Report blasts textbook publishers' tactics: suggests alternatives to rising costs.

Last fall, the New York Times reported that publishers sell college textbooks overseas for as little as half the price they charge in the United States. Now, the California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG) and the Oregon Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) have left little doubt of their position on the subject, with the publication of "Ripoff 101: How the Current Practices of the Textbook Industry Drive Up the Cost of College Textbooks." The report, based on a 2003 survey of the five most widely assigned textbooks at 10 public colleges and universities in California and Oregon, charges that publishers drive up the price of textbooks with extraneous "bells and whistles" and frequent, unnecessary updates. Among the key claims of the report:

* Textbook prices are on the rise. Students participating in the survey paid an average of $898 per year for textbooks--about 20 percent of the tuition and fees at a typical public four-year college. That's about $250 more than what the books had cost six years earlier.

* Publishers add unused extras to drive up prices. Half of all textbooks studied are bundled with extras such as CD-ROMs and workbooks that go unused. In the rare cases where the book could be purchased without the extras, it cost about half the price. Sixty-five percent of faculty survey respondents said they "rarely" or "never" use the extra materials.

* Publishers put new editions on the market frequently, making less expensive used books obsolete or unavailable. Forty percent of the faculty surveyed said publication of the new books--which often have very few content changes--are "rarely" or "never" justified. The average price of a new textbook is about 58 percent more than that of the average used textbook.

One solution that holds promise, suggests the report, is the growing use of online textbooks. These can be produced and regularly updated at a fraction of the cost of printed materials, and can contain links to other Internet resources. The full report is available as a PDF download from www.calpirg.org, as well as other state PIRGs.

Average Amount Spent on Textbooks by Schools
Surveyed for 2003-2004

UCLA      819.31
UCSC      841.77
USB       874.16
UCSD      889.34
Average   897.88
UCI       927.00
UCD       954.54
UCSB      979.20

Based on surveys of University of California system
students last fall, students will spend an average
of $898 on textbooks in two semesters, a 24 percent
increase from 1996-97.

--Source: "Ripoff 101"

Note: Table made from bar graph.