An element of a college education just got more affordable at Monmouth.
Beginning in the 2020-2021 school year, textbooks will be included as part of Monmouth College’s tuition.
Vice President for Enrollment Management, Kristen English in a news release said they’ve “heard from students and their families that the cost of textbooks can sometimes place an unexpected financial burden on them.”
The Monmouth textbook program will reduce students’ overall cost of textbooks because the college will be able to negotiate and lock in more competitive prices with its supplier Follett Higher Education Group.
The National Association of College Stores says the average college student will spend $655 on textbooks each year, but with a single textbook easily costing as much as $300, that total can easily be much higher.
In fact, the College Board puts the annual cost of books and materials at $1,168.
Dean of the Faculty Mark Wilhardt said the College’s textbook program will also ensure that all student starts each semester with all of the academic resources they need to be successful.
He added, “Everyone at the college works hard to manage costs and to assure that our students get the best experience they can.” And the program, “is…one more way Monmouth is working to make sure that students are ready to learn from day one..”
College textbook prices have increased faster than tuition, health care costs and housing prices, all of which have risen faster than inflation.
College textbook prices are 812 percent higher than they were a little more than three decades ago, the American Enterprise Institute reports.
Textbook costs have well outpaced the 559 percent increase in tuition and fees over roughly the same period.
