Textbook Adoption: Textbook Costs

Consumer Price Index for college textbooks, 2003-2023

Costs of textbooks rose exponentially between the 1990s and 2010s, over the rate of inflation. These costs create a burden for students. You can find more information about this crisis in the links below.

As a faculty member, the first step in helping students deal with high textbook costs is being aware of the issue. You can also:

• Use electronic reserves for small sections of books
• Use library e-books when available
• Consider Open Educational Resources (OER)

In January 2022, the Library Committee surveyed FNU students about textbook costs and their effects. Of over 500 responses:

• 59% reported that they had skipped buying a textbook at some point because it was too expensive
• 48% said they had worked extra hours due to the cost of textbooks/course materials.

Below is a presentation given to the Curriculum Committee with more results from the survey.