Help & Resources for College Bound Individuals 

Textbook Costs

Textbooks aren’t cheap. According to a 2005 Government Accountability Office study, textbook prices rose by more than twice the rate of inflation from 1986 to 2004. Although the marketplace has changed drastically in those 20 years with the birth of online retailing, the cost of textbooks continues to place an enormous financial burden on students.

In December 2008, Comptroller DiNapoli released a review of the textbook pricing disparities between online and brick-and-mortar retailers. The review showed that even with numerous online purchasing options, students still have limited opportunities to seek lower cost options to purchase their textbooks due to the lack of advanced posting of course listings, and the lack of clear, accurate book identification information.

The review also found that it was often difficult for students to figure out the required edition or printing of a textbook by looking at the campus bookstore website, because of missing or unclear edition information and the use of abbreviations when posting the book’s title.

 

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