This post reports on the statewide estimated student savings represented by Oregon’s no-cost/low-cost course designation for the 2023-25 biennium, mandated by Oregon’s HB 2871 (2015). Each community college and university reports savings data using the method that works best for their own local campus environment. Each institution shows their work by sharing their method so that the aggregated estimate can be understood as a sum of differentiated components.
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. However, 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. Having a savings estimate helps us understand the scope of the impact for students.
Related posts:
- Estimated 2017-19 Student Savings in No-Cost/Low-Cost Courses
- Estimated 2019-21 Student Savings in No-Cost/Low-Cost Courses
- Estimated 2021-23 Student Savings in No-Cost/Low-Cost Courses
- Support for a local approach to data collection
- Estimating student savings from no-cost/low-cost course materials
2023-25 Statewide Savings Estimate
Out of Oregon’s 24 public community colleges and universities, 20 provided data for this report: 13 community colleges and 7 universities. Four community colleges did not participate this year.
Student enrollment is represented by 2023 Headcount data provided by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission Office of Research and Data. Using headcount rather than full-time equivalent shows how many individual students may see impact from no-cost/low-cost courses.
- 2023 Headcount Enrollment for the participating institutions: 301,041
- 2023 Headcount Enrollment for all Oregon community colleges and universities: 328,182
The institutions that shared data for this report represent 92% 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 1 million students in 57,000 course sections ~$80 million in two academic years. At the reporting institutions, 43% 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 2023 | 2,619 | 47,874 | 3,114,757 | 6,852 | 38.22 |
| Fall 2023 | 8,381 | 148,535 | 10,040,498 | 15,907 | 52.69 |
| Winter 2024 | 8,329 | 145,351 | 10,430,515 | 16,225 | 51.33 |
| Spring 2024 | 7,062 | 127,424 | 8,596,395 | 16,997 | 41.55 |
| Summer 2024 | 3,110 | 38,410 | 2,560,739 | 4,745 | 65.54 |
| Fall 2024 | 8,654 | 185,074 | 12,077,523 | 15,660 | 55.26 |
| Winter 2025 | 8,342 | 162,938 | 11,557,448 | 15,532 | 53.71 |
| Spring 2025 | 9,705 | 145,070 | 9,952,898 | 15,045 | 64.51 |
| Total | 57,510 | 1,085,753 | 80,644,634 | 133,056 | 43.22 |
Data note: Column totals are greater than the sum of the rows because of differences in institutional data reporting methods.
Comparison with Previous Statewide Savings Estimates
Open Oregon Educational Resources previously reported on statewide estimated student savings represented by Oregon’s no-cost/low-cost course designation in 2019, 2021, and 2023.
Since the 2017-19 biennium, Oregon’s community colleges and universities have increased the number of courses with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule by 162%, even though the total number of sections offered has dropped by 26% during that time. Similarly, the number of students in those designated sections has increased by 186% while total enrollment has fluctuated over the same time period. Compared to the 2017-19 biennium, 700,000 additional students enrolled in designated sections and estimated student savings more than doubled, representing increased savings of over $46 million.
During the eight years covered by these reports, courses with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule are estimated to have saved 2.9M students in 161,000 course sections ~$233 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% |
| 2021-23 Totals | 49,279 | 893,398 | $69,198,844 | 159,460 | 30.90% |
| 2023-25 Totals | 57,510 | 1,085,753 | 80,644,634 | 133,056 | 43.22 |
| Total | 161,440 | 2,961,145 | $233,413,778 | 643,177 | 25.10% |
| Difference since 2017-2019 | 35,596 | 706,405 | $46,466,578 | -45,759 | 4309.98% |
| Percent change since 2017-2019 | 162.43% | 186.22% | 135.95% | -25.59% | 35154.81% |
Figure 1. Increase in the number of designated sections since the 2017-19 biennium. Image description.
Figure 2. Increase in the number of students in designated sections since the 2017-19 biennium. Image description.
Figure 3. Increase in the estimated student savings, or cost avoidance, in designated sections since the 2017-19 biennium. Image description.
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, reflecting local needs and decision-making at each campus. The resulting statewide estimate aggregates the data reported irrespective of method; the institutional information detailed below explains the method used at each participating community college or university.
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 The 2023 Headcount Enrollment for Central Oregon Community College was 12,700.
While the total number of sections offered at Central Oregon Community College has decreased by 10% since the 2017-19 biennium, the number of sections with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule increased by 5%. Approximately 3,800 additional students enrolled in designated sections and estimated student savings saw a 15% increase, representing increased savings of $300,000 compared to 2017-19.
| Term | # Designated Sections | # Students in Designated Sections | Estimated Savings | Total sections offered | % no-cost/low-cost |
| Summer 2023 | 104 | 1,210 | $107,680 | 218 | 47.71 |
| Fall 2023 | 234 | 3,703 | $322,100 | 703 | 33.29 |
| Winter 2024 | 287 | 4,658 | $412,200 | 712 | 40.31 |
| Spring 2024 | 243 | 3,782 | $331,120 | 683 | 35.58 |
| Summer 2024 | 72 | 984 | $86,400 | 223 | 32.29 |
| Fall 2024 | 317 | 5216 | $456,520 | 725 | 43.72 |
| Winter 2025 | 272 | 4286 | $386,080 | 742 | 36.66 |
| Spring 2025 | 239 | 3480 | $305,360 | 725 | 32.97 |
| Total | 1768 | 27,319 | $2,407,460 | 4731 | 37.37 |
Chemeketa Community College
Chemeketa Community College used $100 as the savings estimate for no-cost and low-cost courses. Data from Spring 2025 was not available. The 2023 Headcount Enrollment for Chemeketa Community College was 17,266.
| Term | # Designated Sections | # Students in Designated Sections | Estimated Savings | Total sections offered | % no-cost/low-cost |
| Summer 2023 | 168 | 2,576 | $206,438.00 | 495 | 33.94 |
| Fall 2023 | 608 | 11,605 | $879,074.49 | 1,127 | 53.95 |
| Winter 2024 | 669 | 12,331 | $991,970.37 | 1,205 | 55.52 |
| Spring 2024 | 684 | 11,831 | $956,571.09 | 1,201 | 56.95 |
| Summer 2024 | 187 | 2,841 | $218,396.05 | 433 | 43.19 |
| Fall 2024 | 678 | 12,979 | $1,001,872.48 | 1,346 | 50.37 |
| Winter 2025 | 719 | 13,904 | $1,126,862.12 | 1,230 | 58.46 |
| Total | 3,713 | 68,067 | $5,381,184.60 | 7,037 | 52.76 |
Clackamas Community College
The data includes all active course sections that were offered for at least 1 credit in all relevant terms.
We estimated savings by comparing the average cost of course materials for 2023-25 terms to the average cost of course materials in the most-recent like terms before LCT designation was added to the schedule of classes, which we called our comparison terms (Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Summer 2017, Fall 2017).
We calculated estimated savings by completing the following steps:
- Calculating the average minimum required course material cost for all LCT-designated course sections for the 2023-25 biennium.
- Calculating the average minimum required course material cost for all course sections in each of our comparison terms (Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Summer 2017, Fall 2017).
- Finding the difference between the average minimum required course material cost for the 2023-25 terms and the like comparison term (i.e. using Summer 2017 for Summer 2023-25 terms, Fall 2017 for Fall 2023-25 and so on). If the like comparison term did not have a comparable course, that course was excluded from savings calculations.
- The estimated savings was then determined by multiplying the difference in average minimum required cost by the number of students enrolled in LCT-designated course sections for 2023-25 terms.
The 2023 Headcount Enrollment for Clackamas Community College was 19,940.
While the total number of sections offered at Clackamas Community College has increased by just 2% since the 2017-19 biennium, the number of sections with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule increased by 133%. Over 10,000 additional students enrolled in designated sections and estimated student savings saw a 144% increase, representing increased savings of $600,000 compared to 2017-19.
| Term | # Designated Sections | # Students in Designated Sections | Estimated Savings | Total sections offered | % no-cost/low-cost |
| Summer 2023* | 147 | 1,346 | 304 | 48.36 | |
| Fall 2023* | 634 | 6,134 | 1,213 | 52.27 | |
| Winter 2024 | 408 | 4,300 | $177,292.70 | 1,200 | 34.00 |
| Spring 2024 | 416 | 3,874 | $161,296.06 | 1,408 | 29.55 |
| Summer 2024 | 170 | 1,534 | $56,669.28 | 334 | 50.90 |
| Fall 2024 | 683 | 6,797 | $256,821.94 | 1,326 | 51.51 |
| Winter 2025 | 579 | 5,864 | $272,999.95 | 1,267 | 45.70 |
| Spring 2025 | 491 | 4,634 | $236,513.47 | 1,416 | 34.68 |
| Total | 3528 | 34,483 | $1,161,593.40 | 8468 | 41.66 |
*Adoptions for these terms were collected by a bookstore vendor we no longer have a contract with. Some data for these terms is not available to us and so some data points are not included in this report.
Clatsop Community College
Our methodology was to start with the textbook adoptions reported to the bookstore and identify the classes with costs at $40 or under as indicated in the online course schedule. We pulled enrollment data for each class section but did not include students who dropped out of the classes at one week or less. For each student in a designated no-cost or low-cost class, we estimated $80 in savings. The 2023 Headcount Enrollment for Clatsop Community College was 2,930.
Since the 2017-19 biennium, the number of Clatsop Community College students enrolled in sections with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule has increased by 197%. Over 2,000 additional students enrolled in designated sections and estimated student savings saw a 217% increase, representing increased savings of over $200,000 compared to 2017-19.
| Term | # Designated Sections | # Students in Designated Sections | Estimated Savings | Total sections offered | % no-cost/low-cost |
| Summer 2023 | 23 | 139 | $11,120 | 77 | 29.87 |
| Fall 2023 | 35 | 502 | $40,160 | 340 | 10.29 |
| Winter 2024 | 49 | 622 | $49,760.00 | 255 | 19.22 |
| Spring 2024 | 47 | 680 | $54,400.00 | 258 | 18.22 |
| Summer 2024 | 15 | 98 | $7,840.00 | 91 | 16.48 |
| Fall 2024 | 73 | 884 | $70,720.00 | 204 | 35.78 |
| Winter 2025 | 54 | 742 | $59,360.00 | 277 | 19.49 |
| Spring 2025 | 36 | 527 | 42,160 | 254 | 14.17 |
| Total | 332 | 4194 | $335,520 | 1756 | 18.91 |
Eastern Oregon University
We estimated $100 savings per student enrolled in a zero-cost class and $50 per student enrolled in a low-cost class. We took the total number of students enrolled in zero cost and low cost courses and multiplied by $100 or $50, depending on the designation (100 for zero cost and 50 for low cost). The 2023 Headcount Enrollment for Eastern Oregon University was 5151.
Since the 2019-21 biennium, the number of Eastern Oregon University students enrolled in sections with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule has increased by 872%. Over 25,000 additional students enrolled in designated sections and estimated student savings saw an 882% increase, representing increased savings of over $2.3M compared to 2019-21.
| Term | # Designated Sections | # Students in Designated Sections | Estimated Savings | Total sections offered | % no-cost/low-cost |
| Summer 2023 | 79 | 946 | |||
| Fall 2023 | 301 | 3,572 | |||
| Winter 2024 | 378 | 4,107 | |||
| Spring 2024 | 406 | 4,407 | |||
| Summer 2024* | |||||
| Fall 2024 | 381 | 4,894 | |||
| Winter 2025 | 392 | 4,549 | |||
| Spring 2025 | 563 | 6,347 | |||
| Total | 2500 | 28,822 | 2,615,250 | 4,654 | 53.72 |
*Please note: We do not have cost designation data for Summer 2024. The campus migrated from Barnes & Noble to Follett during this time period. This migration interfered with the proper reporting of textbooks and the labeling of classes.
Linn-Benton Community College
At Linn-Benton Community College, a course must have materials costs at $40 or less to be considered low-cost and receive the low-cost designation in the schedule. We use the $100 metric as the average estimated student cost savings when an instructor adopts OER or free resources. When we run our reports, we have three designations that we use to code data: OER (no cost), OER1 (under $40), and OER2 (uses OER). To calculate estimated savings, we multiply the number of students in no-cost courses by 100. Then we multiply the number of students in low-cost courses by 60. Then we add the two numbers together. We only report on credit-bearing courses. The 2023 Headcount Enrollment for Linn-Benton Community College was 13,998.
While the total number of sections offered at Linn-Benton Community College has increased by 102% since the 2017-19 biennium, the number of sections with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule increased by 227%.
| Term | # Designated Sections | # Students in Designated Sections | Estimated Savings | Total sections offered | % no-cost/low-cost |
| Summer 2023 | 83 | 633 | $7,180.00 | 486 | 17.08 |
| Fall 2023 | 455 | 3,186 | $38,300.00 | 1,419 | 32.06 |
| Winter 2024 | 448 | 3,705 | $38,360.00 | 1,604 | 27.93 |
| Spring 2024 | 317 | 2,762 | $26,900.00 | 2,186 | 14.50 |
| Summer 2024 | 484 | 725 | $6,660.00 | 484 | 100.00 |
| Fall 2024 | 432 | 3,615 | $38,000.00 | 1,603 | 26.95 |
| Winter 2025 | 396 | 3,578 | $33,960.00 | 1,654 | 23.94 |
| Spring 2025 | 368 | 3,431 | $31,240.00 | 2,186 | 16.83 |
| Total | 2983 | 21,635 | $220,600.00 | 11622 | 25.67 |
Mt. Hood Community College
Student savings in No-cost/Low-Cost courses were derived from the Course Section Reporting Form (CSRF) submitted by faculty. We multiplied student enrollment in these sections by the average cost of textbooks for these designation categories: $100 for No Cost, $75 for Low Cost. The 2023 Headcount Enrollment for Mt. Hood Community College was 18,062.
While the total number of sections offered at Mt. Hood Community College decreased by 42% compared to the 2017-19 biennium, the number of sections with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule increased by 92%. Over 10,000 additional students enrolled in designated sections and estimated student savings saw a 98% increase, representing increased savings of over $1M compared to 2017-19.
| Term | # Designated Sections | # Students in Designated Sections | Estimated Savings | Total sections offered | % no-cost/low-cost |
| Summer 2023 | 67 | 1,004 | |||
| Fall 2023 | 221 | 3,978 | |||
| Winter 2024 | 216 | 3,388 | |||
| Spring 2024 | 181 | 2,738 | |||
| Summer 2024 | 71 | 1024 | |||
| Fall 2024 | 203 | 3821 | |||
| Winter 2025 | 176 | 2965 | |||
| Spring 2025 | 144 | 2581 | |||
| Total | 1279 | 21,499 | $2,053,950 | 4,429 | 28.88 |
Oregon Institute of Technology
The 2023 Headcount Enrollment for Oregon Institute of Technology was 8,805. Data for previous bienniums was not comparable.
| Term | # Designated Sections | # Students in Designated Sections | Estimated Savings | Total sections offered | % no-cost/low-cost |
| Summer 2023 | 131 | 1,077 | $171,651.00 | 246 | 53.25 |
| Fall 2023 | 584 | 7,508 | $1,190,504.00 | 1099 | 53.14 |
| Winter 2024 | 683 | 7,894 | $1,265,022.00 | 1145 | 59.65 |
| Spring 2024* | 37 | 321 | $74,423.00 | 1114 | 3.32 |
| Summer 2024** | |||||
| Fall 2024 | 668 | 8189 | $1,315,357.00 | 1117 | 59.80 |
| Winter 2025 | 686 | 7869 | $1,261,397.00 | 1143 | 60.02 |
| Spring 2025 | 711 | 7,949 | $1,277,137.00 | 1124 | 63.26 |
| Total | 3500 | 40,807 | $6,555,491.00 | 6988 | 50.09 |
*System issues, data is unlikely to be accurate
**System issues, unable to obtain data
Oregon State University
To estimate the 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 as the cap for low-cost courses. Thesis, dissertation and research sections are not counted. The 2023 Headcount Enrollment for Oregon State University was 44,121.
In fall 2024, OSU saw a significant increase in the number of low- and no-cost sections offered and corresponding estimated savings. This is a direct result of the BeaverStore adopting a new course materials reporting system, Verb Collect, which has made it much easier for faculty to report adoptions. Likely, prior to this change, adoption numbers at OSU were underreported.
| Term | # Designated Sections | # Students in Designated Sections | Estimated Savings | Total sections offered | % no-cost/low-cost |
| Summer 2023 | 771 | 25,532 | $1,526,140 | 2,897 | 26.61 |
| Fall 2023 | 866 | 31,422 | $1,885,290 | 3,052 | 28.37 |
| Winter 2024 | 922 | 30,917 | $1,929,575 | 3,149 | 29.28 |
| Spring 2024 | 804 | 28,457 | $1,778,875 | 2,996 | 26.84 |
| Summer 2024 | 722 | 17,727 | $1,095,405 | 1,116 | 64.70 |
| Fall 2024 | 1,893 | 70,270 | $4,191,330 | 3,205 | 59.06 |
| Winter 2025 | 1,647 | 55,701 | $3,614,335 | 3,086 | 53.37 |
| Spring 2025 | 1,624 | 55,741 | $3,570,575 | 3,131 | 51.87 |
| Total | 9249 | 315,767 | $19,591,525 | 22,632 | 40.87 |
Portland Community College
Savings are estimates and use $100 text cost as per Open Oregon Educational Resources’s suggestion in Estimating student savings from no-cost/low-cost course materials. The 2023 Headcount Enrollment for Portland Community College was 53,397.
Since the 2017-19 biennium, the number of Portland Community College students enrolled in sections with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule has increased by 22%. Nearly 20,000 additional students enrolled in designated sections and estimated student savings saw an 28% increase, representing increased savings of over $2.3M compared to 2017-19.
| Term | # Designated Sections | # Students in Designated Sections | Estimated Savings | Total sections offered | % no-cost/low-cost |
| Summer 2023 | 413 | 6,202 | $579,680 | ||
| Fall 2023 | 1156 | 17,799 | $1,696,380 | ||
| Winter 2024 | 1265 | 20,250 | $1,919,960 | ||
| Spring 2024 | 997 | 15,475 | $1,503,020 | ||
| Summer 2024 | 323 | 4,738 | $442,800 | ||
| Fall 2024 | 936 | 16,557 | $1,569,540 | ||
| Winter 2025 | 864 | 14,655 | $1,417,900 | ||
| Spring 2025 | 878 | 15,007 | $1,438,460 | ||
| Total | 6832 | 110,683 | $10,567,740 | 24.28 |
Portland State University
PSU is following the common method of using $100 as the savings estimate for no-cost courses, and $60 as the savings estimate for low-cost courses (because our low-cost threshold is $40).
To arrive at this number, we excluded “noise” to generate both the numerator and denominator for this calculation. We consider “noise” to be those odd, irregular courses/populations where it is not typical or expected that there will be textbooks required at all, or the engagement with the faculty is one-on-one and/or customized. We exclude the following:
- High School Dual Credit
- By-Arrangement – one-on-one faculty-student arrangements
- Study Abroad
- PE – activity
- Thesis/Dissertation
- Internship/Coop
- Workshop
- Practicum
- Reading and Conference – 405/505/605
- Independent Study
- Research
The 2023 Headcount Enrollment for Portland State University was 25,646.
While the total number of sections offered at Portland State University decreased slightly compared to the 2021-23 biennium, the percentage of sections with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule increased by 60%. Over 30,000 additional students enrolled in designated sections and estimated student savings saw an 52% increase, representing increased savings of $2.6M.
| # Designated Sections | # Students in Designated Sections | Estimated Savings | Total sections offered | % no-cost/low-cost | |
| Total | 3,808 | 85,077 | 7644660 | 17010 | 22.39 |
Rogue Community College
To estimate student savings at Rogue Community College, we multiplied by $100 for no-cost courses and $60 for low-cost courses. When we changed our ERP and the bookstore at the same time, we lost the ability to run the report for 2024-25. The 2023 Headcount Enrollment for Rogue Community College was 9,331.
| Term | # Designated Sections | # Students in Designated Sections | Estimated Savings | Total sections offered | % no-cost/low-cost |
| Summer 2023 | 54 | 595 | $55,700 | 215 | 25.12 |
| Fall 2023 | 204 | 3132 | $287,000 | 669 | 30.49 |
| Winter 2024 | 221 | 3520 | $329,000 | 698 | 31.66 |
| Spring 2024 | 308 | 4009 | $377,380 | 763 | 40.37 |
| Summer 2024 | 87 | 1406 | $131,280.00 | 230 | 37.83 |
| Total | 874 | 12662 | $1,180,360 | 2575 | 33.94 |
Southern Oregon University
The Office of Institutional Research at Southern Oregon University provided a spreadsheet with end of term enrollment numbers for courses with low-cost or no-cost course material designations (Spring 2025 contains 4th week enrollment data, rather than end of term enrollment data). The low-cost designation is used at SOU when all required course materials total less than $50. To determine our savings estimate, SOU used $50 per student for both zero-cost sections and low-cost sections, which is similar to the methods of other Oregon universities for determining the estimated student savings/student cost avoidance data. We expect these savings estimates to grow as our campus outreach increases along with more consistent use of the course designations. The 2023 Headcount Enrollment for Southern Oregon University was 7,150.
| Term | # Designated Sections | # Students in Designated Sections | Estimated Savings | Total sections offered | % no-cost/low-cost |
| Summer 2023 | 16 | 250 | $12,500 | 271 | 5.90 |
| Fall 2023 | 85 | 1329 | $66,450 | 782 | 10.87 |
| Winter 2024 | 60 | 840 | $42,000 | 789 | 7.60 |
| Spring 2024 | 71 | 940 | $47,000 | 750 | 9.47 |
| Summer 2024 | 0 | 0 | $0.00 | 239 | 0.00 |
| Fall 2024 | 27 | 497 | $24,850.00 | 693 | 3.90 |
| Winter 2025 | 45 | 778 | $38,900.00 | 707 | 6.36 |
| Spring 2025 | 41 | 653 | $32,650.00 | 690 | 5.94 |
| Total | 345 | 5287 | $264,350 | 4921 | 7.01 |
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. 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 2023 Headcount Enrollment for Southwestern Oregon Community College was 4,682.
While the total number of sections offered at Southwestern Oregon Community College increased by 34% compared to the 2017-19 biennium, the percentage of sections with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule increased by 196%. Nearly 10,000 additional students enrolled in designated sections and estimated student savings saw a 206% increase, representing increased savings of almost $800,000 compared to 2017-19.
| Term | # Designated Sections | # Students in Designated Sections | Estimated Savings | Total sections offered | % no-cost/low-cost |
| Summer 2023 | 31 | 486 | $34,050 | 59 | 52.54 |
| Fall 2023 | 129 | 2107 | $169,350 | 261 | 49.43 |
| Winter 2024 | 162 | 2414 | $187,400 | 293 | 55.29 |
| Spring 2024 | 134 | 2,082 | $166,050 | 298 | 44.97 |
| Summer 2024 | 39 | 537 | $40,400 | 65 | 60.00 |
| Fall 2024 | 152 | 2478 | $187,100 | 285 | 53.33 |
| Winter 2025 | 170 | 2509 | $198,600 | 317 | 53.63 |
| Spring 2025 | 185 | 2555 | $200,700 | 319 | 57.99 |
| Total | 1002 | 15168 | $1,183,650 | 1897 | 52.82 |
Tillamook Bay Community College
Method through Summer 2024:
No-cost resources include OER or instructor provided resources. Low-cost includes courses with textbook costs under $35, as that was the threshold used the last time the low-cost icon appeared in the print catalog.
- Included the resource cap: textbooks, workbooks, lab manuals, online homework platforms, access codes, and curriculum materials from publishers. For example, the Math 099 Aleks courses are not counted because students pay a platform fee.
- Not included in the resource cap: equipment and supplies costs or course fees. So art and welding courses are included if they have a supplies fee greater than $35 but no book fee.
To count enrollment, we:
- Did not count dual enrolled sections, community education, ABE/GED or ESOL
- Did not count canceled courses or students who dropped
- Enrollment data was pulled for each low-cost/no-cost section from the end of term count, except Spring 2025, which used the 4th week figure.
Beginning in Fall 2024, TBCC began using a new model to save students money. TBCC increased Universal Fees by $4.00 per credit, but otherwise buys all textbooks for students, except in the Nursing program. TBCC pays a platform fee, then buys one of two textbook options: a physical textbook that is given to students, or a digital textbook that students access through Canvas. However, instructors can still use OER or have students check out their textbook from the library.
A way to calculate savings with this new model has not been worked out. For the future, one possibility may be calculating the amount spent directly on textbooks for students, and subtracting the $4.00 per credit cost per student. Regardless, low- and no-cost courses are no longer designated in the catalog.
The 2023 Headcount Enrollment for Tillamook Bay Community College was 2,009. Data for previous bienniums was not comparable.
| Term | # Designated Sections | # Students in Designated Sections | Estimated Savings | Total sections offered | % no-cost/low-cost |
| Summer 2023 | 24 | 182 | $16,333 | 27 | 88.89 |
| Fall 2023 | 61 | 596 | $51,363 | 90 | 67.78 |
| Winter 2024 | 51 | 485 | $47,714 | 89 | 57.30 |
| Spring 2024 | 47 | 480 | $42,738 | 75 | 62.67 |
| Summer 2024 | 24 | 194 | $17,442.00 | 30 | 80.00 |
| Total | 207 | 1,937 | $175,590 | 311 | 66.56 |
Treasure Valley Community College
Treasure Valley Community College used $100 as the savings estimate for no-cost courses, and $40 as the savings estimate for low-cost courses because their low-cost threshold is $60. The 2023 Headcount Enrollment for Treasure Valley Community College was 5,344.
While the total number of sections offered at Treasure Valley Community College decreased by 48% compared to the 2017-19 biennium, the number of sections with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule increased by 22%. Over 8,000 additional students enrolled in designated sections and estimated student savings saw a 406% increase, representing increased savings of over $700,000 compared to 2017-19.
| Term | # Designated Sections | # Students in Designated Sections | Estimated Savings | Total sections offered | % no-cost/low-cost |
| Summer 2023 | 33 | 309 | $23,760 | 153 | 21.57 |
| Fall 2023 | 127 | 1830 | $152,100 | 445 | 28.54 |
| Winter 2024 | 133 | 1824 | $145,740 | 439 | 30.30 |
| Spring 2024 | 124 | 1,634 | $130,640 | 423 | 29.31 |
| Summer 2024 | 25 | 281 | $21,800 | 149 | 16.78 |
| Fall 2024 | 118 | 1858 | $150,280 | 435 | 27.13 |
| Winter 2025 | 123 | 1701 | $137,700 | 426 | 28.87 |
| Spring 2025 | 119 | 1510 | $125,560 | 417 | 28.54 |
| Total | 802 | 10947 | $887,580 | 2887 | 27.78 |
Umpqua Community College
The total estimated savings was calculated by using the estimate of $100 per textbook. 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 2023 Headcount Enrollment for Umpqua Community College was 10,980.
While the total number of sections offered at Umpqua Community College decreased by 60% compared to the 2017-19 biennium, the number of sections with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule increased by 294%. Over 10,000 additional students enrolled in designated sections and estimated student savings saw a 354% increase, representing increased savings of over $1.1M compared to 2017-19.
| Term | # Designated Sections | # Students in Designated Sections | Estimated Savings | Total sections offered | % no-cost/low-cost |
| Summer 2023 | 52 | 479 | $42,850 | 56 | 92.86 |
| Fall 2023 | 139 | 2022 | $187,350 | 139 | 100.00 |
| Winter 2024 | 153 | 2085 | $193,750 | 153 | 100.00 |
| Spring 2024 | 192 | 2954 | $289,550 | 195 | 98.46 |
| Summer 2024 | 79 | 863 | $80,000 | 80 | 98.75 |
| Fall 2024 | 175 | 2397 | $218,500 | 175 | 100.00 |
| Winter 2025 | 176 | 2380 | $222,000 | 179 | 98.32 |
| Spring 2025 | 148 | 2127 | $200,600 | 149 | 99.33 |
| Total | 1114 | 15307 | $1,434,600 | 1126 | 98.93 |
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon implemented the low/no cost designation in 2018. During the 2022-2023 academic year, we added a filter to our Class Schedule that allows students to search by and filter courses designated as low and no-cost.
For the 2023-2025 biennium, we opted to use the same calculation method as the previous 2021-2023 biennium with some additional context to our data, detailed below. For consistency across reporting periods, we are continuing to use $75 as the average cost of a textbook, which aligns with OpenStax’s previous recommended revision of the national average cost.
Formula: ($75 – Actual Cost) * Actual Enrollment = Cost Avoidance
To calculate this data, the Duck Store, our campus bookstore, generates and shares a list of all combined course materials costs with us each term. Because the bookstore’s list is pulled before registration and does not include actual enrollment numbers, UO Libraries pulls actual enrollment data after the add/drop period ends in Week 2 of each term to give us an accurate snapshot of student enrollment and better understand the impact of the schedule designation. The bookstore list specifies which courses the Registrar’s Office should mark as low/no-cost on the Class Schedule, which we currently define as $50 or less. This includes classes that are reported as using library materials, OER, other free or low-cost materials such as Canvas readings, optional/recommended materials, as well as those that the faculty member has indicated to the bookstore as “no course materials required.”
We continue to frame our data as “cost avoidance” instead of savings, since the data does not represent student behavior. In other words, we still don’t know if students purchase required materials at all, where they purchase them, what format (new, used, rental, digital), and how much they spend, and we also don’t know if they use the low/no-cost designator to decide which courses to register for. Because of this, we think of the data as a representation of the costs we could help students avoid, but not necessarily dollars saved. In the coming academic year, we plan to run a student textbook affordability survey to learn more about student perception and behavior related to course materials costs.
During the 2023-2025 biennium, 11,433 sections were marked as low/no-cost in the Class Schedule, for a total of $14,682,530 in cost avoidance. This includes:
- 3,249 sections using low/no-cost course materials for a total of $4,889,630 cost avoidance
- 8,184 sections marked as “no course materials required” for a total of $9,792,900 in cost avoidance
We continue to separate out these two numbers because right now, courses marked as “no course materials required” may not ever require course materials, so this number isn’t necessarily representative of student savings. That said, we know that some faculty find ways to eliminate course materials costs for their students and use this reporting option, rather than use a reporting option like Canvas readings, library readings, and/or OER. Given this, we still think including these sections in our low/no cost reporting is important, and we hope to increase clarity and accuracy of the data over time in subsequent reporting periods.
The 2023 Headcount Enrollment for the University of Oregon was 25,802.
| Term | # Designated Sections | # Students in Designated Sections | Estimated Savings | Total sections offered | % no-cost/low-cost |
| Summer 2023 | 335 | 3,805 | $255,775.16 | 1034 | 32.40 |
| Fall 2023 | 2194 | 42,620 | $2,687,776 | 3502 | 62.65 |
| Winter 2024 | 1887 | 36,979 | $2,358,271 | 3485 | 54.15 |
| Spring 2024 | 1671 | 35,370 | $2,348,732 | 3609 | 46.30 |
| Summer 2024 | 329 | 4,158 | $271,946 | 997 | 33.00 |
| Fall 2024 | 1526 | 38,160 | $2,077,232 | 3569 | 42.76 |
| Winter 2025 | 1561 | 36,930 | $2,459,053 | 3532 | 44.20 |
| Spring 2025 | 1930 | 34,642 | $2,223,743 | 3612 | 53.43 |
| Total | 11433 | 232,664 | $14,682,530 | 23340 | 48.98 |
Western Oregon University
Combined enrollment numbers for the biennium were provided by the registrar and multiplied by $100. The 2023 Headcount Enrollment for Western Oregon University was 7,309.
While the total number of sections offered at Western Oregon University increased by 7% compared to the 2019-21 biennium, the number of sections with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule increased by 58%. Over 7,500 additional students enrolled in designated sections and estimated student savings saw a 50% increase, representing increased savings of over $750,000 compared to 2019-21.
| Term | # Designated Sections | # Students in Designated Sections | Estimated Savings | Total sections offered | % no-cost/low-cost |
| Summer 2023 | 45 | 639 | $63,900.00 | 314 | 14.33 |
| Fall 2023 | 231 | 3873 | $387,300 | 1066 | 21.67 |
| Winter 2024 | 221 | 3425 | $342,500 | 1009 | 21.90 |
| Spring 2024 | 225 | 3077 | $307,700 | 1038 | 21.68 |
| Summer 2024 | 64 | 837 | $83,700 | 274 | 23.36 |
| Fall 2024 | 292 | 5194 | $519,400 | 977 | 29.89 |
| Winter 2025 | 202 | 3283 | $328,300 | 972 | 20.78 |
| Spring 2025 | 191 | 2682 | $268,200 | 1022 | 18.69 |
| Total | 1471 | 23010 | $2,301,000 | 6672 | 22.05 |
Image Descriptions
Figure 1
Number of designated sections:
- 21,914 in 2017-19
- 32,737 in 2019-21
- 49,279 in 2021-23
- 57,510 in 2023-25
Figure 2
Number of students in designated sections:
- 379,348 in 2017-19
- 602,646 in 2019-21
- 893,398 in 2021-23
- 1,085,753 in 2023-25
Figure 3
Estimated savings in designated sections:
- $34,178,056 in 2017-19
- $49,392,244 in 2019-21
- $69,198,844 in 2021-23
- $80,644,634 in 2023-25
