April 28, 2025
Independent Study Shows Resounding Success of Course Materials Programs for Students
Affordable Access is an Innovative Collaboration between Private Sector Publishers, Provisioning Providers, and Higher Education Institutions
April 28, 2025 – Today the firm Tyton Partners released a new, data-driven report titled, Course Materials in Higher Education: How Affordable Access Programs Save Students Money and Produce Positive Learning Outcomes.
Affordable access programs are an innovative collaboration between private sector publishers, provisioning providers, and higher education institutions. The Association of American Publishers commissioned the independent analysis from Tyton Partners to provide insight into the programs, which have now been available for almost 10 years. Tyton Partners is responsible for all findings and undertook all aspects of the research, including interviews and statistical analyses, according to the firm’s rigorous, independent standards. Distributors Barnes & Noble College, Follett, RedShelf, and VitalSource contributed anonymized course materials pricing data directly to Tyton Partners.
The report, which presents data from 1,088 colleges and universities in the United States, is the first in-depth analysis of affordable access programs in practice since their inception nearly a decade ago. The findings confirm that course materials are more affordable than they were a decade ago, making them a remarkable exception to the rising cost of higher education overall.
“We are proud of the extraordinary commitment of private sector publishers to deliver high-quality course materials at reduced costs, a reflection of their expertise and innovations in the education-technology space,” commented Maria A. Pallante, President and CEO, Association of American Publishers. “The result is that students can access materials without delay on virtually every subject area assigned by their professors and are all the more prepared to meet a changing, global workforce that will need their knowledge and skills.”
Affordable access programs give students timely access to a vast body of professionally published content at discounted rates and permit them to apply their financial aid dollars (through their tuition billing accounts) to further reduce costs that would otherwise be out-of-pocket. The most prevalent and popular models permit students to opt out, rather than opt in, to participation, permitting students to “start their course with the right resources,” according to the provost of a private, four-year university.
In the words of a public university director, “The only cost in higher education that has decreased over the last few years is for textbooks, and it’s because of these access models.”
Here are the report’s key findings as published by Tyton Partners:
(1) Opt-out affordable access models save students money
The savings are considerable. Compared to the average list price, the average price for opt-out affordable access dropped by 36%, from $91 per class to $58 per class. A provost at a public, two-year university said, “We save students about $46 million per year with our [opt-out] affordable access program.”
(2) Opt-out affordable access models improve student outcomes
Researchers found that overall, 84% of students enrolled in day-one affordable access programs felt better prepared for their courses, and 81% of students indicated that these programs positively impacted their academic success.
Peer-reviewed studies show that students are statistically more likely to complete the course and earn a passing letter grade. At one community college, the students were 60% less likely to withdraw from the course and 27% more likely to earn a passing letter grade. The results for some minority students are even greater.
(3) Institutional stakeholders prefer opt-out affordable access models and have concerns about opt-in
Most higher-education stakeholders—administrators, faculty, and students—favorably perceive their affordable-access models. Administrators’ top reasons for embracing IA and EA models are reducing costs for students (67% and 82%, respectively) and ensuring day-one access (58% and 56%). Almost all institutions (99%) that are leveraging affordable access models have structured them as opt-out models. Administrators interviewed for the report expressed concern that lower student participation rates in opt-in models would result in a loss of the cost savings associated with opt-out models and raised particular concerns about first-year and first-generation students.
More About Affordable Access
As noted in the report, formal requirements for affordable access programs are governed by a federal regulation that was enacted in 2015 and became effective on July 1, 2016. These are: (A) course materials must be offered at below competitive rates; (B) delivery and access must be timely, no later than the seventh day of class, and (C) the school must have an opt-out policy.
Prior to 2016, textbook prices were rising steadily, more rapidly than inflation. Today, price increases are negligible at .03% compared to inflation of 3.2%, and student spending on course materials has undergone a dramatic 39% decline over the last ten years.
In 2024, the Department of Education reviewed the formal requirements of affordable access programs and concluded no regulatory changes were needed.
More About the Report
The report and all findings within it are the independent work product of Tyton Partners, which undertook the research at the request of the Association of American Publishers, a non-profit trade association in Washington, DC. Distributors Barnes & Noble College, Follett, RedShelf, and VitalSource contributed anonymized course materials pricing data directly to Tyton Partners.
In preparing the report, Tyton Partners undertook a rigorous, independent analysis of course materials pricing data, and student, instructor, and administrator perceptions of affordable access models. Researchers leveraged peer-reviewed studies, national surveys of postsecondary students and faculty, and conversations with institutional decision-makers. The report includes data from 1,088 institutions that had affordable access programs between the years 2020 and 2024.
Read the report here.
AAP | The Association of American Publishers represents the leading book, journal, and education publishers in the United States on matters of law and policy, advocating for outcomes that incentivize and protect works of authorship and the creative, intellectual, and financial investments that make them possible. As essential participants in local markets and the global economy, our members invest in and inspire the exchange of ideas, transforming the world we live in one word at a time. Find us online at www.publishers.org or on Twitter and Instagram at @AmericanPublish.