Maricopa Community Colleges has reached a milestone in its commitment to student affordability, with over $270 million in savings for students through the use of Open Educational Resources (OER). Launched over a decade ago, this cost-saving initiative continues to make higher education more accessible for thousands of students attending the system’s 10 colleges.
“Our system has been a leader in OER for more than a decade,” said Dr. Steven R. Gonzales, Chancellor of Maricopa Community Colleges. “For us, affordability means more than just low tuition; it means finding ways to save our students' financial resources through all facets of their educational journey. As leaders in this space, we have been intentional in developing and sourcing low-cost and no-cost learning materials to ensure our students receive high-quality education.”
Why It Matters
Since 1963, tuition at traditional four-year public colleges and universities has nearly tripled in cost. As more Americans face new and complex financial challenges, the question is no longer whether they want to attend college, but rather if they can afford it. Another expense related to college that continues to rise is the cost of textbooks, which have increased by 177% over the past 25 years. Even after adjusting for inflation, this represents a 50% increase.
The reality is that first-year college students can expect to pay at least $1,463 on books and supplies. Those pursuing degrees in law, business, and health-related fields typically have higher expenses for textbooks and course materials. To save money on college-related costs,
- One in four students has rented materials for their class.
- 65% of students skipped purchasing a textbook altogether due to the cost.
Early Adopters of OER
Maricopa Community Colleges was one of the first community college systems in the nation to adopt OER in 2013. Today, the system’s Open Maricopa initiative includes teaching, learning, and research resources released under the Creative Commons copyright license. This allows instructors to reuse, modify, revise, remix, and redistribute content in any form while providing high-quality learning materials to their students. OERs are available digitally and can include complete courses, textbooks, course modules, lectures, homework assignments, quizzes, lab activities, simulations, and more.
Maricopa Community Colleges offer no-cost courses, which have no additional cost to students beyond tuition and registration fees, and low-cost courses that limit the cost of materials to under $40. Since the implementation of OER, the system has seen significant growth:
- Over 270 faculty and staff members at Maricopa Community Colleges have worked on and supported the OER initiative.
- More than 4,500 faculty members across the system’s 10 colleges have taught over 103,000 OER no-cost and low-cost course sections.
“The real story of Open Maricopa is the people, the faculty and staff who have worked tirelessly to make education more affordable,” said Dr. Lisa Young, Faculty Administrator of Open Education and Innovation. “Their innovation and commitment are helping us rethink what student success looks like.”
A Better Way To Do College
As the nation’s largest community college system, Maricopa Community Colleges believes there’s a better way to do college. This fall, the system launched a new series titled: A Better Way To Do College. The omnichannel series kicked off with A Better Way To Do Textbooks, highlighting OER, and aims to share valuable resources to prospective, new, and returning college students as they navigate higher education, regardless of where they choose to attend school.
Designed as an open, student-focused resource hub, A Better Way To Do College uses a modern media approach to deliver information that is accessible, engaging, and practical. Featuring explainer videos, blogs, FAQs, and a forthcoming podcast, the series breaks down complex topics and provides clear guidance to help students make confident, informed choices about their education.
Learn more at maricopa.edu.