As many students start the new semester and begin settling down into their new classes, they’re noticing that prices for necessities such as textbooks and access codes are rising.
“Yeah this semester I think I spent around $430 on textbooks and access codes,” said LSU student Alex Boudreaux.
LSU ranks in as the 5th cheapest for textbooks in the SEC, with students at Georgia spending an average of $986 a year and students at Tennessee spending $1,598. However, student Alex Boudreaux spent $150 less than the average LSU student.
“The rising prices just really aren’t fair to most students. Most students have a hard time paying those bills,” Boudreaux said.
Accounting Assistant Department Chair Laura Wiley disagrees.
“A lot of work goes into the creation of a textbook, not just by the author, but all other people involved in the process. I just sometimes I wish students would think about that,” Wiley said.
Despite high textbook prices, students can sell physical books to recoup some of their cost. Access codes, on the other hand, expire.
“Also with the access codes, they expire after a semester, so you can’t give it to a friend or even sell it back. I’ve had to pay 3 or 4 different companies’ access code fees, and it’s really just racked up,” Boudreaux said.
But Wiley believes that’s just the price to pay for education.
“And if you want high quality education, sometimes you have to pay a higher quality for a good book,” Wiley stated.