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Textbook Affordability Solutions

As textbook costs continue to skyrocket, finding a solution is increasingly urgent.  Since the problem is complex, the solution will likely have multiple parts involving different stakeholders. In the long run, reducing textbook costs will mean increasing the market-share of lower cost products. For now, it means finding ways to provide relief for cash-strapped students.

 

Open Textbooks

Open textbooks are free online, openly licensed books that are affordable to purchase in print.  Students can read open textbooks online at no cost, download them to a computer or phone, or print out sections to take to class.  Hard copies typically cost $20-40, either in the bookstore or online.  Also, open textbooks can be updated much faster to include important new information, and there’s no need for unnecessary new editions since print copies are affordable.

Open textbooks are one of many possible solutions, but we believe that they offer student consumers the best benefits. Therefore, we promote open textbooks to set the bar high for alternatives to expensive, traditional textbooks.

Click here for more information about open textbooks.

Click here for examples of open textbooks.

Update! Sen. Richard Durbin introduced Federal legislation to create a $15M competitive grant program for open textbooks.

 

Rental Programs

Textbook rental programs can dramatically lower textbook costs for students. Our research found that establishing an on-campus rental program could save students more than $400 per year on average. Dozens of colleges and universities currently rent their textbooks, and many pilot programs are underway.

Click here to download our step-by-step guide to establishing rental programs.

No matter where you go, you might be able to find textbook rentals online at sites like Chegg.com, CampusBookRentals.com or BookRenter.com.

Update! Textbook publisher Cengage Learning has announced that they will begin renting to students. McGraw-Hill, another major publisher, recently established a trial partnership with online rental company Chegg. Whether it will save students money depends on the pricing, but it's a good sign publishers are looking to new business models.

 

Be a Smart Consumer

Students can save hundreds of dollars just by being smart consumers. Go online, shop around and do the math. Finding better deals doesn't solve the problem, but at least it provides some relief from crippling prices.

Click here for our tips to save on textbooks.