Try the local United Methodists where you are. Almost all pastors (ministers) have a contingency fund (money) to help out in cases where it is needed. If they see that you are making a legitimate request, they may be able to just give you the money. Sometimes the local churches set up a rotation to handle cases where people need relatively small amounts of money and do not have it. (So the Methodists do it one week, the Episcopalians another, the Presbyterians a third, etc.)
(There are Methodist churches in Korea, so there is a connection with the Methodists. Other denominations will have churches in Korea, too.)
Another possibility is the undergraduate student organization at your university. They are often able to make loans to students. You would have to repay the loan with interest, but it would be worth it.
Is there an administrative group called “Student Services” or something like that at your university? If so, go over there, and ask where you can get a loan.
You could also ask a friend for a loan. In a real pinch, you could ask a professor for a loan, or the Department Chair.
Also, if a professor is unwilling to just give you a loan (since they can’t be certain what you will be spending it on), he/she might be willing to buy a book with the code and give it to you. The same goes for a minister.
There might also be something called “The Office for International Students,” or something similar. It might have “International Studies” in the title. They assist Americans who are studying abroad, but they also assist students from other countries who are in the US, usually. (When my foreign grad students have visa issues, they go there.)
There is a Korean Presbyterian church in Tuscaloosa. http://kpct.org Try reaching out to them. They might also be able a good support system for you for learning how to find things you might want or need as you settle into life in Tuscaloosa. Churches have outreach ministries. Helping those in need or helping them find the right source is one of the things they do.
In English they say they have campus ministry. So they probably have a student population from the university.
@Paul2752, be sure to try an Evangelical Covenant Church, if there is one near you. It’s usually a multi-national congregation (mine is full of people from Korea) and they are very generous to people in need in their community.
About 400 with book+code and 200 or so without books.
The thing is I have pdf versions of books ONLY. Code is the problem. We are literally spending every cent on college and this extra cost was just unexpected.
It would be a great idea to connect with the Korean community in Tuscaloosa. Churches are a good start. It’ll help to have a safety net when other issues, the inevitable stuff of life, happen.
As a student, you may be able to get a small loan, like $400, without a cosigner. Possibly due after you graduate. It could be better than other options, if you can’t get an outright gift of funds or books with codes.
Google “Free Loan Society” with the name of your city/town.
My town has one- run by a local synagogue, but it lends to anyone. The typical borrower is someone living on a tight budget with an unexpected but critically important expense to be covered. Sounds like the OP would qualify. It does not require a cosigner but does require one character reference (this could be a two line email from a professor stating “Student A is enrolled in my class and does not have the funds to cover a required textbook for the semester. He is a student in good standing at the university”.)
It also has a very low default rate on its interest free loans, a tribute to how grateful people are to get a loan to help them out over a tough situation.