OER Campus Committee

Since 1998 textbooks costs have increased 150% making college education increasingly unaffordable.  Students respond to expensive textbooks by dropping classes, taking fewer classes, or doing without textbooks for some or all of the semester so they can attend college.  Fifty-five percent of respondents to a May 2015 Leeward CC survey on textbook costs did not purchase a required textbook at some time during their college career.  Fifty-eight percent responded that the cost of required textbook influences their decision to take a class. The survey demonstrates that rising textbook costs have an impact on time to completion and overall student success.