Butte College
News Announcement

Butte Leads State in Reducing Student Textbook Costs

Did you know that on average, a college student will pay more for books and supplies each semester than the costs of tuition and fees? In fact, the average Butte College student will pay $927 in books and supplies a semester compared to spending tuition and fees of $684 as a full time student. The cost of textbooks has increased well beyond most other consumer prices, including medical costs. During the last two years, Butte College has worked to increase the number of sections offered with zero textbook costs (ZTC) from 27 to 200—and counting. As a result, Butte College estimates it has saved students $960,000 in reduced textbook costs.

The rising cost of textbooks prompted a national effort to create textbooks that are free to students. California encouraged CSU and community colleges efforts to reduce textbook costs through Assembly Bill 798 (AB798) which allocated grant funds to participating colleges, and the Z-Degree grant which supported community college efforts to develop degree pathways using only free textbooks. Butte College joined the Open Education Movement in 2016 and received a grant through AB 798. Since that time, Butte College has received two more grants to help reduce textbook costs.

The high cost of textbooks is a barrier to many students. Over 31 percent of Butte students surveyed confirmed they take fewer classes each semester due to the cost of textbooks. Students also reported they take classes without buying the textbook, 40 percent, with 16 percent later withdrawing, while 17 percent reported failing the class.

“Butte College is a statewide leader in reducing textbook costs and saving students money. Students can now find ZTC courses by looking for the ZTC logo in the class schedule. The main challenge facing faculty is that free textbooks are only available for some disciplines. The California legislature and Chancellor’s office are helping bridge this gap by supporting faculty in building course materials. Faculty earn a stipend as they develop free resources for their classes; these resources are then openly shared worldwide. Our Butte faculty are working on statewide efforts to find and create the best free resources for our students,” said Suzanne Wakim, Butte College’s Zero-Textbook-Cost Coordinator and instructor.

Butte College is developing ZTC pathways that will allow students to complete their education without the added burden of high textbook prices. Within two years, we will have a full Z-Degree in psychology and a ZTC certificate in early childhood education. The college is also developing a pathway where students in any major can complete their general education (GE) classes without textbook costs.

Together with the new Butte Promise Program offered in fall which covers tuition and fees for two semesters, students can save money by taking ZTC classes. Both of these programs will significantly lower the cost of education.