Spending $400 or $500 on textbooks has become an increasingly normalized aspect of the back-to-school season. Even after paying thousands in tuition to take classes, we’re still required to spend significantly on course materials, especially homework access codes.
Complaints about textbook costs might seem to be just another classic college grievance, but these high prices have become an impetus to education. Over half of students have taken fewer courses or intentionally avoided courses due to the high price of required materials, according to the National Course Materials Survey in 2023.
The primary issue stems from homework access codes, or single-use codes that allow students to access an online textbook and homework assignment platform hidden behind a paywall.
Unlike textbooks or other books, these codes cannot be purchased second-hand, rented, checked out from the library or resold, meaning students are unable to find lower prices or earn back some of their expenditures. After paying thousands of dollars to take a course, why should students be mandated to pay another fee to unlock a section of their grade?
While the price of a code might not seem high to the professor requiring it, the total quickly adds up. Erin Burnip, a junior finance and accounting major, spent almost $500 last semester to complete her homework, as she had to purchase Cengage Unlimited for $129.99, McGraw Hill Higher Ed for $160.71 and McGraw Hill Higher Ed for $179.96.
Homework access codes typically include a textbook, which might help students to answer their homework questions, but is rarely used for instruction. Therefore, students are essentially paying to do their homework, a crucial part of a course that should be covered by the tuition students are already paying.
I’m not denying that textbooks or other written materials are a pivotal part of a course. What isn’t, however, is forcing students to complete homework assignments on one specific platform they must pay to access. Instead of requiring students to spend even more money, let’s just put homework on Canvas.
The cost of college is already high enough; don’t add even more bills to our plate by requiring homework access codes.
Caroline Block is a junior English major from Mobile, Alabama. Caroline can be reached at [email protected].
