Textbooks can determine your success in college and as many of you know they can be expensive.
With inflation at 3.4 percent and prices increasing at the grocery store, restaurants, and the gas pump, Delta is adding new student registration options to help students. Using the class search tool, you can now look for classes with low and no-cost textbook options. This means the low-cost textbook classes have textbooks at either $30 or less and the no-cost textbook classes have either no textbook or the textbook is free.
Student Jesse Lopez, who works a job outside of school, has recognized how hard it is to be a college student with prices increasing.
“Even my job has started to cut hours because fewer people are coming into shop for groceries and I don’t blame them,” he said. “I’ve been working at my job since 2021 and prices have doubled and tripled on certain items.”
Director of Marketing and Communications Alex Brietler is aware of the financial pressure and struggle that students face nowadays.
“These struggles are very real,” Brietler said. “Some students aren’t able to work as much while they’re in college. Inflation has made everyday necessities more expensive and gas prices are a challenge for those who drive to campus. The zero and low-cost textbooks just make things a little easier.”
When informed, Lopez was excited for Delta to push the low/no-cost textbook options so he could take these classes and save money on textbooks.
“While registering I saw both of the options and tried to sign up for classes with the low-cost options,” Lopez said. “Two of my four classes have no textbook cost and I prefer a hard copy instead of an electronic copy which is more expensive. Let’s be real no one wants to spend $100 plus on a textbook they will barely use after the class.”
According to the 2023-24 California Student Aid Commission Student Expense Budget Report, students will spend $486 on textbooks alone for one year of schooling. The total cost of books and school supplies was estimated to be $938 per year.
Brietler comments on Delta’s plans for the courses.
“We are working hard to promote these classes moving down the road,” he said. “We’re currently putting together a video tutorial showing students how they can easily search for zero-cost or low-cost classes, that video will be shared via email hopefully in the near future.”
Breitler said there are a lot of courses doing the zero/low-cost textbook option.
“The last time I checked, we have more than 400 zero-cost textbook courses available this spring, the highest number ever,” he said. “There are also many low-cost courses, thanks to the faculty members who see this as an opportunity to help students.”
One of the professors who teach classes with these options is Women’s Soccer Coach Adrienne Sorenson who teaches health, kinesiology, and physical education courses.
“I have no textbook requirements for my classes and I do feel it benefits students by making my courses accessible financially to everyone,” Sorenson said in an email interview.
Sorenson said feels these classes can benefit students.
“I agree with Delta College pushing these classes, education being accessible benefits our whole community,” she said.