College-textbook prices have risen at twice the rate of inflation over the past 20 years, according to a report released on Tuesday by the Government Accountability Office. The report says the increase can be blamed mostly on supplementary items, like computer software, that come bundled with the books.
On average, a full-time student at a four-year college spends almost $900 annually on textbooks, or about 26 percent of the total cost of tuition and fees, the report says. Students at two-year institutions spend a similar amount, though books are a much larger chunk -- 72 percent -- of their college costs.
The report’s figures were strongly disputed by the Association of American Publishers, which argued that a full-time student spends closer to $600. “It’s an apples-to-oranges comparison that greatly exaggerates what students are spending on textbooks,” said Bruce Hildebrand, a spokesman for the association. He said the number the GAO cites includes supplies, like computers, that students purchase for college.
However, the group that has been the biggest thorn in the side of publishers, the California Student Public Interest Research Group, said the $900 figure was dead-on. “The findings of this report support what we’ve been saying for two years,” said Merriah Fairchild, a higher-education advocate for the organization.
Ms. Fairchild’s group contends that most professors don’t make use of the supplementary items included with textbooks and that such add-ons are simply a way for publishers to justify higher prices. “We really second-guess how wonderful they are, mostly because in our surveying of faculty, 65 percent said they rarely or never used the bundled materials in their courses,” she said.
Mr. Hildebrand said critics like Ms. Fairchild want publishers to ignore software and other educational tools that publishers say help students learn.
Each side said the report was disappointing. Mr. Hildebrand said it failed to look at how textbooks factor into the overall cost of college attendance, while Ms. Fairchild wished it had been more “hard-hitting and conclusive.”
The full text of the report, “College Textbooks: Enhanced Offerings Appear to Drive Recent Price Increases,” is available on the GAO’s Web site.
Background articles from The Chronicle: