Do You Need Textbooks for Uni? A Student's Guide to Textbook Strategies in the UK

The short answer: probably not all of them

Reading lists are deliberately long. Lecturers list everything that might be useful, not what you must own. For most modules you'll genuinely need one or two core texts and can get everything else from the library or skip it entirely. Buying every book on the list is the single most common way students waste money in first year.

Here's how to work out what you actually need — and how to get those books for a fraction of the retail price.

Step 1: Work out what you actually need

Before spending a penny:

• Split the list into "core" and "recommended." Core (or "essential") texts are the ones you'll use week after week. Recommended reading is optional — borrow it if you need it.
• Read the module handbook. It usually says explicitly which book is required and which chapters matter.
• Wait for the first lecture or two. Lecturers often tell you whether you really need the book, which edition is fine, and which chapters they'll actually teach from.
• Ask second-years and course reps. They know which "essential" texts barely got opened.

A book is worth buying if it's a core text you'll reference all year. Everything else, lean towards borrowing.

Step 2: Use what your university already pays for

Your tuition already buys you a lot of free access — use it before buying anything:

• Library copies and short-loan collections keep high-demand textbooks available for 24-hour or 3-day loans — ideal when you only need a chapter for an essay.
• E-books and databases. Universities spend millions on digital subscriptions. Search the library catalogue first; your core text may be a free e-book.
• Inter-library loans can order in anything your library doesn't hold, usually for free.

For each module, ask: do I need to own this, or just access it?

Step 3: Buy the core texts cheaply

For the books you do need to own, never pay full retail. Your cheapest options, roughly in order:

• Buy second-hand from other students — the best value, because you're buying from someone who just finished your exact course. UniBookTrade lets you search by ISBN, university, or subject.
• Older editions are usually 80–90% identical and a fraction of the price (check with your lecturer first if questions are set from specific page numbers).
• International editions can be far cheaper for the same content.
• Open Educational Resources (OERs) like OpenStax are free and legitimate for many introductory subjects.

For the full breakdown, see our guide to the cheapest way to buy university textbooks and our comparison of the best second-hand textbook websites.

Step 4: Share and split

If you're on the same course as friends or flatmates, you don't each need every book. Split the cost of supplementary texts and pass them around — especially for books you only need for a few weeks.

Step 5: Sell them when you're done

The cheapest textbook is one you recover most of your money on. Buy a used copy for £15, sell it for £12 at the end of term, and your net cost was £3. When you're finished, sell your old textbooks for free to the next cohort — or, if some aren't worth selling, see what to do with old university textbooks.

The bottom line

You don't need to buy everything — you need to buy the right things and get them cheaply. Triage your reading list into core vs recommended, lean on the library for the rest, buy your core texts second-hand, and resell at the end of the year. Do that and you can realistically cut your annual textbook spend from £400+ to under £100.

Browse second-hand textbooks from other students →