Affordable Textbooks

Students spend an average of $900 a year on textbooks—20 percent of tuition at an average university and half of tuition at a community college. Textbook prices have increased at four times the rate of inflation since 1994, and continue to rise. More.

Crushing Student Debt

Higher education in America continues to be critical for both individual success and the economic and political health of our country. While college attendance has grown over the past two decades, state and federal aid has failed to keep pace with the rising cost of higher education. As a result, more students than ever must rely on student loans to pay for a four-year degree and start their post-collegiate lives with significant debt. More.

Cutting Lender Subsidies

As students carry more loans, the student loan industry has become a hugely profitable business. Fortune 500 ranked Sallie Mae as the second most profitable company on their return on revenues—and yet still benefits from government subsidies. Maryland PIRG is pushing legislators to support the STAR Act, which would make sure that funds for student aid actually help make college education accessible. More.