Textbook Affordability

At KPU, textbook affordability is a strategic priority that aligns with our Academic Plan and Vision 2026. This work directly supports multiple institutional goals: enhancing the student experience, advancing equity and accessibility, and fostering financial sustainability for our students. We believe that the cost of learning materials should never be a barrier to student success. Since 2018, we have been working systematically to reduce textbook costs through innovative designations, faculty support, and institutional commitment to open education.

Why Textbook Affordability Matters

The rising cost of textbooks has become a significant barrier to educational access and student success. Research consistently shows that textbook costs impact students in multiple ways:

• Financial Burden: Students often face hundreds or thousands of dollars in textbook costs each term, on top of tuition and living expenses.¹ Many students work additional hours, reduce course loads, or take on more debt to afford required materials.²
• Academic Impact: When textbooks are unaffordable, students make difficult choices. Studies show that students skip purchasing required textbooks, use older editions, share books with classmates, or delay purchases until they can afford them.³ These strategies compromise learning outcomes and academic performance.
• Equity and Access: Textbook costs disproportionately affect students from marginalized communities, first-generation students, and those balancing work and family responsibilities.⁴ High material costs can force students to choose between food, housing, and course materials - choices that fundamentally undermine educational equity.
• Course Selection: Students report avoiding courses, not registering for courses, taking fewer courses, or dropping courses because of textbook costs.⁵ Material costs shouldn't dictate which courses students can take or how quickly they can complete their credentials.
• Publisher Practices: Commercial textbook publishers often employ practices that drive up costs, including frequent new editions with minimal changes, bundled access codes that cannot be resold, and digital platforms that expire after one term.⁶ These practices transfer ongoing costs to students while limiting their ability to access materials long-term.

By addressing textbook affordability, we remove barriers, support student success, and create more equitable learning environments.

Our Approach

KPU addresses textbook affordability through two complementary course designations that give students transparent information about material costs: