A new bill that could cut the cost of studying for degree students has passed through the US Senate to await presidential approval. The proposed College Opportunity and Affordability Act 2008 is aimed at controlling the cost of higher education by obliging publishers of academic textbooks to provide alternatives to bundled or "kitted" textbook packs that come with additional software, pass codes or workbooks. Under the bill, publishers would have to price and sell these elements individually, allowing students and teachers to assess their per item cost. Dennis Ciccone, chief executive officer of education software publisher Carnegie Learning, said: "This legislation is very important for higher education because it gives faculty greater control and understanding of how curricula choices affect their students." Currently the average college student spends around $900 a year on textbooks - equivalent to around 20 per cent of the cost of tuition and fees for a four-year course at a public college. Furthermore, research by the US Public Interest Research Groups federation found spending on academic textbooks is increasing at four times the rate of inflation. According to the College Board, the average cost of an out-of-state, four-year degree at a public university in 2007-08 was $24,044.  |