Critics call it gouging by publishers, but publishers say the text updates are necessary. The average college student spends nearly $900 a year on textbooks and supplies above and beyond fees, tuition, and room and board, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office. For Edward Capps, a 20-year-old pre-med junior at Wayne State University , an 18.5 percent tuition increase put even more strain on his book-buying budget. \"I\'ve looked at the prices, but I haven\'t bought anything yet,\" he said. \"There\'s a physics book that\'s required with a CD-ROM for $130. ... I\'ve bought things online before and gotten the wrong book, so instead I\'m just building up piles of debt that I\'ll have to pay off when I get out of school.\"