Textbooks can be a major expense for college students. Books for a single course can total in the hundreds, and a semester's worth of books can be over a thousand dollars.

A recent New York Times article discusses the pitfalls of buying textbooks directly from your school:

"With this year's news about the ways some unscrupulous colleges make an extra buck off students' naiveté - from loan officers who accepted lenders' kickbacks to schools that got cash incentives to steer students to expensive study-abroad programs - I felt it was expedient to warn my daughter about a big expense that looms before her.

Textbooks.

"Can't I just buy them at the campus bookstore?" she asked.

I shuddered. As much as I hate to micromanage, I felt compelled to remind her that taking that approach can cost the average college student $700 to $1,000 a year for books, according to a Congressional advisory committee report released in May."

Online students may not have access physical college bookstores, but most virtual colleges provide links for their students to purchase books. Beware of buying your books from your school - chances are you'll end up paying much more than you should.

Instead, check out the online booksellers listed in the New York Times article. I know students who are saving hundreds of dollars this semester by purchasing books from alternative sources such as Amazon and Half.com.