Price of college textbooks is still daunting
Pricey college textbooks — and their digital equivalents — continue to present thorny problems for cash-strapped students.
In some cases, the price of course materials is enough for a student to skip the purchase and wing it, or drop a class altogether.
College students can expect to spend about $1,300 on books and supplies during an academic year, according to a 2019 College Board report. And for some majors, such as science and math, the cash outlay is much higher for their hefty books.
In the overall price points of a college education, spending a grand or more on course materials may not seem like much. But for many students, spending hundreds — if not thousands — “can be a crushing expense that forces them to make hard choices about paying bills, putting food on the table and taking enough courses to be on track for graduation,” according to the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.
In June, the organization released a study, “Fixing the Broken Textbook Market.” The report, based on a survey of nearly 4,000 students at 83 institutions, is a follow-up to a similar study six years ago.
Over the last decade, the cost of textbooks has increased at three times the rate of inflation, the organization said. While it noted that prices seemed to have “plateaued” since its 2014 study, the “high barrier of overall cost remains.”
Virtually every college textbook today is available digitally, but these options have their own financial and privacy issues.
For example, access codes have become more commonplace, allowing students access to digital books, homework assignments, quizzes, tests and other content. While the average cost is about $100, the research organization said the codes “completely eliminate the alternative book market that students rely on to get the best deals.”
The survey noted that 17% of students opted not to buy an access code.
Other survey findings:
66% of the surveyed students skipped buying or renting course material at some point, with 63% opting not to buy a textbook. In the 2014 study, 65% of students opted not to buy textbooks.
19% of students made decisions on which classes to take based on the cost of course materials, and 7% dropped a class because they couldn’t afford the materials.
Why are prices still high? Consider the economics of the textbook industry, where three companies dominate the market. Some books are just expensive to publish, with the color printing involved.
The industry also notes that the digital market is more robust than six years ago, which has helped tamp down prices.
Open textbooks, which permit no-cost use, adaptation and redistribution of course materials, are being used at half of the universities and colleges in the United States and Canada, and have saved students $1 billion, according to the Public Interest Research Group report.
Given that many schools are sticking with online-only classes this fall, how will that impact the cost of course materials, particularly with a greater reliance on digital access codes?
“With increased financial need due to the economic downtown, and a lack of universal and reliable internet access at home, it seems highly likely that a significant number of America’s college students will be unable to pay to submit homework and fully participate in class,” said Kaitlyn Vitez, co-author of the research organization’s report.
She urges professors to explore options, like adapting free open textbooks and existing library resources to put onto their class website to ensure all students are able to get the materials they need.
Meanwhile, save money on textbooks by shopping online and looking for used books in good condition. Consider the e-book format and renting, but understand the terms of the rental agreement. If you’re an English major and have a lot of required reading, check libraries first.
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