University of Alaska students repeatedly asked Republican state Sen. Robert Myers why they were surprised by requirements to buy high-priced textbooks after registering for classes, he said.
Students complained to Myers that universities warned them about high tuition, but not about the costs of textbooks, lab fees and equipment, which also add up. Often, students sign up for classes long after their financial aid has been approved, without knowing in advance about these additional costs and how much, if anything, the aid will cover, Myers told Stateline.
A University of Alaska Anchorage student complained to lawmakers about the extra costs of textbooks during a 2022 hearing, Myers, a North Pole resident, said.
“He was taking a class that was required for his degree, and halfway through the semester he found out there was another version of the class that used a free textbook,” Myers said. “But he wasn’t. He was very upset that he hadn’t heard about it before. That’s what this bill is trying to do.”
Myers Billthat would require the University of Alaska to post online a list of all materials required for each course and whether they are free, low-cost or paid, passed the Alaska Senate last May with just one dissenting vote. It awaits expected approval from the House of Representatives, he said.
The Alaska bill is one of several pending or passed laws requiring public universities to disclose the cost of teaching materials in a half-dozen states across the country. They include a 2020 bill. Maryland Law2021 Texas Law and 2023 California law.
Some Illinois bill would require public universities to report the costs of teaching materials. Minnesota Act would require public universities to provide low-cost textbooks — priced at $40 or less — for at least 15 percent of their courses, and would also require schools to regularly report average textbook costs.
Some Ohio bill The bill, which passed the House of Representatives, would require state universities to provide students with a cost and financial aid form that would list tuition fees, the net cost of attendance and loan repayment details.
The cost of textbooks and other course materials is diminutive compared to tuition. But those costs are sometimes the final obstacle standing between a student and their classes, according to Kim Cook, CEO of the National College Attainment Network, a nonprofit coalition of colleges and other advocacy groups that helps students pay for higher education.
“Any unforeseen costs can be a barrier for students to attend classes,” Cook said in an interview.
For example, Questionnaire A survey of more than 4,000 Pennsylvania college students at 14 colleges and universities behind schedule last year found that 81% said they were “worried” about the cost of textbooks and supplies. The survey was commissioned by two academic library groups, Affordable Learning PA and the Partnership for Academic Library Collaboration and Innovation.
Cook said universities typically disclose the cost of tuition and “standard fees.” But some don’t include the price of required teaching materials or estimates of how much students are likely to spend on other necessities, such as transportation.
“It all goes to waste when the cost of attendance does not include 17 books, lab fees and transportation costs,” she said.
But the only senator who opposed the Alaska bill, Democratic state Sen. Matt Claman, said he believed the measure was unnecessary and constituted an “unwarranted intrusion” on universities.
“This is government interference in things that government should stay out of,” he said in an interview. “A well-run university will make these things available.”
If not, students can request this information through the student government.
Sara Perman, manager of government relations at the University of Alaska, said the university has no problem with the bill. She said in a phone interview that all three UA campuses — Fairbanks, Anchorage and Southeast — want to make textbooks “more affordable and they’re all working to move in that direction.”
State funds
In-state students studying full-time at a public four-year university can expect to spend an average of $1,250 a year on books and supplies and $1,290 on transportation, according to the College Board, the organization that administers standardized tests. E-books are generally cheaper than printed textbooks, and more and more colleges are adopting them.
The Ohio bill calls for public colleges to provide students with a two-page document detailing financial aid and a list of expenses (tuition, fees, and estimated living expenses) as well as an estimate of income from work related to each student’s field of study.
Ohio Rep. Adam Mathews, a Republican and the lead sponsor of the House-passed bill, said in an interview that he expects the Senate to take up the bill this session.
Mathews, 36, who originally trained and worked as an engineer and is now a lawyer, said he is still paying off his student loans — his bachelor’s and law degrees are from the University of Notre Dame. He said his career choice has allowed him to pay them off, but he wants college students to have some idea of what awaits them.
“Student loan forgiveness only treats the symptom of the problem,” Mathews said. “It doesn’t help at the very beginning, knowing what they’re getting into.”
He said the two-page form he’s envisioning would show students all of their likely expenses, including mandatory fees and tuition costs, as well as the income range for careers with their degree. It would also outline a student’s financial aid obligations — whether they must maintain a certain grade point average, for example — and what they can expect to owe.
“Before you become a future Buckeye … before you sign this agreement, we want students and families to know what awaits them,” he said, referring to the Ohio State University mascot.
He said he has encountered little resistance from state universities beyond technicalities about the number of pages on the form (the bill calls for one double-sided page) because most communication is done electronically.
Some states have received their bills from the model legislation developed by the American Legislative Exchange Council, a Washington, D.C.-based conservative group that promotes legislative initiatives in individual states.
Andrew Handel, director of education and workforce development at ALEC, as the group is known, said his own student experience influenced the model legislation. “We signed up for online classes, never knowing what textbooks were required until the first day of class,” said Handel, who has two degrees from St. Louis University.
“It all comes down to transparency,” he said.
The ALEC bill would make titles and retail prices for books and other materials available about a month before the semester begins, which Handel said would give students time to find the best deals.
“If there are several English courses to choose from, and one requires 10 textbooks and the other eight, the difference could be several hundred dollars,” he said.
He said the purpose of the regulations is not to restrict professors’ choice of textbooks, but rather “to work to make the process more transparent.”
Voluntary efforts
In addition to legislative activity, publishers are working on initiatives that they believe will assist cover the costs of academic textbooks.
After a 2015 U.S. Department of Education rule change, some universities began offering “inclusive access” programs that give students automatic access to online textbooks when they enroll in courses and include fees in tuition and fees. Schools contract with publishing companies for the service.
Supporters of the programs say the method provides all students with the same materials at a discount. Critics, however, say it prevents students from shopping around for better deals.
A similar business model for e-books is called Cengage Unlimited and allows, for a fee, access to a wide range of books.
The U.S. Department of Education is considering a policy change to stop allowing institutions to automatically include the cost of books and supplies in tuition and fees. the department says The current policy raises concerns that “the lack of disclosure and transparency limits students’ ability to find cheaper materials or assess whether their school offers the most affordable solution.”
But the Association of American Publishers, which represents textbook publishers, should maintain the principle of “inclusive access,” according to Kelly Denson, senior vice president for education policy and programs.
“Inclusive access programs also ensure that students have the necessary learning materials in their hands on or before the first day of class, allowing them to come to class prepared for success,” she said in a statement.
Meanwhile, hundreds of colleges and universities have pledged to provide more detailed information on the total cost of education for students, including information on financial aid offers and student debt, as part of voluntary program organised by the leaders of 10 national higher education associations.
The program, which has already signed up 526 schools, is administered by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.
Karen McCarthy, vice president of public policy and federal relations for the group, said that overall, more transparency about college costs is a good thing. But, she said, when different states implement different rules, it can get confusing.
“You would think the obvious answer would be, ‘Sure, more information is always better,’” McCarthy said. “But the devil is in the details. What information do they need, in what format?”
She said that when states differ in the dates they publish or send emails about financial aid and course selection, “it can become overwhelming to the point where we’re no longer providing students with useful information. It’s a collection of fragmented efforts that, overall, make the whole system a little less effective.”
She also suggested that bills like the one in Ohio that would require graduates’ salaries to be reported based on their major are not straightforward to get right.
“Let’s say you’re an English student, [your salary] “It depends on what you do with it,” she said.
