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- The average college student spent $174 on new, printed textbooks and $340 for all course materials during the 2022-23 academic year, according to the Education Data Initiative.
- One-quarter of college students reported working extra hours to pay for their books and materials, while 11% skipped meals to afford books and course materials. More than 60% skipped buying textbooks altogether because they were too expensive.
- The average cost of college books and supplies declined in the last decade, partly because more students rented textbooks and used digital course materials. As such, the 2022-23 academic year had the lowest reported course material cost in nearly 25 years.
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