The inclusive access model is getting lots of coverage on sites like Inside Higher Ed, EdSurge and even Vice. Colleges and publishers are touting it as the cheapest way for students to get required course materials.
Is that true? Absolutely not. We found that students can save between 33% and 67% - an average of 50% - by choosing alternatives like used textbooks, ebooks, rentals and access codes instead.
Using DirectTextbook.com, a free tool that finds low-cost textbooks and access codes, we price checked two semesters’ worth of required materials for core curriculum courses at one of the nation’s largest universities. The average total cost per semester was just $75.
Compare that to Pearson, which, through inclusive access deals negotiated with colleges, charges around $28 per ebook ($112 per semester) and up to $56 per course for digital access ($224 per semester). That’s 49% to 199% more than students would pay via Direct Textbook.
Or how about Cengage Unlimited, which costs $120 per semester – a 60% increase over alternative options (by the way, we found Cengage Unlimited access codes on Direct Textbook for just $89).
These inclusive access programs cost students 49%, 60% or 199% more. On average, that’s a 103% price hike over alternative options.
That doesn’t even account for the fact that students lose money because they can’t resell inclusive access materials when they’re done with them.
Yet Pearson CEO John Fallon and Cengage CEO Michael Hansen seem to think charging students 49% to 199% more represents a savings. Sure, it’s cheaper than the brand-new print edition prices publishers notoriously inflated for years, but it’s certainly not the cheapest option available to students.
The inclusive access model has come under fire for limiting student choice, restricting professors from assigning the materials they want and student privacy concerns.
Many students feel forced to pay for inclusive access, which is sometimes hidden in their course fees, but the U.S. Dept. of Education states they have a right to opt out. Opting out typically involves contacting the school, but at least one school is accused of breaching government regulations by making it difficult for students to do.
The bottom line? Inclusive access isn’t what it’s chalked up to be. It limits student choice and ultimately costs more. The good news is savvy students can still save by shopping for alternative course materials.
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