As the price of college tuition continues to rise, so does the price of textbooks.
College textbook prices have risen 1,041 percent since 1977, NBC News reported on Monday, citing data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
According to NBC, the increase in textbook prices has risen over three times the rate of inflation from 1977 to 2015.
Textbooks have become a significant cost for students and families to figure into the overall cost of college along with tuition, fees, room and board.
The College Board estimates that the average undergraduate student spends about $1,200 on books and supplies each year.
A spokeswoman from the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition told NBC that prices continue to rise because students are “captive consumers,” and are forced to buy whatever books they are assigned, no matter the price.
However, publishers and college bookstores argue that the BLS data does not take into account other options students have, such as buying used textbooks or renting them.
A study conducted last fall provides evidence that students have found other ways to get their hands on the books they need.
Data compiled by NPR in 2014 found that although textbook prices are rising, the amount students are spending on textbooks has actually decreased slightly since 2002.
In addition to buying used books or renting books, students also have the option to buy cheaper digital versions of books, or use websites like Amazon and Chegg.com, which offer textbooks for discounted prices.
There is also the possibility that some students deterred by the high prices are simply choosing not to purchase textbooks at all.
A 2014 report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, “Fixing the Broken Textbook Market” found that 65 percent of surveyed students said they had decided against buying a textbook because it was too expensive.
