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Back to Education Freebies
Freebies for College and Graduate Students
College is a particularly good time to try some of the freebie strategies listed on ActuallyFree.info since it was created by a college student. This page picks a few of the common expenses for college and graduate students and briefly reviews what many other pages of this site explain in detail. Each related topic may also have a few external links which offer more information. For those students that are starting a family see also Family Freebies. There are similar pages for High School and Elementary School students.
Free Money for College
Free Textbooks - See if your school library has a copy of your textbook. You'll have to strategically plan your study schedule during library hours since they sometimes only offer textbooks on reserve, but this might be better for your night life anyway.
- You may be able to find a local public library with your textbook
- Find friends in your major or minor who have already taken the classes and ask if you can borrow their book. You might plan to buy books for some classes and have a friend buy for others and then share with each other.
- Ask your professor if you can use an older edition of the text book. If
you can use an older edition without compromising your grade then it
will be easier to find text books for free or as little as a few dollars
on eBay, online bookstores, and classified ads. You may also be able to check out the older edition from the library instead of having to read it on reserve.
- Another economic option, which is not actually free, is to rent your textbooks. Rental resources can be found at Education Freebies Online.
- See also Free Ebooks Online: Textbooks and Free Ebook Downloads: Textbooks.
Free Books - There are many ways to get free books. The strategies listed here are for getting books that aren't necessarily textbooks and that may be required reading for some classes.
- The School Library
- Local Public Library
- Digital Libraries - You may find your school library and local library don't have a hard copy of the book, however they may have online digital libraries where you can "check out" the book. These online libraries usually require a free software download and then you can download the book file with a time limit. These types of files expire at around 15-30 days.
- If the book is in the public domain (i.e. the copyright is expired) then you can find it for free download at Google Books, Gutenburg.org and a number of other places online.
- See also Free Ebooks Online and Free Ebook Downloads.
- Other related pages include Book Scouting, Classifieds, Sites Like Freecycle, Trade & Barter, and any other strategy listed on this site that you might get lucky with.
Free Computer - Most schools offer free computer access in the library and multiple computer labs on campus. It is possible to get by using only these computers. However, you must be very strategic in planning your studying. Once the library and computer labs are closed, you won't be able to do any "last minute" editing or printing of an essay due the next day.
- One of the best ways to get a free computer, and learn about computers, is to volunteer for a non-profit computer repair, refurbishing and redistribution organization. These non-profits will usually teach you how to build and repair computers and after a certain number of volunteer hours, they'll give you a computer for free.
- See also Free Computer
- Some schools offer free printing, some don't. Again if you rely on the school resources, you run the risk of not being able to do any last minute fixes at 3 am when you realized the project was due the next day. You may be able to get your own free printer from the same resources where you get a free computer, but even if you can't, a low end printer is not usually expensive. However, the paper and ink refills can be.
Free Internet Access - Internet access is essential. It is one of the best sources of freebies and it provides information at the speed college students need.
- Any place on campus where the school has an open computer should offer free internet access.
- The school and places in the community should also have Wifi.
- See also Free Internet.
Free Software - See the Free Software Directory.
- See also Actually Free Software.
- As a student, you can buy commercial software for a discount. This is not actually free, but the discounts are usually very substantial. Some discounts could be as much as $400 or more depending on the software package. Your school bookstore may have student-pricing contracts with companies such as Microsoft, Apple and Adobe. Websites like JourneyEd.com also offer discounts for students.
Free Housing - Get a job as a resident assistant (RA) and basically become an apartment manger in student dorms.
- Get
a job as a live-in nanny or care giver. This is another flexible way to
cover housing and still have time to study. Some of these jobs only
require that you be on call in case of emergencies. However, others are
a little more involved. This is an excellent free housing option for students who want to go into health care.
- See also Free Housing.
Free Food - Go to all the club meetings, church activities and community events for free food.
- Start or join a dinner group. You cook dinner
for one night for a group of people and then you get several nights of dinner for free, all different
meals. And you can make friends in the process. (Not actually free, but still a lot of fun and its cheaper).
- See also Free Food.
Free Transportation - Many schools offer free bus passes or free local transportation to students.
- See also Free Transportation.
Free Clothes - See Free Clothes.
- See Free Samples & Gifts: Free Clothes.
- Become a human billboard. When you offer advertising space on your clothing you can get free clothing and get paid to wear it. Opportunities as a human billboard, or brand ambassador, are more abundant for college students because a college campus is a very concentrated place for a very specific demographic.
- If you know how to sew, you can basically get any material you want for free and change into the style that you want. Check the donation dock of thrift stores very early in the morning before they open. If people leave donations at the dock after hours then the store hasn't claimed them yet.
- Other pages that are particularly helpful in getting free clothes are Classified Ads, Sites like Freecycle, and Trade & Barter.
Free Furniture Search your state and local government websites for furniture recycling programs. Contact
apartment complex managers at the end of every semester to see if they
have some move-out left-overs. You can also search near the dumpsters at
the end of every semester and you might be surprised what you find.
I've seen desks, tables, chairs, TVs, DVD players, VCRs, and lots of
other stuff. People can't always pay to move their stuff so they leave
it behind. - Free furniture is a common offering on Classified Ad websites. Sometimes they seem to be "broken in" just right for a college dorm or frat house.
Free School Supplies
Free Entertainment
The Library
- The library is one of the #1 resources for freebies in and out of colleges. At the library you can get free book rentals, free movie rentals, free music rentals, free movie viewings, free classes and other workshops, free community events, free admission to local parks and museums, free use of magazines and newspapers, and internet access and possibly even more freebies depending on the library. The library offers free entertainment and free education and the only thing you have to provide is a school ID for the school library or proof of residence for the public library.
College at $11 a day! Not actually free but still very relevant to students on a budget.
Unfortunately the website in the video is no longer in service.
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