Government to Reel in College Book Costs

According to the Student Public Interest Research Group, textbook prices have risen at four times the rate of inflation. Yikes!

As a rising senior at NYU, I like to think I’ve experienced it all, especially when it comes to starting a new semester -- from buying overpriced books, to scouting out the good professors, to timing  when exactly my morning alarm will sound (down to the second). And yet, over the years, the one thing I’ve found most challenging is the ever-rising cost of course textbooks. According to Student PIRG, the average college student spends anywhere from $800 to $1,200 on books each year. Ouch!

Lucky for students, the Higher Education Opportunity Act, passed in 2008 by Congress, will begin implementing laws this fall to help students get a grip on these costs. Here are some of the new mandates:

•      Universities must include a list of texts during the course registration period. That means we’ll have time to shop, shop, shop around for the best deals. (Check The Real College Guide’s Student Resource Directory for online book sources).

•      Publishers must begin offering unbundled versions of full texts, which come in handy when only select chapters or materials are required for class.

•      Professors must be notified in advance regarding text prices, a strategy the government hopes will lead to lower-cost text preferences on the part of college faculty.

•      Open-source textbooks (digital versions licensed for free online or for super-cheap in print) must be made available to students whenever possible.

One thing’s for sure: Students are about to see textbook prices drop -- and for good! It’s about time publishers halt hefty price increases, and I for one would like to thank Congress for making it happen