If you’ve ever opened your campus bookstore receipt and quietly thought, I wish college textbooks were free — you are not alone! Between tuition, housing, and the mystery fees nobody understands, college can already feel expensive enough, and then the textbooks show up like uninvited guests.
That’s why we (the folks at Audileo) spend a lot of time finding and creating ways for students to learn without going broke. Whether you love listening to audiobooks, flipping through PDFs, or highlighting every other line, there are dozens of legit places to grab textbooks for free. Yes, really free.
Here’s a handpicked list of 20+ trustworthy sites where you can find free college and university textbooks. Some offer full courses, some are open-source libraries, and others are just pure gold if you’re tired of paying $150 for a “required reading” you’ll only open twice.
🌟 1. OpenStax
Let’s start with the big name. OpenStax is basically the hero of the free-textbook world. Run by Rice University, this nonprofit offers peer-reviewed college-level textbooks in everything from psychology to physics. You can read online, download PDFs, or even listen via Audileo (we’re proud OpenStax partners).
📘 2. Bookboon
Bookboon mixes practical university content with personal development reads. You’ll find everything from accounting guides to time-management eBooks, all written by industry pros. The personal growth section is surprisingly good if you need a little mindset reset between lectures.
💻 3. Project Gutenberg
Old school and still awesome. Project Gutenberg houses over 70,000 free eBooks — mostly classics, but plenty of educational gems too. No login, no subscription, no nonsense. Perfect for humanities students and anyone who secretly enjoys reading Victorian literature at 2 a.m.
🔍 4. Google Books
Google’s digital library is enormous. Just type in your textbook title, and you might find a free preview or full version. It’s hit-or-miss, sure, but when it hits, it’s magic. Pro tip: filter results by “Free Google eBooks” to save time.
🎓 5. MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW)
If you’ve ever wondered what studying at MIT feels like, here’s your ticket. Their OpenCourseWare site shares free lecture notes, assignments, and textbooks from hundreds of real MIT classes. No registration, no paywall, just pure learning freedom.
🌐 6. OER Commons
Think of this one as a big, community-driven library. OER Commons hosts open educational resources (textbooks, lesson plans, course modules) from universities and educators worldwide. Everything is free to read, remix, or share. Great for both students and teachers.
🎧 7. Audileo
Yep, that’s us. At Audileo, we believe learning shouldn’t stop when you put your laptop away. We turn OpenStax textbooks into high-quality audio versions so you can study while commuting, cooking, or just closing your eyes for a bit.
Free and premium options are available for college and university students who prefer to listen and learn.
🧭 8. Open Textbook Library
Supported by the University of Minnesota, this site offers 1,500+ open textbooks — all peer-reviewed and downloadable as PDFs or EPUBs. From biology to journalism, you’ll find something worth saving (or skimming right before midterms).
📘 9. Saylor Academy
Part nonprofit, part digital campus. Saylor offers entire college-level courses with free downloadable textbooks. It’s perfect if you want to actually learn a subject without paying tuition. Bonus: student reviews help you pick the best resources fast.
🇺🇸 10. Digital Public Library of America (DPLA)
The DPLA connects you to millions of materials from libraries and museums across the country. It’s not only textbooks — you’ll also find primary sources, archives, and fascinating old photos. If you’re studying history, you’ll love this rabbit hole.
🧑💻 11. FreeTechBooks
Ideal for engineering and programming majors. FreeTechBooks curates university-level textbooks, lecture notes, and tutorials in computer science. It’s like a secret lab for tech-savvy learners — minus the caffeine overload.
🎓 12. OpenLearn
Run by The Open University, OpenLearn provides free access to hundreds of courses and textbook chapters. You can read online or download for later. No account required. It’s one of those rare sites that’s both academic and approachable — kind of like your favorite professor.
📔 13. BCcampus OpenEd
Based in Canada but open to everyone, BCcampus OpenEd offers thoroughly reviewed open textbooks across dozens of disciplines. Especially strong in business, sciences, and humanities. It’s the kind of place where quality meets accessibility.
⚙️ 14. LibreTexts
If STEM is your world, you’ll love LibreTexts. It’s a massive collaborative project filled with chemistry, physics, and math textbooks — all free. Instructors use it to build custom course materials, but students can browse everything too.
🧪 15. MERLOT
Don’t be fooled by the fancy name — this isn’t about wine (though you might wish it were). MERLOT is an educational repository featuring peer-reviewed materials, textbooks, and tutorials. The quality control here is solid. If you like structure, start here.
🔎 16. OASIS
A brilliant little search engine that hunts through 100+ open textbook databases. Instead of checking sites one by one, OASIS does the digging for you. It’s a total time-saver — especially during finals week when nobody has time for anything.
📗 17. Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB)
Over 80,000 academic books, all peer-reviewed and free to access. DOAB covers everything from math and medicine to politics and art. It’s international, reliable, and refreshingly simple to use.
🧠 18. IntechOpen
A powerhouse for science and engineering content. IntechOpen publishes peer-reviewed academic books that are completely open access. Over 7,000 titles — and counting. It’s like having a digital library card for the world’s smartest shelf.
🕮 19. Global Text Project
A global initiative providing free textbooks in business, math, and social sciences. Many are written by professors who just want to make education more equitable. It’s not fancy, but it’s full of genuinely useful material.
📙 20. Internet Archive
It’s not just for old web pages! The Internet Archive has millions of digitized books (textbooks included). Some can be downloaded, others you can borrow online. Fair warning: once you start browsing, you might not stop.
🧾 21. HathiTrust Digital Library
Think of it as a gigantic collaboration between university libraries. You can read millions of digitized academic books online for free. Great for rare or out-of-print titles that you won’t find anywhere else.
Why We Care About Free Textbooks & Learning
At Audileo, we know education is changing fast. Students are learning on the move — walking to class, working part-time jobs, juggling family and coursework. Access matters more than ever. That’s why we convert trusted open textbooks into high-quality audio format, so you can study anywhere, anytime, even with your eyes closed (literally).
Whether you’re pulling an all-nighter or just trying to save a few bucks, these free textbook sites — and platforms like Audileo — are proof that higher education doesn’t have to come with higher debt.
Learning doesn’t need to be expensive. It just needs to be accessible.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
This is a crucial distinction. Using OER platforms like OpenStax and LibreTexts is 100% legal. These materials were created to be shared freely. However, downloading copyrighted textbooks from unauthorized websites (often called shadow libraries) can constitute copyright infringement, which is illegal in most countries.
Your best legal strategy is to first check the OER Superheroes listed above (like OpenStax or the Open Textbook Library) to see if a free, open version of your book exists. If not, use the Google search hack (“textbook title” filetype:pdf) to see if a professor or university has legally posted it online. Finally, check your university library’s digital resources.
There isn’t one single “best” place, but a great starting point for most undergraduate students is OpenStax. Their library is high-quality, covers the most common core subjects, and is incredibly easy to use. For a wider search, the Open Textbook Library and LibreTexts are your next best bets.