For all our students more often than not there is an access code to do homework or what have you – and these are outrageous most times. It seems impossible to find alternate sources of the books when they use these access codes. RACKET??
Are you saying that the access code by itself is expensive, or can only be gotten combined with a book that would otherwise be available used?
^^Yes, @ucbalumnus , having to buy a new textbook to get the access code is very common, and yes, it is a racket!
Yes what @Massmomm says - some of my daughters books were available cheaper (much) at Amazon, but no access code of course
We just ran into this and O - M - G was I floored by the cost of the Biology text + access code. D has a full ride scholarship that includes $600/semester book allowance and she will go over that amount this semester primarily due to two classes. (We can add foreign language workbooks priced over $100 in addition to $200 texts to the list of college book rackets as well. Can’t buy those workbooks used!)
The access code is included when buying a new book.
If buying used or renting, then the access code has to be paid separately.
Not all professors require them, but many do.
An example, my D got a chem book new with access code included for $160. Buying the book used and paying for the access code was more expensive.
For her bio book renting the book and paying for the code was cheaper.
One ochem professor preferred having the homework done on paper, so renting only the book was cheaper.
For ochem 2 she rented the same book, but paid $55 for access code. Overall it was still cheaper than buying new.
For German the book was $200. You could buy used books for $50 but the access code alone was $150, so I told her just to buy the new book.
And all of these access codes expire in a year or two and you can no longer access your own assignments or the on-line text.
It happened to my D too but only for a couple lowerclassmen courses. To buy the code is not much cheaper than buying a new book with the code. I think I did buy one code for one of her classes. There are also course pak for some classes that is only available at the school. So there is no way to shop around for lower price. She got a couple of those for lowerclassmen courses too. Most of the upperclassmen courses have electronic materials. We only spent a couple hundreds on her junior year engineering text books last year.
Yes, we are finding this more so with one of our kids over the other and ironically, it’s typically for useless electives that she has no need for the materials. It’s so frustrating! You’d think the professors would see through the racket and cut us all a break and avoid the code nonsense.
My daughter is a rising high school senior and did full time dual enrollment last year. Her classes are free and she gets free book rentals. She has lucked out and gotten new books that include the code and used books without a code. For two classes she needed the code to do homework though she had a 1-2 week access. While that was getting straightened out I thought I could just pay for the code. I was surprised that the book with the code from the college bookstore was about $130 but the code by itself was over $100.
In the end the dual enrollment coordinator from the college was able to give her one access code and the second professor told the class they didn’t need the code. Another class she had the same book for two semesters but two different professors so even though the access code should have worked both semesters the college had to somehow convince the company that for a book used for both principles of accounting 1 and principles of accounting 2 they were taught over two semesters and the professors change every semester. I don’t know the details since the college straightened that one out.
I don’t use them, partially for all these reasons. Actually, last semester, all my readings were online links, and so there were no costs for this class at all. You’re welcome. 
I am jealous of those saying the cost for code + book was $130 or $160. For my daughter’s Biology I course the new book + access code is $286.45 in the bookstore. (We have found it on Amazon for $11 less and despite the $100 access code cost, it will be cheaper to buy used + code.) The lab book is an additional $67.85 (looks like it might be made by the department, as the ISBN number gets no hits anywhere). AND they’re required to buy one of those audience participation clickers with a one year license for an additional $65.70. (can buy used devices, but can not find where a license can be purchased separately.) That’s $420 for one class!!
@SuburbMom Horrible!
that’s ridiculous. And can I add, that ubiquitous idea that digital technology was supposed to cut costs is over and over demonstrated to be not true–it just means more and more gadgets (like clickers) that are all of a sudden “necessary” technology in order to be able to teach. 
Having said that, my previous post showed a lack of cost on account of digital, I just realized. However, I am pretty sure my class was more of an exception, and Suburbmom’s D’s experience is more the rule these days.
@garland I could NOT agree more – now we have to buy laptops, tablets, printers, iphones and have wifi access to educate our kids. I guarantee you it is costing me WAY more than the books and supplies my parents bought for me and my sister in high school and college. And it isn’t even plausible to use the same laptop through all of high school and all of college. This stupid access code crap is just insult to injury.
^ - I get your point but a little exaggerated. You do need a laptop and I would say smart phone but not a tablet or printer most unis have campus wide wifi (I believe). Now, there is the need for access codes in some courses, where I agree that is a racquet. But, more times there is the opportunity to buy used on-line (or rent) for relatively cheap.
I interpreted that comment being more in regards to high school… It’s expected that the kids will have access to a new-ish computer with an up-to-date OS that can run certain software/websites, fast internet access, and a printer. The cost of all that can add up into the thousands, and you’ll have to get all of that no matter if your kids attend private or public schools (and probably expands the gap between kids from families who can afford to have that at home vs kids who have to do work only when the school computer lab or public library is open). Families should not have to spend thousands of dollars for their kids to access PUBLIC education.
Have her check with the professor, my D thought she needed to buy a clicker but the professor had them for the students to use.
I can’t complain too much, we claimed book expenses for the AOTC education credit. So we did get that money back.
@wayneandgarth I didn’t mean just for college-- I mean high school as well, just our wifi at home costs a small fortune-- just generally the technology is not making life cheaper AT ALL