Opinion: Letters to the Editor, Week of January 28, 2019

To the Editor:

Re “Yet Another Textbook Rant” (column, Jan. 29):  

Cengage has heard you loud and clear – and we agree.  For too long, our industry pushed an outdated model that forgot the needs of our most important customer: students.

In fact, students say buying textbooks causes them more financial stress than paying for food, housing and health care, according to a recent Morning Consult survey.  This is unconscionable.

That’s why Cengage now offers an unlimited access subscription service.  Using the approach students already embrace for movies and music, a subscription offers one-price access to thousands of ebooks, online homework access codes, study guides, Chegg, Quizlet and Kaplan test prep.  Print rentals are available with free shipping.

Considering that students spend, on average, about $500 each year on course materials, one subscription ($119.99/semester or $179.99/year) can save them up to half of what they currently pay.

The response has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic: More than 500,000 students have subscribed in just one semester of availability. We expect students to save $60 million this academic year alone.

My Cengage colleagues and I feel a strong responsibility to help address the problem of college affordability.  Today’s students already face many barriers to achieving a college education. High textbook costs should no longer be one of them.

Michael Hansen
CEO, Cengage
New York City

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