those only have about 50 reviews on each. Unsatisfied customers rant that they are "trapped" paying for a six-month rental, have a "garbage" user interface, and wasted time with "horrible" customer service. One person wrote, "hate is not a strong enough word for how this website boils my blood," noting the technical difficulty in accessing Pearson's website for the eTextbooks and homework assignments. We recommend staying far away as a result of these warnings.
Get your eTextbooks elsewhere
While it seems like the Pearson+ membership provides an added benefit to the eTextbooks at Pearson, complaints from students give us plenty of reason to hesitate. With the same prices you'll find on our top-ranked college textbook retailers, there's simply no compelling reason to use Pearson.
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With education costs on the rise, college students are seeking ways to save money wherever possible. However, a person can only eat so much ramen soup or mac and cheese. Enter the online textbook marketplace.
Instead of visiting the school's bookstore where books will cost the most, countless students are turning to online options to purchase their required textbooks prior to the start of class. These retailers provide unique money-saving options, such as rental titles, eTextbooks, and used books, often at significant savings for students across the country.
Not only can you save money by purchasing a used textbook, but you may even be able to slash costs with a rental text. When deciding between purchasing and renting textbooks, keep your end goal in mind: what will you be doing with the text while you have it and after you are finished using it? Those who don't need to reference a text for a future class may find that renting suits them just fine.
Some companies will even offer multiple rental time periods to meet students' needs. However, if you like to highlight, you should purchase a book, as many companies do not want you to write in their books (though some do permit a limited amount - be sure to read the rental agreement). However, if a book comes with CDs or access codes, your rental (or used textbook) likely won't include them.
Another option many textbook companies have started to offer is digital books or online access to materials. This can keep costs down and reduce landfill waste. But, some people read better from hard copies of books and would like a chance to recoup some of their textbook costs by reselling a used textbook, which isn't possible with digital options.
There are many factors to consider when comparing online retailers for college textbooks. Here are the top ones on our list:
To help save you time and money, we at Top Consumer Reviews have sifted through the most popular online textbook retailers. Check out our top choices, order your class materials, and get back to the business of learning.
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