Students at the State and City universities could save as much as $500 a year by buying their textbooks online – but their schools need to enable them to do so, according to a new report.
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s report found that students at four SUNY and two CUNY schools weren’t taking advantage of the 40 percent savings largely because required textbook lists came too late.
“The earlier they know the ISBN numbers [a commercial book identifying code] of their required texts, the more time students will have to shop around for the best prices,” said Fran Clark, program coordinator for the New York Public Interest Research Group.
DiNapoli recommended that schools post required textbook lists online at least six weeks before courses start and that professors require, when possible, only the latest textbook editions.