Congress Approves Additional Funding for OER Pilot Program

Funds Will Support Efforts to Increase the Affordability of Course Materials

OBERLIN, OH (Oct. 1, 2018) – The U.S. Congress has approved $5 million in additional funding for research, development, dissemination, and evaluation of Open Educational Resources (OERs). The funding, which is part of the fiscal year 2019 Labor HHS Education appropriations legislation, is designed to expand a federal OER pilot program established earlier this year. President Donald J. Trump has signed the legislation.

“We are pleased to see the federal government increase funding for the program,” said Richard Hershman, vice president of government relations at the National Association of College Stores (NACS). “Quality open educational resources expand the knowledge market and contribute to increased affordability of course materials for higher education.”

“NACS thanks Sen. Dick Durbin (IL) for his support of the pilot program and its funding,” Hershman said. “We also thank the leadership of the Labor HHS Education appropriation subcommittees: Chairs Roy Blunt (MO) and Tom Cole (OK), and Ranking Members Patty Murray (WA) and Rosa DeLauro (CT).”

OERs are course materials that may replace, be combined with or supplement other materials. The additional $5 million approved by Congress brings the total for the OER pilot program, which awards grants for the continued development and use of quality OERs, to $10 million. College stores and their partners, including campus libraries and commercial and non-commercial providers, play important roles in helping with the discovery and acquisition of OERs for faculty, and the distribution of OERs in formats that meet academic and individual student needs, Hershman said.

Since passage of the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, colleges, universities, and their bookstores have made significant progress in making course materials more affordable for students through innovations including rental programs, digital delivery, online price comparison marketplaces, price match guarantees, faculty lower-cost discovery and selection tools, and supporting OERs and other low cost or no additional cost student alternatives.

According to the most recent NACS Student Watch survey, the average college student spent $484 in 2017-2018 on required course materials, down from $576 the previous academic year. Student spending on materials has declined 31 percent over the past 10 years, according to NACS.

These annual spending figures are consistent with the most recent data collected by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). In the 2015-16 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study report, NCES found that undergraduate students in the 2015-2016 academic year spent an average of $555.60 on required course materials. NCES also found in May of this year that there were declines in the average books, supplies and equipment cost of attendance budgets across all sectors of higher education over the last two years -- the only cost of attendance category that saw such declines.

“NACS supports efforts to enhance affordable and equitable access to quality course materials for all students, and will continue to work as an ally in support of student interests,” Hershman said.

About The National Association of College Stores

The National Association of College Stores (NACS), headquartered in Oberlin, Ohio, is the professional trade association of the campus store industry. NACS provides education and other resources that help its member stores support student success, the campus experience, and the academic missions of higher education institutions. The association represents all campus stores, which include nearly 4,000 campuses in the U.S. and Canada, and approximately 1,000 industry-related companies that supply course materials and other merchandise and services to campus stores.