Carley Christopher is a first-year student at UCSB. According to her, the high cost of textbooks and online assignment submissions is unfair and unmanageable for many students.
"For many students, textbooks are something that we have to pay for out of pocket, and it's very unaffordable," said Christopher.
Christopher is part of the student advocacy group CALPIRG, which has released a new report stating that most students have to pay to do their homework.
The hidden costs quickly add up.
"Many students have reported having to skip meals and work extra hours," said Christopher. "I have a minimum wage job on campus. I make $17 an hour, and I added up the total of what my chemistry textbook, my lab coat, and everything costs me. It was $680, and that's 40 hours of work. If I worked that much, I literally wouldn't be able to study," she said.
