Course Material Spending Declines for 2017-18 Academic Year

New report shows college students increased use of free and digital materials

OBERLIN, OH (August 15, 2018) – During the 2017-18 academic year, college students spent an average of $484 on nine required course materials. That’s down from $579 on 10 units the previous academic year, and a decrease from $701 in the past decade, according to the Student Watch™: Attitudes and Behaviors toward Course Materials: 2017-2018 Report, the National Association of College Stores’ (NACS) twice-yearly survey of college students in the U.S. and Canada. Students also reported spending an additional $612 on technology and school supplies, $106 more than the previous academic year.

“Students are still purchasing roughly the same amount of course materials, but are spending less due to increased use of free and lower-cost digital and rental materials,” said Estella McCollum, vice president research and consulting for NACS. “Despite availability of lower-cost options, students overwhelmingly, and somewhat surprisingly, continue to purchase materials, with more than 80% of students buying at least one course material and 65% buying new print.”

These annual spending figures are consistent with the most recent data collected by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). In the 2015-16 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study report, the NCES found that undergraduate students in the 2015-2016 academic year spent an average of $555.60 on required course materials. Student Watch reported students spent $602 for the same academic year.

Other highlights from the report, which compiled responses from more than 34,000 college students, include:

• Course material acquisition remains stable: The number of students who purchased, rented, and borrowed materials has remained stable since 2014. In spring 2018, 83% purchased course materials, 44% of students rented, and 12% borrowed. Those numbers
  have remained relatively flat over the last four years.
• Use of free materials is increasing: They’re borrowing, sharing, and downloading the materials needed for their classes. In spring 2018, 32% of students surveyed reported using a free method to obtain what they needed for class, up from 25% in spring 2017 and 19% in spring 2016.
• Use of digital content on the rise: Digital textbooks and access codes continue to increase, from 75% in the fall of 2015, to 81% fall of 2017.
• Students are waiting longer to get their course materials: In fall 2015, 34% of respondents had their materials at least two weeks before classes started. By spring 2018, that number had fallen to 21% with 25% waiting until after the first week of classes. Continued uncertainty over faculty use of the materials appears to be driving this trend.
• Health professional majors spent the most on course materials: All majors saw declines in spending for the 2017-18 academic year, with students in health-related majors spending the most on course materials at $597. Business-related majors spent
  $554, while education majors spent an average of $414. Those spending the least on course materials were fine arts majors, at $372, and mathematics majors, who spent $357.
• The campus store remains the top source for purchasing and renting course materials: In Fall 2017 students report that 78% of course materials were purchased from the campus store, 41% from Amazon, 8% from a peer/student, 8% from a publisher website, and 6% from Chegg.com. Rentals followed a similar pattern.
• Students prefer convenience: The reasons cited for using the campus bookstore in the fall of 2017 were convenient location (38%), the ability to buy all materials at once (33%), and it saves time (33%).

Members of the media interested in a copy of the report should email publicrelations@nacs.org.

About The National Association of College Stores
The National Association of College Stores (NACS), headquartered in Oberlin, Ohio, is the professional trade association of the $10 billion campus store industry. NACS provides education and other resources that help its member stores support student success, the campus experience, and the academic missions of higher education institutions. The association represents all campus stores, which include nearly 4,000 campuses in the U.S. and Canada, and approximately 1,000 industry-related companies that supply course materials and other merchandise and services to campus stores.

About the Student Watch™ Survey
Student Watch™ is conducted online twice a year, in the fall and spring terms. It is designed to proportionately match the most recent figures of U.S. higher education published in The Chronicle of Higher Education: 2017/2018 Almanac. Institutions were selected to participate based on the following factors: public versus private schools, two-year versus four-year degree programs, enrollment size, and
geographic location.