Course Affordability

Welcome! This guide is intended for University of Illinois students who are looking for ways to access their required course materials affordably.

Textbooks and other course material prices can place a significant financial burden on students. Students who choose not to acquire course materials due to price miss out on important class content that may impact academic success. The Library has created this guide to help relieve the financial pressure that purchasing course materials can have on students. In this guide we cover finding books, finding articles, course reserves, reduced-cost materials, open educational resources, additional resources at UIUC, and additional resources outside UIUC. We also include a page for instructors with tips on making courses more affordable.

Looking for something other than a textbook or article? The library has loanable tech that you can access for free with your i-card, including laptops, tablets, cameras, calculators, cables, gaming consoles, and more!

If you have any questions, please Ask a Librarian.

This guide has the following sections:

• Finding Books
• Finding Articles
• Course Reserves
• Reduced-Cost Materials
• Open Educational Resources (OER)
• Additional Resources at UIUC
• Additional Resources Outside UIUC
• For Instructors 

Use this flowchart to discover where to go for the information you need!

Finding Affordable Course Materials Flowchart Description: The flowchart begins with a box with the text "Start Here" with an arrow leading to a box that asks "Are you looking for affordable course materials?" This box has two protruding arrows. The arrow with "No" written above it directs to the box that states "Check out other guides for library needs unrelated to course affordability, or Ask a Librarian!" The arrow with "Yes" written next to it directs to the box that asks "Are you a student or an instructor?" This box has two protruding arrows. The arrow with "Instructor" written above it directs to the box that states "Go to our page For Instructors!" The arrow with "Student" written next to it directs to a box that asks "What types of course materials are you looking for?" This box has three protruding arrows. The arrow with "Other Course Resources" written above it directs to the box that states "Go to our pages on Additional Resources at UIUC and Additional Resources Outside of UIUC!" The other two arrows are "Articles" and "Books." The arrow with "Articles" next to it directs to the box that states "Go to our page on Finding Articles! Have you found what you are looking for?" This box has two protruding arrows. The arrow with "Yes" written next to it directs to the box that states "Glad we could help!" The arrow with "No" written next to it directs to the box that states "Check out our pages on Course Reserves, Open Educational Resources, and Additional Resources. Have you found what you are looking for?" The arrow with "Books" next to it directs to the box that states "Go to our page on Finding Books! Have you found what you are looking for?" This box has two protruding arrows. The arrow with "Yes" written next to it directs to the box that states "Glad we could help!" The arrow with "No" written next to it directs to the box that states "Check out our pages on Course Reserves, Open Educational Resources, and Additional Resources. Have you found what you are looking for?" This box has two protruding arrows. The arrow with "Yes" written next to it directs to the box that states "Glad we could help!" The arrow with "No" written next to it directs to the box that states "If you have been unable to find your book or article using the free methods explained in the pages above, you can check out our page on Reduced Cost Materials."