Report Highlights The cost of college textbooks has skyrocketed for years, but the increased use of e-books has lowered the cost to the consumer; the average ebook is 31.9% less expensive than its print counterpart.
- The average college textbook costs an estimated $105.37.
- The textbook publishing industry is valued at $3.10 billion.
- student spending on course materials decreased by 43.6% over a 10-year period.
- the student The average in-state full-time undergraduate at a public one-year college pays $1,226 for books and supplies in an academic year.
- 25% of students reported working overtime to pay for their books and supplies; 11% skipped meals to pay for books and course materials.
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average cost of college textbooks
The average cost of college books and supplies decreased in the 2020-2021 academic year, in part due to a higher rate of textbook rentals and use of digital course materials.
- The average postsecondary student spends between $628 and $1,471 a year on books and supplies beginning in the 2021-2022 academic year.
- Print books can cost up to $400, with an average price between $80 and $150.
- the price of textbooks increases by an average of 12% with each new edition.
- between 1977 and 2015, the cost of textbooks increased 1,041%.
- The increase in the cost of textbooks exceeded currency inflation by 238% between 1977 and 2015.
- Between 2002 and 2012, inflation of textbooks outpaced consumer price growth by 192.9%.
- As many as 37% of higher education professors are unaware of the cost of course materials when selecting them for their classes.
average cost for students
Most teachers believe that the cost of course materials is a burden to their students.
- From 2019 to 2020, the average cost per student of new print textbooks fell by 3.45%.
- 29.7% of students have used the financial aid to pay for textbooks.
- among students who used financial aid to purchase textbooks, 70% of their costs were covered.
- 82% of students teachers say textbooks and course materials cost their students too much.
- 80% of students surveyed in 2013 reported being asked to purchase an access code online for at least one of their courses.
- 43% of teachers believe their students learn more from print texts than e-books.
average cost of university e-books
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The rise of online and distance learning requires a broader use of electronic texts, which students can buy to sell, subscribe to, or rent.
- cost per student for e-textbooks increased 36.8% over 12 months.
- over 10 years, student spending on e-textbooks increased 156 %.
- 11% of postsecondary institutions make the purchase of e-books and digital course materials mandatory with inclusive access agreements or contracts with publishers.
- among institutions that serve minority populations, 13% have signed inclusive access agreements.
Since 2009, students and parents can also qualify for a $2,500 textbook and course material tax credit by filing an IRS Form 8863 with their annual taxes.
low cost & free college textbooks
One response to rising prices is the adoption of teaching materials that are part of a shared resource system. these systems are the most beneficial for students and teachers; meanwhile, publishers and institutions lose profits.
- 18% of postsecondary institutions provide information on open educational resources (OERS) to faculty.
- 22% of institutions serving minority populations provide information on OERS.
- 82% of instructors select their course materials themselves.
- 17% of instructors say they are “very aware” of offerings and how they can reduce the cost to students.
- 25% of faculty teaching large-enrollment introductory courses requires some form of offering in at least one course.
- among faculty using some form of offering , 28% use it as supplemental course material.
how to save money on college textbooks
one in five students report that the cost of books and supplies directly influences their decision about which classes to take, and 63% of students say they have skipped buying a textbook altogether.
- apply for book grants. grants cover just about everything else, and there are many available specifically for course materials.
- use your tax credit . american opportunity and life learning education credits give you a $2,500 tax credit for course materials purchased. complete and submit an irs 8863 form with your annual taxes.
- search for open educational resources. also known as oers, oems, or osms, these open source course materials are developed specifically for free use and distribution. a growing number of colleges are allowing their professors to adopt these course materials to help lower costs for students.
- look for discounts or access programs. you can find rates with discount for books and subscriptions that your school may have negotiated with the publisher. inclusive access programs are growing in popularity.
- buy back editions. many publishers still publish new editions of textbooks year after year that change very little from edition to edition Next. your instructor can probably tell you if there are any significant changes to the book from the previous edition.
- look for global or international editions. these editions are almost always the same as ours . launch sold 60% cheaper.
- buy used books, rent books, or search locally. see if the book is available at a library. also be sure to check with local booksellers and book buyers.
- share books. share with roommates or classmates who are taking the same classes. See if other students who took the class last semester are selling the book you need and cut out the middleman entirely.
- Ask ahead or wait to buy. If possible, read other students’ reviews of classes ahead of time to see how much the textbook is actually used. the institution requires some instructors to “adopt” textbooks, but they rarely use them and will inform students that book adoption is a formality.
- see if the required texts are free online. some of our favorite resources are:
- google scholar searches and links to scholarly resources. erudite does not necessarily provide access to the full text of each search result, but it is a good method for locating titles.
- internet archive, home of the wayback machine, is a non-profit organization that hosts and searches millions of books, audio, movies, and more.
- project gutenberg and the project gutenberg literary archive foundation have archived more than 60,000 books for open access.
- openstax by rice university is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that is 100% free to users and packed with peer-reviewed resources on every topic.
the college textbook industry
three (3) publishers control more than 80% of the us. uu. college textbook market: mcgraw-hill, pearson, and cengage.
- The textbook publishing industry was valued at $3.1 billion in 2020.
- Textbook industry revenues decreased 35.6% between 2013 and 2020; this is a 5.08% year over year decline.
- pearson saw 32% growth in Q3 2020
- cengage saw 40% year over year growth in revenue by online skills, and their digital sales have now offset the setbacks of declining print book sales.
- 77% of higher education professors report that in meetings with sales reps of publishers, book prices are rarely offered voluntarily.
- 38% of teachers report that they received a direct response on price information when they requested it.
- 63% of post-secondary teachers know the price of the course material they select for their classes.
- publishers market “packages” of books and course materials that cannot be purchased separately ; however, only 50% of teachers indicated that they used the additional materials.
- 34% of teachers could not adopt the textbook of their choice without the included material or did not know if it was an option .
analysis: why are college textbooks so expensive?
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New textbooks are expensive, whether they are printed or digital. meanwhile, publishers and schools are finding ways to make the newest texts compulsory to purchase.
Although digital or e-books offer convenience, many use access codes, ensuring that all students pay full price. An access code gives the student temporary use of a learning management system (LMS) with course materials, completed assignments, and access to other critical resources needed to complete their online class.
Schools with “inclusive access” agreements make these course materials mandatory. In other words, where before students could share textbooks or buy used ones, now it is mandatory to buy the new text.
Called the “scheme” in an antitrust class action lawsuit filed against major textbook publishers, the inclusive access model incorporates the cost of online course materials into tuition fees. Because this model guarantees a quantity of textbooks purchased, the publisher may offer a quantity discount; this deal benefits both the publisher and academic institutions. students who enroll in these classes, however, have no way to opt out of paying for the textbook; they also cannot recover a percentage of the cost of the book by reselling it after the class is completed.[1][2]
Finally, the cost of access to e-books and movies has skyrocketed. While publishers don’t have to pay the costs of printing, binding, and shipping textbooks, data storage is a significant expense. data storage requires physical space and power for host servers, both of which have become much more expensive in recent months. This means that for profit margins to stay the same (an estimated 22%), publishers and retailers must raise prices, limit their services, or make up for lost profits elsewhere.
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sources
- bloomberg’s law, mcgraw-hill, barnes & noble accused of online monopoly (2)
- bloomberg’s law, court records: case 1:20-cv-00102-una
- american business institute, the new era of the book of $400 text
- U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics, Compendium of Education Statistics: Current Tables
- U.S. public interest research group, fixing the broken textbook market
- springerlink, covid-19, and book publishing: impacts and outlook for 2021
- the association of american publishers ( aap), A Win For Affordability: Student Spending On Course Materials Declines 22% During 2021-2022 Academic Year
- aap, Student Monitor Fall 2020 Preview: Decline Continues multi-year increase in student spending on college course materials
- aap, annual statshot report: book publishing revenue up slightly to $25.93 billion in 2019
- within higher education, oer adoptions, awareness continues to grow, but many faculty still resist
- bay view analytics, digital texts in times of covid
- eliterate How much do college students really pay for textbooks?
- nbc news, college textbook prices have risen 1041% since 1977
- bay view analytics, tipping point for digital curricula
- infodocket, association of american publishers (aap ) releases statistical report for december 2021: “publishing industry increased 2.8% monthly and 12.2% in calendar 2021”
- usa bureau of labor statistics (bls), college tuition and fees up 63 percent since january 2006
- bls,ted: college tuition has been flat since september 2019
- research.com, average college textbook costs: how to reduce them without compromising studies
- student public interest research groups, textbook industry expo
- Inside Higher Education, Teachers’ Slow and Steady Acceptance of Online Learning: A Survey
- Inside Higher Education, Options Don’t Curb Textbook Problems