In Monday’s The Arizona Republic there was an article on the Arizona State Legislature introducing bills that would keep the cost of textbooks down for college students. The article says:
Arizona students pay an average of $816 to $950 a year on textbooks and supplies, according to a survey by the three state universities. That adds up to more than $3200 over four years.
That is undergraduate prices. I would love to know what graduate students are paying!
Anyway, the article says that the new bill would require textbook publishers to disclose all costs and to unbundle CDs and other items from textbooks to make them cheaper. One publisher that was quoted did not like the idea very much because the legislature would be telling the companies how to market their products.
Having spent $250+ in textbooks (combination of new and used) for one graduate course, I can appreciate the need to cap the cost of textbooks. I wonder if this bill passes if other states will follow course. Also, it will be interesting to see how textbook publishers respond.
