Free eBook Resources For College Students
Any student will tell you that one of the hardest parts of college, aside from reading, is getting the right books in the first place, and that’s what makes free ebook resources very valuable. You may think college students are overreacting; however, some books such as “Encyclopedia of International Media and Communications” cost as much as $1 200. A student with a tight budget might find it difficult to cope with such expenses. This article discusses 14 eBook resources you can take advantage of when looking for free books as a college student, whether you’re interested in books for academic work or relaxation.
Why Free eBooks Are a Good Option for Students
When in school, getting textbooks is among top priorities for students. However, this can easily affect the average student’s budget, as books can cost a lot. To offset the cost, some students decide to borrow books from libraries or rent them from a local bookstore. While these are all perfectly valid options, they still involve spending money. Another option is downloading free pdf text books. Not only can you save a lot of money this way, but it can also be very convenient, especially in cases where the books aren’t easily available in physical form.
14 of the Top eBook Resources for College Students
1. Bookboon
Bookboon is a wonderful website that provides free ebooks resources that cover various subjects such as Remote working, Digitalization, and IT – skills you might find useful and valuable these days. While the eBooks on the site are free, to access them, you would need to pay a monthly fee (depending on whether you need a professional eBook or not). After subscribing, you can access any of the eBooks on the site, whether online or offline, in PDF format. Students are more likely to find this website useful, as many ebooks there are free.
2. Open Textbooks Library
This website has different eBooks centered around Business, Engineering, Journalism, and much more. You can access the books online or download them in PDF format. Each book is free and can be accessed without having to sign up, making this site a great option to download free ebooks. All you have to do is type in the name of the book you’re interested in, and the search results should show related books, including your target one.
3. Internet Archive Books
This website is a free ebooks resource for books covering natural history, fiction, religion, etc. You can read and download free books in PDF format, while others can only be borrowed and read online. When looking for a particular book, there are filters you can apply to narrow down your search, such as publication year, language, as well as author.
4. Open Library
The Open Library website has a host of content ranging from heart pulsing Romance to college books for students and teachers alike. You can read many books for free, while others can only be borrowed (this requires you to sign-up). This website also has digitized copies of copyrighted books. A quick search on the website should let you find the book you want easily.
5. Project Gutenberg
This website contains a library of more than 60,000 eBooks which can either be read online or downloaded for offline use in PDF format. Each eBook is completely free and can be accessed without registration. You can search for a particular book by entering the author’s name, book title, or even the course materials it covers.
6. Libre Texts
With about 398 textbooks and more than 223 million students served, Libre Texts is one of the best websites to get free ebooks for free. Whether you’re interested in math, medicine, engineering, or even the workforce, there’s a book for you. You can choose to explore their libraries or simply search by typing the book’s title. You can choose to read it online or download it in PDF format.
7. OpenStax.org
This platform contains different books for students for a low fee (per semester) of $10, after paying you to get access to tons of eBooks. You can find books related to science, social sciences, as well as high school level books. If you’re looking for how to download free textbooks, simply browse their catalog or search for the book you want. The website also comes with two technologies geared towards improving students’ grades through studying.
8. Free-E-Books.net
Once you join for free on this website, you can download any 5 books of your choice per month. EBooks on this site cover subjects such as academics, classics, and much more. Once you find a book you like, you can either read it online or download it for offline use.
9. Manybook.net
This website has different books of different genres such as romance, history, even science fiction. A lot of the eBooks were received from the Project Gutenberg archives, so you should expect to see a lot of classics here as well. Each book is free and can either be downloaded in PDF format or read online. So if you’re looking to have some fun and relax, then this website will just be right for you.
10. Freeditorial
Freeditorial has eBooks covering subjects ranging from fantasy, fiction to comedy and entertainment. You can read the books in either Spanish or English. If you have a particular book in mind, you can search for it either by its literary genre, title, or author. Not only are the eBooks free, but you can also download free books in PDF format without having to register.
11. Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB)
DOAB is a great platform for students looking for where to download free college books for their college research. You can find books covering subjects such as geography, development studies, and much more. Each book is free and can be downloaded in PDF format. Also, you don’t need to sign up to enjoy any of DOAB’s services.
12. OAPEN
OAPEN is an online library and publication platform that provides free access to academic materials by working with publishers themselves. It’s entirely free without requiring you to sign up. After typing in the title of the book you want or exploring, you can easily read the eBook online or download it later.
13. Punctum Books
This platform provides access to many eBooks covering philosophy, thought experiments, and others. You have the option to either download the book of your choice for free or buy a physical print. While all the eBooks are free, you can choose to support the platform by subscribing for $10 a month or making a donation.
14. HathiTrust
This is a great website to find eBooks relating to academic and research work. Students can easily search by typing a book’s title or by browsing its immense catalog. Free users can download any free ebook of their choice, but only one page at a time. This is to encourage you to consider subscribing. If you’re looking for research material for your project, this site is for you.
In Conclusion
While the sites we have listed here are very good options, you may prefer to do your research, and that is fine. If you find yourself searching for free PDFs, you can Google them by typing the book’s title and checking out the links that come up. There are many safe websites to find free ebooks; however, some have viruses. To protect your data and your device, make sure to have an antivirus installed, and also make sure that when you click download, the file which is being downloaded matches the size and the format of the book listed on the site. Hopefully, the resources we provided will make your research faster, easier, and more fruitful!