Majority of U.S. college students are worried about meeting their course material cost

Comprehensive national survey reports on the impact of course material costs on higher education students, highlighting the large effect costs have on them.

OAKLAND, CA, USA, In a recent national survey, 71% of undergraduate students in the U.S. say that they're worried about meeting their course material costs for the current academic term; 30% saying they are “moderately” or “extremely” worried about meeting the costs. Over half of students who participated in the survey say that their course material costs per term is over $200.

7 in 10 students are worried about meeting their course materials costs.

These findings are from the latest national survey conducted by Bay View Analytics on course material affordability for U.S. college students. This national research project, supported by Affordable Learning PA (ALPA) and the Partnership for Academic Library Collaboration and Innovation (PALCI), was conducted in conjunction with the state of Pennsylvania’s comprehensive survey on course material affordability. The goal was to raise understanding of the impact of course material choices on students' academic and general life. This project builds upon the groundwork laid by the Virginia Course Materials Survey and the Florida Student Textbook and Course Materials Survey.

“The high cost of course materials have a tremendous impact on student success,” said Dr. Julia Seaman, lead researcher on the project. “These survey results clearly show that buying required textbooks, printing fees, software licenses, and more, puts an immense weight on the nation's students. Their academic careers are impacted, and these costs also limit their ability to afford rent, groceries, and life essentials. These results show that this is a national issue, expanding upon previously published state-level results.“

Other key findings from the study include:

While 60% of student report having financial aid, just 1 in 3 students say their financial aid helps cover more then 50% of their course material costs
The impact of course material costs affect community college students differently, as they report higher levels of “extreme” worry about meeting their costs
4 in 5 students report many negative academic impacts from course material costs including reducing course loads, earning poor grades, and failing courses
Student preferences are split between print and digital formats for their materials and preference for access codes, though the vast majority do find digital format features “helpful”

The national report is available for download here: https://www.bayviewanalytics.com/reports/2023_student_course_material_affordability.pdf.
The national report webpage: https://www.bayviewanalytics.com/reports/2023_student_course_material_affordability.html.

More details on the project, Pennsylvania’s results, and course affordability are available on Bay View Analytics’ website: https://www.bayviewanalytics.com/course_materials.html..

About Affordable Learning PA (ALPA):

Affordable Learning PA (ALPA) is a statewide library-led initiative dedicated to providing resources and strategies to reduce the cost of educational materials for Pennsylvania's students. ALPA community members train librarians to collaborate with institutions, faculty, students, bookstores and other stakeholders to make higher education more affordable, equitable, and accessible. ALPA originated with a LSTA-funded grant awarded to PALCI and administered by the Office of Commonwealth Libraries within the Pennsylvania Department of Education, and has since developed into a volunteer-based community of practice among library practitioners and faculty to support affordability issues in Pennsylvania institutions of postsecondary education.

About the Partnership for Academic Library Collaboration and Innovation (PALCI):

The Partnership for Academic Library Collaboration and Innovation (PALCI) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) membership organization that originated in 1996 and officially became the Pennsylvania Academic Library Consortium, Inc. in 1998. Today, PALCI's membership has expanded to include over 70 academic and research libraries in Pennsylvania and neighboring states. The primary goal of PALCI is to facilitate cost-effective and sustainable access to information resources and services. PALCI is renowned for its highly respected EZBorrow interlibrary loan (ILL) service. PALCI members work together to support a diverse community of over 800,000 students, faculty, and staff. Their efforts are focused on collaborative collection initiatives, resource sharing services, and the development of innovative technology projects and approaches to enhance library services.

About Bay View Analytics

Bay View Analytics is a statistical research firm focusing on survey design, implementation and analysis. The scope of Bay View Analytics' consulting engagements includes scientific statistical analyses, clinical trial statistics and survey designs for a range of topics, with a particular focus on online education. Bay View Analytics has been conducting research and publishing reports on the state of online education in U.S. higher education for twenty years. Visit www.bayviewanalytics.com for more information or contact us at www.bayviewanalytics.com/contact.