Financial Assistance for Students: BooksRun's 2024 Scholarship Program

Educational Textbooks Are Too Expensive

College textbooks are expensive, which is a major concern about the affordability of college education. The prices of textbooks have increased hugely over the last couple of decades and have even gone beyond the general inflation level.

A study conducted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office pointed out that the price of textbooks for college students rose by a massive 82% between 2002 and 2012. At the same time, household incomes and wages have stagnated or slightly dropped, thus making textbooks less affordable.

We are going to discuss some of the reasons why textbooks are so expensive. Various publishing companies bring out new editions every now and then, and very often, new editions are published with little or no changes to the content! Hence, used editions are dismissed rather quickly as outdated.

Another way to increase costs is to offer textbooks together with other learning platforms or access codes. Margins on textbooks are also much higher—about 40% compared to the usual 20-30% margins on most consumer goods. In conclusion, the textbook publishing industry is in a bipolar market with little competition to bring the cost down.

With textbook costs hovering between hundreds and a couple of thousands of dollars each year, students are experiencing a lot of financial stress and are looking for ways to reduce these costs. In some cases, students do not buy the recommended books or buy cheap-used editions where possible.

Another idea is purchasing textbooks used or renting them instead of buying new ones, which is much cheaper. However, availability is limited. Etextbooks also help, but they are still just slightly cheaper than printed ones and only account for a small percentage.

Free online textbooks and other reading materials that are available under the concept of OER benefit students most in terms of cost, but instructors hardly want to adopt new sources apart from regular textbooks.

Although the faculty prefers textbooks from established publishers, students require cheaper variants regarding depth and variety. This conflict remains between the quality of knowledge and teaching materials on the one hand and the costs of textbooks on the other.

But Scholarships Also Exist

Some examples of private company scholarships that can help pay for textbooks include:

Coca-Cola Scholars Program—This scholarship is aimed at students pursuing college education to pay for their textbooks. It is possible to apply for a grant of a total sum of $20,000.

GE Foundation Scholarship—GE offers several college scholarships to deserving students and potential future leaders/innovators. The scholarships are worth $5,000–$4,0000, and the money can be spent on textbooks.

Target All-Around Scholarship—Target provides college scholarships that may be as high as $10,000; these funds can be used to pay for books and other school necessities in addition to general living expenses while the beneficiary is in college.

Chevron Fuel Your Future Scholarship—This Chevron program offers scholarships of $1,000-$5,000 to increase funding for textbooks and other qualified expenses.

Walmart Associate Scholarship—Company employees who want to pursue a college degree will get financial support ranging from $1,500–$3,500 per year for textbook requirements needed in class.

BooksRun Scholarship

The BooksRun Scholarship is for undergraduate, postgraduate, or doctoral students at any accredited college or university. It provides a substantial sum of cash annually to assist with tuition fees, books, and other educational needs.

Available to students from different fields of study, the scholarship proves that BooksRun is an open and friendly platform for learners of all sorts.

Application Requirements

To apply for the BooksRun Scholarship, you will need to meet the following requirements:

Enrollment Status: Candidates should be enrolled in an accredited college or university. This helps guarantee that the scholarship reaches the intended successful individuals in school.

Academic Standing: BooksRun requires a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75. This criterion helps ensure that the scholarship is only given to deserving students who show great commitment to their studies.

Application Requirements: Either an essay or a short video, depending on the year. In 2024, applicants are required to send a video with answers to a few short questions. The topic of the essay usually has something to do with education, growth, or impact on society.

Citizenship: The BooksRun scholarship is not restricted to citizens or permanent residents of specific countries or nations only, but it’s required that the applying students are enrolled in a US college or university.

Terms and Conditions

Specific conditions are required to be followed by the applicants of the BooksRun Scholarship. Such terms prevent favoritism and bias in the disbursement of the scholarship funds and in the choice of the deserving beneficiaries. Key terms and conditions include:

1. Application Deadline: Any application is to be filed before the stipulated date without any exception. Often, submissions that are made after the due date are not given any consideration, thus stressing how crucial early submission is. The application deadline for the BooksRun scholarship in 2024 is September 30, 2024.
2. Submission Format: BookRun requires that applications be made using the right format prescribed for this purpose. This may include using an online submission through a provided website or email submission. The application deadline for the BooksRun scholarship in 2024 should be made by email.
3. Award Disbursement: Scholarship funds are usually disbursed to the recipient’s school of learning or as directed. This helps guarantee that the monetary amount is used for the right purpose, such as to pay tuition fees, books, other learning materials, etc. BooksRun reserves the right to decide how to disburse the award individually in each case.
4. Verification: BooksRun may requestthe student to undergo a verification process of enrollment and performance. The applicants may be required to produce official transcripts or enrollment verification letters. This verification process filters the students so that only qualified students get the scholarship.
5. Non-Transferable: The scholarship award cannot be transferred. It cannot be sold to another student or used in any way other than as provided by the terms of the scholarship.
6. Publicity: Scholarships come with strings that, if taken, mean that the recipient’s application material (e.g., an essay or a video) may be used in advertisements, promos, etc. BooksRun discloses in their digital rights agreement that this information can use for advertisements and other campaigns. Such activities assist in marketing the scholarship program and bringing out its worth in the students' lives.
7. Renewability: There are one-time scholarships and renewable ones. If renewable, the recipients have to keep fulfilling the necessary conditions for eligibility and demonstrate satisfactory progress. BooksRun offers a one-time award in 2024 and encourages students to participate.

Final Thoughts

Efforts will have to be made, and adjustments will have to be sought to lessen the high costs of purchasing textbooks. For now, students only attempt a desperate scenario of using a combination of approaches to cut costs and save money as much as possible to survive financially through their educational processes. Luckily, there are financial aid options that might not be an ultimat solution but at least help cover some textbook costs.