Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism (https://iowawatch.org/tag/textbook-costs/)
Plenty of college students avoid spending a lot on textbooks that can cost from around $20 for a book on writing grant proposals to $400 for a physics book, a spring IowaWatch/College Media Journalism Project revealed. They talk about it in this podcast.
In today’s college world, two things terrify students: failing a class and textbook prices. This podcast digs into those textbook prices.
Heather Dean’s passion for accessible textbooks stems from her time as a student at Iowa State University, where one textbook can run as high as $347.
Second in a series.
Here, in their own words, are students and faculty Loras College, William Penn University, Simpson College and the University of Northern Iowa, who are concerned about college textbook costs.
Dylan Miller spent $495 on college textbooks at the University of Northern Iowa – $167.50 for a linear algebra textbook – in the spring semester just ending, yet said he might have used the books, perhaps, once a month. The internet? Used it close to two hours each day, he said, raising the issue of why he still buys textbooks. “That’s a great question,” Miller, 20, a sophomore this spring semester from Homestead, Iowa, and studying for a major in actuarial science, said. “I will not be buying textbooks next semester.”
A lot of college students are avoiding textbooks costs that generally can range from around $20 for a book on writing grant proposals to $400 for a physics book, a spring IowaWatch/College Media Journalism Project revealed.