Surveys Reveal College Students Spent an Average of $600 on Textbooks for 2015 – 2016 Academic Year

Students spent an average of $80 less in 2015 – 2016 for course
materials than in 2014 – 2015

WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#backtocampus–According to research from independent research firm Student
Monitor and the National
Association of College Stores (NACS), college students spent on
average $600 a year for course materials in the 2015 – 2016 academic
year. Using the Student Monitor figures, the amount students spent on
course materials was down 12%, or about $80, from $691 in the 2014 –
2015 academic year.

During the 2015 – 2016 academic year:

• Student Monitor found the average textbook spend for students was $607
• National Association of College Stores (NACS) Student Watch Report
  placed the average student spending at $602

“These surveys confirm that the shift to lower cost digital course
materials is clearly benefitting students. Students are savvy consumers,
so when presented with lower cost digital textbooks, digital discount
programs and varied rental options for both print and digital course
materials they can save on college expenses,” said David E. Anderson,
Executive Director of Higher Education, Association of American
Publishers.

For the most recent semester, Spring 2016, Student Monitor reports that
students spent an average of $290 on 4.2 textbooks, averaging $69 for
each item. The Student Watch survey places the average spend for course
materials at $279, or $63 per course.

Educational publishers and learning companies have championed several
solutions which are reducing the cost of course materials. Notably, they
facilitated the transition to the less-expensive, more engaging digital
materials.

The primary reasons for the reduction in student spending include:

• A shift from the traditional print textbook
  to digital learning materials (including eTextbooks):
  Digital materials are less expensive than print textbooks and offer
  numerous interactive features. Three quarters of respondents (75%) in
  the Student Watch survey said they have used a digital learning
  component at least once in college.
• Students are savvy consumers: They
  compare prices for their course materials and purchase them from a
  variety of both physical and online markets. The typical student uses
  a variety of formats, acquired from multiple sources. Student Monitor
  reported only 16% of students purchased exclusively new textbooks.
• The rental model: This less
  expensive option, which includes digital materials as well as print
  textbooks, is becoming more common. Student Monitor reports that
  compared to the 48% of students in Spring 2015 who planned to rent
  next semester, 60% of students in Spring 2016 planned to rent next
  semester – a 25% jump.

Digital learning products were used more often in the classroom during
the 2015 – 2016 academic year than ever before. They can be used on
virtually any device, including a laptop, tablet or smartphone. Content
typically includes personalized interactive activities such as quizzes,
tests and games, which employ personalized technology to focus on the
areas where students need the most attention. Results are then forwarded
to the professor in real time. These platforms can also be bundled with
a digital or hardcopy textbook or paired with open educational resources.

Student Monitor reports that in Spring 2016, compared to Spring 2015:

• The share of students purchasing an “eTextbook” for unlimited use
  increased 63%
• The share purchasing digital course materials for limited time use
  increased 100%

Only 8% of students reported using Open Educational Resources (OER) in
Spring 2016 according to Student Monitor data. When OER was used in the
classroom, the majority of the time commercial materials were also used.

Data from Student Monitor lists the top two reasons students said they
did not purchase required textbooks as they shared course materials with
other students (30%) and they heard that the professor didn’t use the
textbook (27%). Student Watch reported that 74% of students indicated
they did not acquire a course material because it was perceived as
unnecessary for the course.

About the Reports

Data from the Student Monitor survey was collected from 854 full-time,
four-year undergraduate students on 100 campuses using one-on-one
intercepts. The margin of error for research is stated as +/- 2.4%.

Data from the Student Watch survey was collected by OnCampus Research®,
the research arm of indiCo, a subsidiary of the National Association of
College Stores. More than 41,000 responses were collected for the
two-wave study. The margin of error is <1.0 at the 95% confidence level.

About AAP

The Association of American Publishers (AAP) represents about four
hundred member organizations including major commercial, digital
learning and education and professional publishers alongside
independents, non-profits, university presses and scholarly societies.
We represent the industry’s priorities on policy, legislative and
regulatory issues regionally, nationally and worldwide. These include
the protection of intellectual property rights and worldwide copyright
enforcement, digital and new technology issues, funding for education
and libraries, tax and trade, censorship and literacy. Find us online at www.publishers.org
or on twitter at @AmericanPublish.

Contacts

Association of American Publishers
Media
Contact
Marisa Bluestone / mbluestone@publishers.org
/ (202) 220-4558