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GETTING STARTED
Learn to cut cost of books for
college
Illinois mulls programs for
renting, not buying
Carolyn
Bigda
Posted January 7,
2007
The rising cost of college
textbooks has been a subject of heated debate for some
time.
The Government Accountability Office has estimated that
the average first-time student at a four-year public university
spent $898 on textbooks and supplies during the 2003-04 academic
year.
Since then, further studies show that the burden for
students remains high.
A 2006 survey by the Illinois Board of
Higher Education found that students at public universities spent,
on average, between $735 and $891 annually, though that does not
consider any money students receive from selling their books at the
end of the semester.
As a result, colleges and state
governments have started to take action to try to reduce the cost of
textbooks.
The Illinois board, for instance, is now exploring
whether textbook rental programs at public universities--in which
students rent rather than buy textbooks for a semester--would be
cost effective. The board is due to report to the state legislature
Jan. 15.
Other states considered or passed legislation last
year. In many cases the laws exempt textbooks from sales tax,
require publishers to sell books and accompanying compact discs that
often are "bundled" together separately, or fully disclose a book's
price to professors.
"It's a pretty common practice that
sales reps don't mention price at all to professors," said Dave
Rosenfeld, the national program director for the Student Public
Interest Research Groups, which in 2003 started a nationwide
campaign to lower textbook costs.
"The person who has to buy
the book isn't the one who orders it," he said.
Rosenfeld
contends that some publishing practices are getting worse,
especially when it comes to bundling. Instead of including a CD-ROM,
for example, some textbooks are now sold with a code that gives you
access to material online--and expires after one
semester.
Without a valid code a student may not be able to
sell the book back to the campus bookstore.
The Association
of American Publishers argues that course materials are sold in a
wide variety of formats, including bundled or unbundled, color or
black and white.
The association also points out that most
studies inflate the average student's expense because they include
the cost of both textbooks and supplies, such as computer
equipment.
If you're heading back to class this semester,
here are ways to cut the costs of your textbooks:
Talk to
your professor. Before classes start, send your professors an
e-mail, encouraging them to consider the cost of books selected for
the course or to opt for cheaper versions, such as black-and-white
text only.
If the reading list isn't negotiable, ask for the
syllabus as early as possible. That way you will have a better
chance of obtaining used copies. You will also have more time to
order books online or find students on campus eager to unload last
semester's books.
Or ask your professors whether an older
edition of a book will suffice. It typically costs less because used
copies are available.
Search far and wide online. It's no
mystery that you often can find new and used textbooks cheaper on
sites such as Amazon.com, Half.com and Bigwords.com.
But you
may snag an even better deal if you shop at overseas versions of
these sites, such as Amazon.co.uk, where textbooks tend to be priced
lower. Just be mindful of shipping costs and whether you can manage
without a textbook while you wait to receive it.
Also, to be
sure you receive the correct edition, shop by the International
Standard Book Number, or ISBN, a 10-digit number you'll find inside
each book.
Check out school programs. Finally, some schools
may keep copies of textbooks on reserve at the library or have
textbook rental programs. Check if your school does.
Students
who rent books spend an average of $300 per year, according to
Student PIRGs, about a third of the cost of buying
books.
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E-mail Carolyn Bigda at
yourmoney@tribune.com.
Copyright © 2007, Chicago
Tribune
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