TEXTBOOK AFFORDABILITY @ UNC CHARLOTTE

• The textbook publishing industry is valued at $3.10 billion with only three publishers controlling over 80% of the U.S. college textbook market

• The average full-time, in-state undergraduate student at a four-year public university pays $1,226 for books and supplies in one academic year

• 25% students reported they worked extra hours to pay for their books and materials, while 11% of students skipped meals in order to afford books and materials

• The price of textbooks increases by an average of 12% with each new edition

• Between 1977 and 2015, the cost of textbooks increased 1,041%, while this increase outpaced currency inflation by 238%

{Hanson, Melanie. “Average Cost of College Textbooks” EducationData.org, July 15, 2022, https://educationdata.org/average-cost-of-college-textbooks}