WCC receives grant to expand free textbook program

Washtenaw Community College (WCC) has been awarded a new state grant that will expand a program that provides students free digital textbooks and other low-cost learning materials. The $200,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential will grow WCC’s Open Educational Resources (OER) program. The OER program allows students to use free textbooks adapted by WCC faculty, or other open-source alternatives, instead of traditional textbooks. It has saved students more than $16 million in textbook costs since 2017.

“This program is important because we want to keep tuition low and ensure access for all students,” says Dr. Brandon Tucker, WCC’s executive vice president for instruction. “There are dozens of areas of study that are included in the OER program, and we won’t stop until there are hundreds. This grant will allow us to bring on an additional 20 to 25 areas of study into the program.”

During the current fall 2025 semester, 20 academic departments at WCC are offering 410 course sections that use OER materials, saving students more than $1.1 million in textbook costs. Last year, the program saved WCC students more than $2.7 million.

WCC also currently offers three Z-Degrees and six business Z-Certificates, which are full degree and certificate pathways that can be completed with zero textbook costs.

A 2018 study by the Florida Virtual Campus Office of Distance Learning and Student Services found that textbook costs continue to hinder students’ progress toward higher education goals. The study reported that 64% of students did not buy required textbooks, and 43% took fewer courses because of textbook expenses.

“Receiving this grant affirms our commitment to be affordable and accessible for all students. This is just another way we strive to do that,” Tucker says.