Federal lawmakers have renewed efforts to tackle the rising cost of textbooks by reintroducing the Affordable College Textbook Act, a bill designed to make higher education more affordable by expanding the use of open educational resources (OER). OER are course materials that can be accessed, shared, and modified at no cost, offering students and educators a more affordable and flexible alternative to expensive, traditional textbooks. By strengthening federal price transparency requirements and funding the creation of open textbooks, the bill seeks to provide students and educators with high-quality learning materials without financial barriers.
The Affordable College Textbook Act was introduced today in the U.S. Senate by Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Angus King (I-ME), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Ron Wyden (D-OR), with companion legislation sponsored by Representative Joe Neguse (D-CO) expected in the U.S. House. Although the bill’s prospects are tied to the broader Higher Education Act reauthorization process, its sponsors have worked to deliver immediate results for students by securing annual funding for the Open Textbook Pilot grant program. Distributed by the U.S. Department of Education, the Open Textbook Pilot has funded 28 projects since 2018, which are projected to save students an estimated $250 million—a substantial return on federal investment.
SPARC strongly supports the Affordable College Textbook Act, which is also endorsed by organizations representing a wide range of higher education constituencies from bookstores to faculty to students.
The Affordable College Textbook Act would:
- Authorize a grant program, similar to the Open Textbook Pilot program for which Congress already has appropriated $54 million and saved students more than $250 million. The grant would support projects at colleges to create and expand the use of open textbooks, with priority for programs that would achieve the highest savings for students;
- Ensure that any open textbooks or educational materials created using program funds would be free and easily accessible to the public;
- Require entities who receive funds to complete a report on the effectiveness of the program in achieving savings for students;
- Improve and update existing requirements for publishers and institutions that provide information on textbook costs, including new disclosure requirements to students on how companies providing digital materials may use student data; and
- Require the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress with an update on the price trends of college textbooks.
College textbook prices have more than doubled in the last two decades according to the Consumer Price Index, and the average student budget for books and supplies at a four-year public institution is $1,290 according to the College Board. Surveys have found that nearly two-thirds of students skip buying required materials because the cost is too high, even though most said they recognize doing so could hurt their grades. According to a 2016 report by U.S. PIRG, an estimated $3.15 billion in local, state and federal student financial aid is spent annually on textbooks.
The Affordable College Textbook Act is an important step toward making higher education more affordable and ensuring all students have access to the materials they need to succeed.