Randolph College
Course Material Costs
Over the summer of 2018, a librarian and an undergraduate student at Randolph College assessed the textbook costs at their institution, using methodology developed by community colleges doing similar research. Based on course catalogs, bookstore records, and other resources, they calculated the costs for students in different disciplines over four years of study.The study found that the costs differed by student major, specific courses chosen, and where students purchased the materials. The results demonstrated higher prices in the sciences than in the humanities, as well as more expensive textbooks at the college bookstore than at other sources. Estimated total textbook costs varied widely (from under $100 to over $7,000 for four years of study), leading the researchers to conclude that no single average was representative of any one student’s experience.
Publications
Presentation: Randolph College
Assessing Textbook Costs at Randolph College
Author: Stephen G. Krueger and Lewis Ward
Year: 2020 - Format: PPTX
Report: Randolph College
Assessing Textbook Costs at a Small College
Author: Stephen G. Krueger and Lewis Ward
Year: 2020 - Format: PDF
National and Regional
- Bay View Analytics
- Cengage
- Library Journal
- Midwestern Higher Education Compact
- Open Textbook Alliance
- PIRG
State Level
Institutions
- Bentley University
- Gettysburg College
- Old Dominion University
- Randolph College
- SUNY Oneonta
- University of Hawaii at Manoa
- William & Mary