Affordable Higher Education News

College textbook prices have increased at nearly four times the rate of inflation for all finished goods since 1994 and textbook publishers engage in practices that artificially inflate textbook costs, according to a new study by the state Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs). With textbook costs already high—an average of $900 a year, or one fifth of the cost tuition at a public four-year university—the state PIRGs called on publishers to stop needlessly inflating textbook costs.

"This report shows that publishers use needless new editions and gimmicks to drive up the cost of textbooks. The losers in this scam are students who will have a harder time paying for college," says Luke Swarthout, Higher Education Associate with the State PIRGs.

Student volunteers and staff of student PIRG chapters conducted the study, which looks at the five most commonly purchased textbooks at 59 universities across the country. Among the report's findings:

Prices are skyrocketing. Textbook prices are increasing at more than four times the inflation rate for all finished goods, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index.

New editions are costly. Publishers issue new editions that are often unnecessary, making used books obsolete and forcing students to pay more for the latest textbook edition.

- A new edition of a textbook will, on average, cost 45 percent more than a used copy of the previous edition.

- The price of the average new edition is increasing at twice the rate of inflation compared to the previous edition. The survey found price increases as high as 21 percent between editions, more than 3 times the rate of inflation.

Bundling costs a bundle. Publishers increase textbook prices by adding unnecessary bells and whistles—such as CD-ROMs and workbooks, and contrary to industry claims, the cheaper unbundled versions often cannot be found on shelves.

- The bundled books surveyed were 10 percent more expensive than their unbundled versions, with examples of price differentials of up to 47 percent.

- 50 percent of all bundled books surveyed did not have an accompanying unbundled version on the shelf.

New editions are often unjustified. 76 percent of the faculty surveyed in PIRG's Fall 2003 study said that new editions were only justified "half the time" or less. Furthermore, 65 percent of faculty surveyed used these additional items "rarely" or "never".

American students pay more. Publishers charge American students more for the same textbook than students in other countries.

- The books surveyed were 20 percent cheaper on www.Amazon.co.uk, with examples of books that were more than twice as expensive in the U.S. than in the UK.

- Even greater disparities in US and overseas prices can be found on some publishers' websites. For example, according to Thomson Learning's website, all of their books found in the survey cost an average of 72 percent more in the U.S. than in the U.K., Africa and the Middle East.

The survey uncovered a number of particularly egregious examples. One example is Physics for Scientists and Engineers, published by Thomson Learning. The 5th edition (issued in 2000) was on the market for just four years before the 6th edition was issued (2004), yet there is little to no substantive difference between the two editions. The differences that do exist, such as some of the new problem sets and technological tools, could have been easily provided via supplement instead of an entirely new edition. In addition, according to Thomson Learning's website, the 6th edition sell for $134.96 in the U.S., but only $72.43 to students in the UK, Africa and the Middle East.

"It's unbelievable that textbook publishers purposely drive up the cost of textbooks when these higher costs make college more unaffordable," explains Katherine Imp, a sophomore at the University of Maryland, College Park.

The state PIRGs have called on the publishing industry to adopt "Best Practices" policies that would ensure that publishers keep production and pricing costs as low as possible while maintaining educational value; issue new editions only when there is justifiably new educational content; disclose to the faculty and public all of its products, prices and the length of time that a product is expected to be on the market; and pass the cost savings from online books on to students.

Last year, the State PIRGs asked the Association of American Publishers to issue these recommendations to its member companies. To date, the AAP has refused to issue such recommendations. Meanwhile, moreover 500 mathematics professors from 150 universities called on publisher Thomson Learning to commit to issuing a new edition of its popular Calculus textbook only when there is new information about the field. Thomson has also refused this request.

"Textbook publishers should address the impact their rising prices are having on struggling college students," said Ms. Imp.