Fresno college students: How does the costs of textbooks and access codes affect you?

College students, The Fresno Bee’s Education Lab wants to know — are textbooks and access codes a barrier to your education?

Students in the U.S. spent an average of $413 on required materials during the 2019-2020 academic year, according to the National Association of College Stores. About 28% of students didn’t buy at least one of their required materials, citing price as the biggest reason.

The number of students downloading free materials online also rose, according to the same report, doubling over a year to 26% in spring 2020.

The use of digital materials is growing each year, and students often have to purchase access codes to obtain e-books and other digital course materials.

Have you had classes where the instructor used free textbooks or materials?

Please take our survey and share it with other students so we can better understand how the cost of textbooks is affecting you.