Newly Released Report from National Association of College Stores Shows Increase in Use of Digital Course Materials

Students spend less on course materials than a decade ago, as number of materials purchased remains steady

OBERLIN, OHIO, July 21, 2016 – The preference for digital course materials by college students is gradually increasing, although not as quickly as some predicted, according to the National Association of College Stores’ (NACS) twice-yearly survey of college students in the U.S. and Canada.

The study, Student Watch™: Attitudes and Behaviors toward Course Materials: 2015-2016 Report , notes that 40 percent of students still prefer a printed textbook format. However, 26 percent now prefer a print/digital bundle – a print textbook with a digital component such as online access and support – up from 24 percent a year ago. Convenience (56 percent) and lower cost (45 percent) remain the top reasons for purchasing digital.

“The main reason students acquired an access code for the fall 2015 term was because their instructor required it,” noted Elizabeth Riddle, director of OnCampus Research, the research arm of NACS . “In addition to faculty, time will be an influential factor in the acceptance of digital. Students will grow more receptive to e-textbooks and access codes through use, and preferences will shift toward digital due to widespread exposure in many K-12 environments.”

Among students who prefer print textbooks, top reasons for their preference include being easier to study from, easier to flip through and easier to read than a screen. On the other hand, those preferring digital textbooks pointed out that they are easier to take places, lower in cost and environmentally friendly.

Approximately six out of 10 students used at least one digital component, either an e-textbook or access code, during the fall 2015 term. In all, 75 percent of respondents said they have used a digital learning component at least once in their college careers, while 17 percent said they have not.

Student spending on the decline since 2007-08

The NACS report indicates that while average annual spending by students on required course materials increased slightly for the 2015-16 academic year due to weighting*, there has been a downward trend for nearly a decade, influenced by options such as rentals, digital, used, open educational resources and print-on-demand. Yet the number of course materials acquired over the past three years have remained steady at nine per year.

Students spent an average of $602* on their purchased and rented required course materials last school year, compared with $563 in 2014-15 and $701 in 2007-08.

Another growing option among students is the ability to download their materials for free from the internet. Approximately 11 percent downloaded at least one material during the spring 2016 term, up from 5 percent the previous year. The frequency of students borrowing materials, whether from the campus library or other students, has remained between 10 and 13 percent over the past few years.

Students value convenience of campus store for course materials

According to the study, campus stores collectively represent the largest share of course material purchases made during the 2015-16 year in both dollars and units. In fact, the campus store experienced a surge in student purchases during the fall term. Of the 86% of students who purchased, four out of five students purchased at least one of their course materials from the on-campus resource, up from 68 percent the previous fall. Eight out of 10 students agree or strongly agree that having a physical location on campus that sells course materials is very important to them.

“Students value the convenience that their campus store offers, which includes not only the location but the chance to acquire all their course materials at once,” said Riddle. “They also appreciate the ease of finding exactly what they need, all of which contributes to saving them time. An additional benefit, exclusive to the campus store, is confidence that they are receiving the correct course materials.”

The campus store also dominates the rental market. During the fall term alone, of the 40 percent that rented course materials, more than half chose to rent either in-store or through the campus store website, an increase of six percent in frequency from the previous fall term.

About The National Association of College Stores

The National Association of College Stores (NACS) is the professional trade association representing the $10 billion collegiate retailing industry. NACS represents nearly 4,000 campus retailers and approximately 1,000 industry-related companies that supply course materials and other merchandise and services to campus stores. 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. NACS is headquartered in Oberlin, Ohio. Additional information can be found online at www.nacs.org.

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: 2014/2015 Almanac. Fifty-six institutions were selected to participate based on the following factors: public vs. private schools, two-year vs. four-year degree programs, enrollment size, and geographic location.

*Total spending for the 2015-2016 academic year was weighted by campus type to more accurately reflect the proportion of students enrolled at two- and four-year U.S. institutions. The unweighted total spending average is $559.