Report Blames Add-Ons for Rise in Textbook Prices

College-textbook prices have risen at twice the rate of inflation over the past 20 years, according to a report released in August by the Government Accountability Office. The report says the increase can be blamed mostly on supplementary items, like computer software, that come bundled with the books.

On average, a full-time student at a four-year college spends almost $900 annually on textbooks, or about 26 percent of the total cost of tuition and fees, the report says. Students at

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