Estimated 2019-21 Student Savings in No-Cost/Low-Cost Courses

This post reports on the statewide estimated student savings represented by Oregon’s no-cost/low-cost course designation for the 2019-21 biennium, mandated by Oregon’s HB 2871 (2015). The previous report of this type can be found in the post Estimated 2017-19 Student Savings in No-Cost/Low-Cost Courses.

Each college and university reports savings data using the method that works best for their own local campus environment. This means that the people who created the data make the case for how they use it. Each institution shows their work by sharing their method so that the aggregated estimate can be understood as a sum of differentiated components. More information on this approach to OER savings estimates can be found in the post Support for a local approach to data collection.

2019-21 Statewide Savings Estimate

Out of Oregon’s 24 public colleges and universities, 18 provided data for this report: 12 colleges and 6 universities. Five colleges and one university did not participate, either because they have not yet implemented the no-cost/low-cost schedule designation, or because the data was not available in time.

Student enrollment is represented by 2020 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount data provided by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission Office of Research and Data. Fall, fourth week enrollment is the data that is provided by both colleges and universities; using headcount rather than full-time equivalent shows how many individual students may see impact from no-cost/low-cost courses.

2020 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount Enrollment for the participating institutions: 167,928
2020 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount Enrollment for all Oregon colleges and universities: 185,158

In round numbers, 75% of Oregon’s colleges and universities shared data for this report, representing over 90% of the students in the state. The courses with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule at these institutions are estimated to have saved over 600,000 students in 32,000 course sections almost $50 million in two academic years. At the reporting institutions, almost 20% of courses offered were designated no-cost or low-cost.

Term	# Designated Sections	# Students in Designated Sections	Estimated Savings	Total sections offered	% no-cost/low-cost
Summer 2019	1804	24,006	$1,871,186	9878	18.26
Fall 2019	4463	90,313	$7,068,830	25755	17.33
Winter 2020	4656	83,657	$6,756,511	26391	17.64
Spring 2020	4345	72,468	$5,708,451	25088	17.32
Summer 2020	1632	28089	2309134	9191	17.76
Fall 2020	4909	90791	7863697.11	24704	19.87
Winter 2021	5122	90211	7256056.54	23963	21.37
Spring 2021	5284	89504	7439402.35	24196	21.84
Total	32737	602,646	$49,392,244	171846	19.05

Savings estimates will always be just that – an estimate. In part, this is because student behavior is so varied: some buy used, rent, unbundle, share, sell back, order overseas, pirate, or skip a purchase altogether, and pricing for every option can change from one day to the next. Still, it is important to collect and share this data because it communicates the effectiveness of the no-cost/low-cost schedule designation and also shows the impact that faculty choices have on students.

A common theme among reporting institutions is that they would like to have more accurate and timely information from faculty on course materials adoptions. Oregon’s HB 2919, passed in 2021, addresses this issue by requiring institutions to report course materials adoption for 75% of sections in time for cost information to be available to students when registration for the next term begins. This will enable students to plan ahead for their schedules and budgets, and will make the no-cost/low-cost schedule designation more meaningful.

Comparison with 2017-19 Statewide Savings Estimate

Open Oregon Educational Resources reported on statewide estimated student savings represented by Oregon’s no-cost/low-cost course designation for the first time in the 2017-19 biennium. With new data now available for the 2019-21 biennium, it is possible to report on a change over time.

For the 2017-19 biennium, 19 institutions representing nearly 90% of students in the state provided data. The courses with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule at these institutions were estimated to have saved over 375,000 students in 21,000 course sections approximately $34 million from 2017-19. At the reporting institutions, approximately 12% of all courses were designated no-cost or low-cost.

The table below shows that while the total number of sections offered at reporting institutions decreased slightly in the 2019-21 biennium, the percentage of sections with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule increased by over 50%. Over 200,000 additional students (by headcount) enrolled in designated sections and estimated student savings saw a 44% increase, representing increased savings of approximately $15 million.

	# Designated Sections	# Students in Designated Sections	Estimated Savings	Total sections offered	% no-cost/low-cost
2017-19 Totals	21,914	379,348	$34,178,056	178,815	12.26%
2019-21 Totals	32,737	602,646	$49,392,244	171,846	19.05%
Difference	+10,823	+223,298	+$15,214,188	-6,969	+6.79%
Percent change	+49.39%	+58.86%	+44.51%	-3.90%	+55.38%

Per Institution Breakdown

Oregon institutions are not required to use a consistent method for calculating student savings represented by the statewide no-cost/low-cost schedule designation. Instead, each campus estimates student savings using the method that is the best fit for them. The resulting statewide estimate aggregates the data reported irrespective of method. The post Support for a local approach to data collection provides more context for this approach.

The sections below show how each reporting institution arrived at their savings numbers.

Central Oregon Community College

The Office of Institutional Effectiveness at Central Oregon Community College provided a spreadsheet with 4th week enrollment numbers for courses with low-cost or no-cost materials. COCC used $100 as the savings estimate for no-cost courses, and $60 as the savings estimate for low-cost courses (because their low-cost threshold is $40). The 2020 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount Enrollment for Central Oregon Community College was 5,534.

While the total number of sections offered at Central Oregon Community College decreased by 12% compared to the 2017-19 biennium, the percentage of sections with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule increased by 19%. Nearly 2,000 additional students enrolled in designated sections and estimated student savings saw an 8% increase, representing increased savings of $174,780.

Term	# Designated Sections	# Students in Designated Sections	Estimated Savings	Total sections offered	% no-cost/low-cost
Summer 2019	90	972	$85,160	222	40.54
Fall 2019	310	4,919	$438,620	796	38.94
Winter 2020	333	4,583	$415,740	793	41.99
Spring 2020	238	3,316	$297,360	652	36.50
Summer 2020	81	1063	101420	223	36.32
Fall 2020	224	3434	307520	678	33.04
Winter 2021	259	3680	324400	644	40.22
Spring 2021	229	3392	306120	618	37.06
Total	1764	25,359	$2,276,340	4626	38.13

Chemeketa Community College

Chemeketa Community College used $100 as the savings estimate for no-cost courses, and $60 as the savings estimate for low-cost courses (because their low-cost threshold is $40). The 2020 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount Enrollment for Chemeketa Community College was 9,832. Data for the 2017-19 biennium was not available.

Term	# Designated Sections	# Students in Designated Sections	Estimated Savings	Total sections offered	% no-cost/low-cost
Summer 2019	430	2,040	$189,673	713	60.31
Fall 2019	750	12,864	$1,077,146	1502	49.93
Winter 2020	1198	13,112	$1,274,863	2076	57.71
Spring 2020	1003	7,885	$738,816	1760	56.99
Summer 2020	187	2261	$189,416.18	440	42.50
Fall 2020	808	9429	$832,972.80	1596	50.63
Winter 2021	999	10952	$1,016,705.19	1729	57.78
Spring 2021	778	9798	$877,538.10	2097	37.10
Total	6153	68,341	$6,197,129	11913	51.65

Clatsop Community College

Our methodology was to start with the textbook adoptions reported to the bookstore and identify the no cost classes and those with costs at $40 or under. We pulled enrollment data for each class section but did not include students who dropped out of the classes. For each student in a no-cost class, we estimated $100 in savings; for each student in a low-cost class, we estimated $60 in savings. The 2020 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount Enrollment for Clatsop Community College was 784.

The total number of sections offered at Clatsop Community College increased by over 200% compared to the 2017-19 biennium, and the percentage of sections with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule decreased by 4%. Over 1,200 additional students enrolled in designated sections and estimated student savings saw a 94% increase, representing increased savings of $99,170.

Term	# Designated Sections	# Students in Designated Sections	Estimated Savings	Total sections offered	% no-cost/low-cost
Summer 2019	18	144	$9,280	41	43.90
Fall 2019	31	359	$25,740	145	21.38
Winter 2020	45	428	$31,120.00	147	30.61
Spring 2020	40	326	$26,560.00	143	27.97
Summer 2020	19	174	11280	47	40.43
Fall 2020	43	368	27920	130	33.08
Winter 2021	47	438	34360	127	37.01
Spring 2021	46	449	38,660	118	38.98
Total	289	2686	$204,920	898	32.18

Columbia Gorge Community College

Columbia Gorge Community College uses the $100 multiplier to estimate savings. No-cost/low cost sections offered that didn’t fill were counted towards designated sections, though they didn’t result in student savings. The 2020 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount Enrollment for Columbia Gorge Community College was 1,034.

The total number of sections offered at Columbia Gorge Community College increased by 9% compared to the 2017-19 biennium, and the percentage of sections with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule decreased by 5%. Over 600 additional students enrolled in designated sections and estimated student savings saw a 26% increase, representing increased savings of $161,800.

Term	# Designated Sections	# Students in Designated Sections	Estimated Savings	Total sections offered	% no-cost/low-cost
Summer 2019	26	338	$33,800	30	86.67
Fall 2019	96	1,350	$135,000	137	70.07
Winter 2020	90	1,219	$121,900	124	72.58
Spring 2020	97	1,084	$108,400	142	68.31
Summer 2020	35	321	$32,100.00	46	76.09
Fall 2020	101	1,337	$133,700.00	147	68.71
Winter 2021	92	1,229	$122,900.00	135	68.15
Spring 2021	89	1,048	$104,800.00	141	63.12
Total	626	7,926	$792,600	902	69.40

Eastern Oregon University

Eastern Oregon University’s data begins in Spring 2021 because that is the first term during which the no-cost/low-cost designation was implemented. Savings are calculated by assuming an average savings of $100 per enrollment for zero cost sections and of $50 per enrollment for low cost sections. The 2020 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount Enrollment for Eastern Oregon University was 2,853.

Term	# Designated Sections	# Students in Designated Sections	Estimated Savings	Total sections offered	% no-cost/low-cost
Spring 2021	314	2,965	$266,150.00	735	42.72
Total	314	2,965	$266,150	735	42.72

Klamath Community College

The data for the no-cost/low cost designation was obtained from the Institutional Researchers Office. Enrollment is based on week 4 numbers for classes with a minimum enrollment of 10 students. The low-cost courses are estimated at a $60 per person savings. The no-cost courses are estimated at $100 savings per person. The 2020 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount Enrollment for Klamath Community College was 1,797.

While the total number of sections offered at Klamath Community College decreased by 5% compared to the 2017-19 biennium, the percentage of sections with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule increased by 23%. Nearly 5,000 additional students enrolled in designated sections and estimated student savings saw a 21% increase, representing increased savings of $81,400.

Term	# Designated Sections	# Students in Designated Sections	Estimated Savings	Total sections offered	% no-cost/low-cost
Summer 2019	22	397	$37,740.00	61	36.07
Fall 2019	11	289	$28,900.00	188	5.85
Winter 2020	30	604	$54,920.00	171	17.54
Spring 2020	28	600	$55,360.00	166	16.87
Summer 2020	23	400	$38,640.00	61	37.70
Fall 2020	57	1087	$106,180.00	171	33.33
Winter 2021	43	740	$68,280.00	165	26.06
Spring 2021	47	870	$81,240.00	131	35.88
Total	261	4,987	$471,260.00	1114	23.43

Lane Community College

Our OER/low-cost designation includes materials that cost $40 or less (this data uses $95.50 as a multiplier, an average of the $100 savings for no-cost and $60 savings for no-cost courses). The 2020 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount Enrollment for Lane Community College was 7,723.

The total number of sections offered at Lane Community College increased by 121% compared to the 2017-19 biennium, and the percentage of sections with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule increased by 43%. Over 20,000 additional students enrolled in designated sections and estimated student savings saw a 263% increase, representing increased savings of $2,112,851.

Term	# Designated Sections	# Students in Designated Sections	Estimated Savings	Total sections offered	% no-cost/low-cost
Summer 2019	48	993	$94,832	464	10.34
Fall 2019	213	4,844	$462,602	1358	15.68
Winter 2020	211	4,313	$411,892	1279	16.50
Spring 2020	212	4268	$407,594	1056	20.08
Summer 2020	69	1,262	$120,521	414	16.67
Fall 2020	251	5010	$478,455	1180	21.27
Winter 2021	242	4,958	$473,489	1,066	22.70
Spring 2021	254	4,874	$465,467	935	27.17
Total	1500	30,522	$2,914,851	7752	19.35

Linn-Benton Community College

Linn-Benton Community College has pivoted from the previous method used to track and report student savings. In 2021, LBCC stopped estimating savings based on the highest textbook price. As a result of our new Textbook Affordability Strategic Plan, our main metric will shift from estimated savings to the percentage of sections that receive $0 and under $40 designations. Sections that use open, library, and free resources to save students money (our historic metric, which is not the same as sections with materials under $40) will continue to be tracked by faculty reporting usage to the Campus Store. The 2020 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount Enrollment for Linn-Benton Community College was 6,437.

While the total number of sections offered at Linn-Benton Community College decreased by 11% compared to the 2017-19 biennium, the percentage of sections with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule increased by 55%. Nearly 6,000 additional students enrolled in designated sections. Because of the change in method for tracking savings, estimated student savings are not comparable to the previous biennium.

Term	# Designated Sections	# Students in Designated Sections	Estimated Savings	Total sections offered	% no-cost/low-cost
Summer 2019	26	507	$58,299.71	149	17.45
Fall 2019	188	4,511	$540,540.05	921	20.41
Winter 2020	185	3,958	$504,927.11	854	21.66
Spring 2020	190	3,943	$483,127.78	699	27.18
Summer 2020	42	766	$89,292.82	152	27.63
Fall 2020	245	5327	$596,918.26	849	28.86
Winter 2021	195	3956	*	779	25.03
Spring 2021	194	3563	*	726	26.72
Total	1265	26,531	$2,273,105.73	5129	24.66

Mt. Hood Community College

Estimated savings are calculated using the No-Cost/Low-Cost designation that faculty reported on the Course Section Reporting Form. We assumed a cost savings to the student of $100 in no-cost sections and $75 in low-cost sections. These numbers exclude College Now and Apprenticeship credit courses and some of our non-credit areas like Community Ed and Workforce. It does however include ABS/GED areas as these faculty are asked to fill out the course section reporting form. The 2020 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount Enrollment for Mt. Hood Community College was 7,164.

While the total number of sections offered at Mt. Hood Community College decreased by 65% compared to the 2017-19 biennium, the percentage of sections with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule increased by 116%. Over 22,000 additional students enrolled in designated sections and estimated student savings saw a 200% increase, representing increased savings of $2,080,675.

Term	# Designated Sections	# Students in Designated Sections	Estimated Savings	Total sections offered	% no-cost/low-cost
Total	522	33,607	$3,118,975.00	2680	19%

Oregon Institute of Technology

Oregon Tech’s No-Cost/Low-Cost designation went live in Winter 2020; no courses were designated in Winter or Spring 2020 so data reporting begins in Summer 2020. Oregon Tech uses $163 as the savings number for no-cost courses because that is the average cost of textbooks that have been converted in the internal initiatives program. Oregon Tech’s low-cost threshold is $50, so the estimated savings for low-cost courses is $113 ($163-$50). The 2020 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount Enrollment for Oregon Institute of Technology was 5,325.

Term	# Designated Sections	# Students in Designated Sections	Estimated Savings	Total sections offered	% no-cost/low-cost
Summer 2020	107	918	$141,934.00	421	25.42
Fall 2020	335	4720	$715,460.00	1048	31.97
Winter 2021	397	4936	$769,368.00	1001	39.66
Spring 2021	492	5843	$905,509.00	988	49.80
Total	1331	16,417	$2,532,271.00	3458	38.49

Oregon State University

To estimate cost savings, Oregon State University uses $75 as the average per textbook for no-cost courses in order to reflect more accurately the fact that many students rent, buy used, or rely on the library course reserves materials to acquire their textbook (OpenStax lowered their “lower-end” number to $79 to reflect the national textbook cost data). OSU uses $40 for low-cost courses. Thesis, dissertation and research sections were not counted. The 2020 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount Enrollment for Oregon State University was 33,359.

While the total number of sections offered at Oregon State University decreased by 15% compared to the 2017-19 biennium, the percentage of sections with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule increased by 534%. Over 125,000 additional students enrolled in designated sections and estimated student savings saw a 462% increase, representing increased savings of $7,512,590.

Term	# Designated Sections	# Students in Designated Sections	Estimated Savings	Total sections offered	% no-cost/low-cost
Summer 2019	364	8575	$509,885	1200	30.33
Fall 2019	798	23492	$1,420,780	3851	20.72
Winter 2020	686	21694	$1,234,170	4305	15.93
Spring 2020	637	19428	$1,127,380	4204	15.15
Summer 2020	294	8040	$461,640	1432	20.53
Fall 2020	707	23798	$1,414,735	3949	17.90
Winter 2021	840	26531	1573185	4141	20.28
Spring 2021	817	22627	1395985	4062	20.11
Total	5143	154185	$9,137,760	27144	18.95

Portland Community College

Savings are estimates and use $100 text cost as per the Open Oregon Educational Resources suggestion in Estimating student savings from no-cost/low-cost course materials. The 2020 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount Enrollment for Portland Community College was 27,040.

While the total number of sections offered at Portland Community College decreased by 11% compared to the 2017-19 biennium, the percentage of sections with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule increased by 43%. Over 9,000 additional students enrolled in designated sections and estimated student savings saw a 21% increase, representing increased savings of $1,733,240.

Term	# Designated Sections	# Students in Designated Sections	Estimated Savings	Total sections offered	% no-cost/low-cost
Summer 2019	456	4567	$456,700	2,548	17.90
Fall 2019	1069	13822	$1,382,200	5,693	18.78
Winter 2020	830	11114	$1,111,400	5,591	14.85
Spring 2020	972	10314	$1,031,400	5,320	18.27
Summer 2020	455	6340	$634,000	2,486	18.30
Fall 2020	1334	19014	$1,901,400	4,929	27.06
Winter 2021	1249	18090	$1,809,000	4,444	28.11
Spring 2021	1148	16480	$1,648,000	3,768	30.47
Total	7513	99741	$9,974,100	34,779	21.60

Portland State University

Our savings estimate uses $90 as an average expenditure per student, per course. This average is a commonly used figure in literature and research on open (see, for example, Hilton, Robinson, Wiley, and Ackerman’s article, Cost-savings achieved in two semesters through the adoption of open educational resources). Portland State University currently only designates no-cost courses but the low-cost designation will be available beginning in Fall 2022. The 2020 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount Enrollment for Portland State University was 23,979.

While the total number of sections offered at Portland State University decreased by 9% compared to the 2017-19 biennium, the percentage of sections with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule increased by 31%. Nearly 8,000 additional students enrolled in designated sections and estimated student savings saw a 33% increase, representing increased savings of $703,890.

Term	# Designated Sections	# Students in Designated Sections	Estimated Savings	Total sections offered	% no-cost/low-cost
Summer 2019	52	882	$79,380	1,629	3.19
Fall 2019	197	4,096	$368,640	4,677	4.21
Winter 2020	294	5,163	$464,670	4,566	6.44
Spring 2020	267	4,505	$405,450	4,390	6.08
Summer 2020	78	1,378	$124,020	1,416	5.51
Fall 2020	242	5,329	$479,610	4,361	5.55
Winter 2021	281	4,797	$431,730	4,318	6.51
Spring 2021	277	5,221	$469,890	4,244	6.53
Total	1688	31371	$2,823,390	29,601	5.70

Rogue Community College

To estimate student savings at Rogue Community College from designated no-cost/low-cost course designations on the schedule, we ran a report on the sections that were flagged the “no-cost/low-cost” designation in the institution’s management system, RogueNet. For the headcount, we use the estimated figure of 20 students per section. We used the established figure of $100 as the cost of a traditional textbook to compare to no-cost/low-cost textbooks. The 2020 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount Enrollment for Rogue Community College was 3,619.

To capture a range of the estimated student savings for no-cost textbooks and low-cost textbooks, we multiplied the estimated number of enrolled students (20 per section) by:

60 which represents what students save when they purchase a low-cost textbook defined as $40 and under. Sixty is the most conservative figure to use to estimate savings for a low-cost textbook.
100 which represents what students save when they use open educational resources and/or no textbook is required for the class.
The reported savings estimate is an average of these two calculations.

This report is a testament to the hard work put forth by RCC faculty to adopt open educational resources or find other no-cost/low-cost alternatives. Grassroots efforts from RCC faculty to adopt OER have now saved students millions of dollars. These faculty efforts should be celebrated and better recorded. Saving students money and providing more opportunity for students to access their course materials on the first day of term supports student retention and completion, and aligns with RCC’s own goals to improve access to educational opportunities and student success.

While the total number of sections offered at Rogue Community College decreased by 38% compared to the 2017-19 biennium, the percentage of sections with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule increased by 38%.

Term	# Designated Sections	# Students in Designated Sections	Estimated Savings	Total sections offered	% no-cost/low-cost
Summer 2019	139	2780	$222,400	827	16.81
Fall 2019	258	5160	$412,800	1239	20.82
Winter 2020	297	5940	$475,200	1356	21.90
Spring 2020	228	4560	$364,800	1368	16.67
Summer 2020	149	2980	$238,400.00	334	44.61
Fall 2020	319	6380	$510,400.00	815	39.14
Winter 2021	70	1400	$112,000.00	611	11.46
Spring 2021	263	5260	$420,800.00	679	38.73
Total	1723	34460	$2,756,800	7229	23.83

Southwestern Oregon Community College

Southwestern Oregon Community College’s institutional researcher prepared a report showing all classes marked as LC or NC in the student information system (Jenzabar), along with student enrollments per section. The higher course and enrollment numbers beginning in Spring 18 reflect progress in moving from pilot to full implementation with the course schedule designation. SOCC used $100 as the savings estimate for no-cost courses, and $50 as the savings estimate for low-cost courses (because their low-cost threshold is $50). The 2020 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount Enrollment for Southwestern Oregon Community College was 1,976.

The total number of sections offered at Southwestern Oregon Community College increased by 62% compared to the 2017-19 biennium, and the percentage of sections with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule decreased by 7%. Approximately 2,500 additional students enrolled in designated sections and estimated student savings saw a 44% increase, representing increased savings of $168,700.

Term	# Designated Sections	# Students in Designated Sections	Estimated Savings	Total sections offered	% no-cost/low-cost
Summer 2019	26	245	$15,000	134	19.40
Fall 2019	44	788	$42,700	389	11.31
Winter 2020	103	1555	$113,750	425	24.24
Spring 2020	35	546	$29,150	344	10.17
Summer 2020	11	220	16200	71	15.49
Fall 2020	72	1252	91200	296	24.32
Winter 2021	92	1541	111350	337	27.30
Spring 2021	124	1925	136100	341	36.36
Total	507	8072	$555,450	2337	21.69

Umpqua Community College

The total estimated savings was calculated by using the estimate of $100 average per textbook (Is the average cost of a textbook $100?). For each student enrolled in a no-cost section, we calculated $100 in savings. For each student enrolled in a low cost section, we calculated $50. The 2020 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount Enrollment for Umpqua Community College was 3,118.

While the total number of sections offered at Umpqua Community College decreased by 3% compared to the 2017-19 biennium, the percentage of sections with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule increased by 82%. Approximately 2,500 additional students enrolled in designated sections and estimated student savings saw a 100% increase, representing increased savings of $315,150.

Term	# Designated Sections	# Students in Designated Sections	Estimated Savings	Total sections offered	% no-cost/low-cost
Summer 2019	16	201	$12,800	137	11.68
Fall 2019	104	1420	$130,950	441	23.58
Winter 2020	96	1184	$106,050	450	21.33
Spring 2020	82	955	$85,350	405	20.25
Summer 2020	16	202	$16,550	135	11.85
Fall 2020	63	1141	$105,550	404	15.59
Winter 2021	98	1178	$111,600	406	24.14
Spring 2021	38	672	$62,200	417	9.11
Total	513	6953	$631,050	2795	18.35

University of Oregon

At the time that we put together designation data for the 2017-19 biennium, we did not have access to actual enrollment numbers, so we had to rely on max enrollment numbers. For the 2019-21 biennium, we were able to track actual enrollment numbers and use those to more accurately estimate cost avoidance for low and no cost courses. We still prefer to frame this data as cost avoidance, as savings are hard to accurately estimate without knowing where students are purchasing materials, what format they purchase (new, used, rental, etc.), or if they purchase the materials at all.

Additionally, we have lowered the average cost of a book from $100 to $75 to align with OpenStax’s recommended revision of the national average cost of a textbook. This also aligns better with what some of our other Oregon colleagues are now using in their own savings estimates. Finally, it’s important to note that this data is pulled from our faculty textbook and course materials adoptions, which are supplied by our campus bookstore. Currently, only 30-40% of faculty consistently report book adoptions, so the data is not complete. We expect that these numbers will grow as we implement the requirements outlined by HB 2919. The 2020 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount Enrollment for University of Oregon was 21,800.

Formula: ($75 – Actual Cost) * Actual Enrollment = Savings

The total number of sections offered at the University of Oregon increased by 79% compared to the 2017-19 biennium, and the percentage of sections with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule decreased by 67%. Because of the change in method for tracking savings, estimated student enrollment and savings are not comparable to the previous biennium.

Term	# Designated Sections	# Students in Designated Sections	Estimated Savings	Total sections offered	% no-cost/low-cost
Summer 2019	91	1365	$66,237.36	1723	5.28
Fall 2019	394	12399	$602,213	4418	8.92
Winter 2020	258	8790	$435,910	4254	6.06
Spring 2020	316	10738	$547,704	4439	7.12
Summer 2020	66	1764	$93,720	1513	4.36
Fall 2020	108	3165	$161,676	4151	2.60
Winter 2021	218	5785	$297,689	4060	5.37
Spring 2021	174	4517	$260,943	4196	4.15
Total	1625	48523	$2,466,092	28754	5.65

Western Oregon University

Combined enrollment numbers for the biennium were provided by the registrar and multiplied by $100. The 2020 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount Enrollment for Western Oregon University was 4,554. Data for the 2017-19 biennium was not available.

Term	# Designated Sections	# Students in Designated Sections	Estimated Savings	Total sections offered	% no-cost/low-cost
Total	931	15365	$1,536,500	6257	14.88