Are Private Universities Exempt from Student Concerns About Textbook Costs? A Survey of Students at American University

Abstract

A survey conducted in the fall of 2015 at American University in Washington, DC shows that rising textbook prices similarly affect students at an expensive private university as those at community colleges and state schools. Research on high textbook costs that has demonstrated corollary unwanted behavior changes in students, including not purchasing the book, resorting to illegal online downloads, and poor study habits, were confirmed at American University as well. Solutions that have been proposed to this problem of prohibitive textbook prices, including Open Educational Resources (OER), could have an equally profound impact at American University, and potentially similar private universities, as has been demonstrated at less selective and more affordable counterparts.

Inequitable Impacts of Textbook Costs at a Small, Private College: Results from a Textbook Survey at Gettysburg College

“…The Florida reports are the one of the largest open sources of textbook use data, including self-reported expenditures, from U.S. students in higher education. They are commonly referenced by other textbook survey authors (Jhangiani & Jhangiani, 2017;Martin et al, 2017;Tillinghast, 2017;Murphy & Rose, 2018;Wittkower & Lo, 2020). However, because the Florida studies surveyed students at public colleges and universities across the state-a population with significant differences from our own student body-we observed hesitation from faculty regarding the relevance of the results on our own campus.…”

“…In a survey by Murphy and Rose at American University also conducted in 2015, 45% of respondents spent over $300 on textbooks in Fall 2015, and 67% of respondents said that they had decided not to purchase a textbook due to cost (Murphy & Rose, 2018). When students at Brigham Young University were surveyed in 2016, 66% reported that they had chosen not to purchase a textbook due to cost, and 47% of those reported that it had negatively affected their grades (Martin et al, 2017).…”

“…When comparing Gettysburg students and students in previous studies, the most noticeable difference in cost-saving strategies is the number who chose not to purchase required textbooks. While past work at a variety of institutions has found that anywhere between 38% and 67% of students have not purchased a required textbook to cut costs (Florida Virtual Campus, 2019;Jhangiani & Jhangiani, 2017;Martin et al, 2017;Murphy & Rose, 2018;Senack, 2014;Wittkower & Lo, 2020), only 16% of our respondents said that they only purchased some of their required books in the Fall of 2019, and just 24% of respondents said that they had chosen not to purchase required books at any point during the course of their college career. While first-generation students and Pell Grant recipients were more likely not to have purchased required books (both in the Fall semester and throughout their career), the percent of affected participants in these groups is still not as high as in previous studies.…”

A Case Study in Mitigating COVID-19 Inequities through Free Textbook Implementation in the U.S.

“…Studies have shown that the majority of faculty believe textbook costs are too high and that this is a significant concern for students (Jaschik & Lederman 2018;Seaman & Seaman 2019). Commercially available textbooks have also been shown in multiple environments to cause stress and result in students failing to purchase or delaying purchasing materials necessary to be successful (Jenkins et al 2020;Jhangiani & Jhangiani 2017;Martin et al 2017;Murphy & Rose 2018). The impact on students is often personal as well as academic.…”

Textbook Affordability in the Time of COVID-19

“…In numerous surveys, students have reported that the rapidly growing price of textbooks impacts them significantly (Christie et al, 2009;Florida Virtual Campus, 2018;Murphy & Rose, 2018;Senack & Donoghue, 2016). The average undergraduate will spend around $5,000 on textbooks over four years and this cost is frequently covered by student loans, increasing the debt that they carry (Ma et al, 2018;Senack & Donoghue, 2016).…”