Pricey Textbooks Lead Education Publishers to Expand Digital Offerings

The high cost of tuition gets a lot of attention, but any college student can attest that buying textbooks is no small expense. Print textbook prices have soared 82 percent in the last decade alone, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Yet students like Connelly are saving money through online marketplaces for used, new, rental or electronic textbooks. This past school year, students spent an average of $563 on course materials, 20 percent less than they did in the 2007-2008 academic year, according to the National Association of College Stores.