Over half of students say the cost of course materials has caused them to take fewer courses or not register for a specific course, according to the National Course Materials Survey 2023, published today.
The survey, conducted by Bay View Analytics with support from Affordable Learning PA and the Partnership for Academic Library Collaboration, underscores larger themes of affordability in higher education and how expenses outside of tuition and housing can impede student success.
What’s the need: Course materials remain a hidden expense that can burden many learners. Lowering textbook prices has become more important to faculty members; a February survey from the National Association of College Stores found almost two-thirds of faculty members cited textbook affordability as a top priority.
Beyond textbooks, course materials include lab fees and physical materials, digital homework systems, testing systems and printing fees at the library, explains Julia Seabrook, research director for Bay View.
When selecting a course, what kinds of materials and how expensive they are is also a black box for students, with very few institutions providing insight into additional fees associated with courses before a student registers. Looking at the total cost of higher education, there are opportunities for students to discount their spending, whether living off campus, not purchasing a meal plan or taking fewer credits. But course materials are one charge students can’t opt out of and are often excluded from financial aid, unlike tuition and housing.
Previous research from Bay View focused on students enrolled in postsecondary education in Pennsylvania found a majority of respondents were worried about course materials costs and that this burden could impact students’ academic choices. This study widens the scope and shows how affordability is a national issue.
Methodology
The survey, fielded in May 2023, had 500 responses from undergraduate students from across the U.S.
Footing the bill: Around 70 percent of respondents say they are at least “slightly” worried about meeting their course materials cost, with 9 percent extremely worried and 21 percent moderately worried.
Over half (52 percent) of students paid over $200 for course materials during the spring 2023 term, with 31 percent paying more than $300 for a single term. Larger national surveys have found annual spending on course materials is on the decline, but whether this is from reduced prices related to an increase in digital materials or students choosing cost-saving methods is unclear.
“Students are paying less, but we still see this really high number, and that’s per term,” Julia Seaman says.
To reduce the cost of required course materials, students say they will buy a used copy (66 percent), find a free version online (48 percent), buy books somewhere other than the campus bookstore (37 percent), buy a digital version (35 percent) or share materials with a classmate (30 percent). Most students reported using two to three of these methods to cut costs.
The ingenuity of the students and how they work around high rates was unexpected to Jeff Seaman, Bay View’s director. “I expected students to be taking action … but how pervasive that was, was a surprise. And the big-picture impact about picking a major, picking a minor, what school to attend—those are really big, life changing-decisions being driven by some minor pricing,” he says, meaning minor in terms of dollars spent in higher education over all.
Community college students (n=142) are more likely to be cognizant and mindful of the cost of their materials compared to their four-year peers. Two-year learners were twice as likely to say they’re “extremely worried” about course materials costs and are more likely to choose their institution based on the price of materials.
“The way I’m interpreting it is community college students, traditionally, stereotypically, are much more cost conscious. So even if it is lower costs over all, it’s still a much higher burden for them to meet those costs,” Julia Seaman says.
The larger impact: Just under half (47 percent) of students use scholarships to fund their education, 38 percent use a part-time job and 29 percent are using student loans or savings. Among students who receive financial aid, 40 percent said their financial aid does not cover any of their textbooks or related costs. Only one in three students said it covers more than 50 percent of their expenses.
In addition to impacting students’ financial health, these additional expenses impact students’ academic lives, as well. The price of course materials has caused a majority (57 percent) of students to take fewer courses, over half (53 percent) of students to not register for a specific course and 41 percent to earn a poor grade. Students also say high-priced course materials have resulted in them dropping (35 percent), withdrawing from (34 percent) or failing a course (31 percent). Seventeen percent of students selected “none” from a list of options.
Additionally, just under half (45 percent) of students say the cost of course materials has impacted their selection of their institution and their major.
Supporting students: To improve affordability for college students, more administrators and professors are taking notice of the price of materials.
“Like 10, 15 years ago, faculty did not know what the materials cost,” Julia Seaman says. “Now, most faculty do know what the materials cost, however, that has mainly been done from a lot of outside influence forcing it, and a lot of student advocacy as well.”
Inclusive access is one strategy that institutions have implemented to ensure all students have their required course materials. The challenge, however, is that charging a bundled price removes competition so students can no longer try to reduce their expenses, Julia Seaman says. “It’s either you buy in to it or you don’t. It often also removes agency,” she adds. “Students report that they don’t know that some courses have these fees or not, or that they could even opt out of fees.”
Some campuses don’t alert students that they’re being charged for inclusive access materials and students are left paying for something they didn’t know about due to poor communication, Jeff Seaman says.
Additionally, the researchers want institutions to consider material expenses beyond books.
“This low-cost textbook, zero-cost textbook movement is wonderful [and] has done a ton of work to get costs down. That doesn’t include all material costs,” Julia Seaman says. “There is still more work and more effort to incorporate the whole universe of course material costs for students.”
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