Semester 2 Textbooks: What to Buy, Borrow and Skip (UK)

Semester 2 brings a new set of modules and a new reading list, usually just after Christmas. Many UK universities start their second semester in January: the University of Edinburgh on 11 January 2027, Coventry University on 18 January 2027 for semester-based courses, and the University of Southampton on 25 January 2027. Check your own university's academic calendar, because dates vary.

The good news: you rarely need to buy everything. This guide covers what is worth buying, what to borrow and what to skip.

Got your list already? Paste it into the Reading List Checker to see which editions are available second-hand and request alerts for the rest.

The quick version

Step 1: Find the current reading list

Start with your module's official reading list, usually linked from your VLE (Moodle, Blackboard, Canvas) or the library website. Don't work from an older year's list or a coursemate's photo of one. Reading lists change, and the edition can change with them.

Look for how each book is labelled. Many lists mark titles as essential, core, recommended or further reading. Only the first group is a strong reason to buy.

If your new modules haven't published a list yet, it is worth checking again in early January rather than guessing.

Step 2: Decide what to buy

A book is worth owning if at least one of these is true:

• You will use it most weeks. Lecture slides reference it, seminar prep comes from it, or problem sets are set from it.
• An exam is open-book. You will need your own copy, and often a specific edition.
• It carries on into next year. Some core texts cover two or three modules, so one copy does a lot of work.
• The library has too few copies. If there are three print copies for a module of 200, you will struggle to get one in week 8.

For anything that ticks a box, buying used is usually the cheapest way to own it. The textbook savings calculator estimates how much you could save by buying your list second-hand instead of new.

Step 3: Decide what to borrow

Before paying for anything, check the library catalogue for:

• E-book access. Many core texts are licensed as e-books for every student on the course. If yours is, you may not need a print copy at all.
• Short-loan or reserve copies. Popular books are often kept on a few hours' or one day's loan so more students can use them.
• Digitised chapters. Some reading lists link straight to a scanned chapter, so you don't need the whole book.

Home for the holidays or studying away from campus? The SCONUL Access scheme lets students use many other UK and Irish university libraries. What you can do there, and whether you can borrow, depends on your type of study, so check your category before you travel.

Step 4: Decide what to skip

It is fine to skip:

• Further reading you have no plan to read. Lecturers list it so you can go deeper, not because everyone must buy it.
• A second textbook covering the same ground. If two books on the list do the same job, pick one.
• Workbooks and study guides nobody on your course uses. Ask a student in the year above if they actually opened it.

When in doubt, wait until week 1 or 2. Lecturers often say which book they follow most closely, and buying after that is safer than buying blind.

Step 5: Match the right edition

If you buy, match the ISBN, not just the title and cover. A different edition can renumber chapters and change the exercises. Our ISBN and edition checklist walks through what to look for, including access codes, which are often single-use and won't come with a used copy.

Older editions can be fine for some theory-heavy modules. If you plan to use one, ask your module leader first, especially if problems or page references are set from the current edition.

Sell last semester's books at the same time

The students starting your old modules in January are looking for the books you have just finished with. If you won't need them again:

1. Check what they are worth. Use the free value checker for one ISBN, or Sell My Shelf for up to 30 at once.
2. See what students want. The most wanted books list shows the titles people are searching for.
3. List them for free. On UniBookTrade you set the price and keep 100% of it when it sells.

Keep anything that builds into a semester 2 module or that you need for summer exams. Selling a book you need again in May only to rebuy it is a false economy.

A simple semester 2 checklist

1. Open each new module's reading list and note the essential titles.
2. Check the library for e-book or short-loan access.
3. Buy used copies of the core texts you will use every week.
4. Match the ISBN and check for access codes.
5. Sell last semester's books you won't need again.

Want to see whether your marks this year are on track? Try the degree classification calculator. And if you are starting university in January rather than returning, see our January start textbook guide.