Yuma, Arizona - As thousands of Arizona Western College students head back to campus, they’ll experience the dreaded ritual of buying textbooks and course materials. It’s the second-leading cause of stress for students after paying the tuition bill, according to a new Morning Consult survey.
This year, students finally have a better option: an all-access subscription for course materials for one price, no matter how many they use. It’s called Cengage Unlimited.
A subscription can save students up to half of what they currently pay for textbooks (the average student spends about $580 a year, with some spending significantly more). A subscription to Cengage Unlimited costs about $120 a semester or $180 a year.
Other survey highlights:
- Nearly half of students (43%) of students say they’ve skipped meals to afford course materials
- A whopping 85% of students say buying textbooks is financially stressful – more so than housing, health care and food
- Minority students are more likely to say they take fewer classes to save money on textbooks
- African American students are 35% more likely to skip a trip home to save money for books
64% of Hispanic students have opted not to buy the required textbooks to save money