How Affordable Are Textbooks for JMU Students?
Posted February 18, 2026 in JMU Libraries News, Open Education News
Textbook affordability remains a major challenge for college students. In 2025, Virginia’s academic library consortium surveyed students across the Commonwealth about their textbook experiences. More than 1,000 JMU students responded, sharing how course material costs affect their academic choices and success. Here’s what they had to say.
Survey Results
During the Spring 2025 semester, 1,043 JMU students reported how much they spent on textbooks:
- 99% of students try to save money on textbooks
- 70% of students decided not to buy a required textbook due to cost
- 23% spent more than $300 on course materials
- Nearly 1 in 10 students reported being extremely worried about affording textbooks
To reduce costs, students reported using a variety of strategies:
- Buying used textbooks (83%)
- Purchasing digital versions (70%)
- Renting textbooks (61%)
- Finding free versions online (76%)
- Sharing materials with classmates (47%)
- Borrowing from the library (24%)
The impact of textbook costs goes beyond inconvenience:
- 32% of students reported earning a poor grade due to textbook costs
- 18% reported dropping a course because they could not afford the materials
What Students Are Saying
“I have often avoided taking classes that require me to purchase materials because I simply don’t have enough to spend on the class.”
“I do delay buying textbooks until I have received federal aid, since the majority of the time I cannot afford them on my own. I also must work in order to pay for other course materials, so this eats into my time for my studies.”
“Because of the extremely high costs, I didn’t buy the books until about 2 weeks into the semester, and even skipped buying the book for one of the classes completely. It has impacted my grade in the class.”
What Can You Do?
Faculty:
- Consider adopting open textbooks or other open educational resources (OER)
- Place a copy of required textbook on Course Reserve
- Check out our list of 11 Ways Faculty Can Make Textbooks More Affordable
Students:
- Check JMU Libraries to see if a copy of the text is available
- Use the No/Low-Cost filter in MyMadison when registering for courses
- Check out our list of Top 10 Tips for Finding Affordable Textbooks
Learn More
Visit Open Education at JMU to learn more about how JMU Libraries supports access to open and affordable course materials.