# Plain Language Summary: Affordable College Textbook Act

College textbooks are expensive—often costing students hundreds of dollars per class. This bill aims to bring those costs down by encouraging colleges and universities to use more affordable alternatives to traditional textbooks. The law does this by promoting open educational resources (OER), which are free or low-cost learning materials that professors can use instead of expensive commercial textbooks. These might include free online textbooks, videos, interactive tools, and other educational content that anyone can access without paying.

The bill provides federal grants and support to help colleges develop, adapt, and implement these cheaper alternatives. It also requires schools to be transparent about textbook costs and to inform students upfront about what they'll need to spend on course materials. Additionally, the law encourages publishers to create more affordable options and supports faculty training so professors know how to effectively use these free resources in their classes.

Who this affects: Primarily college and university students who currently spend significant money on textbooks each semester. It also impacts professors and instructors who will have access to new tools and resources for teaching. Universities and colleges benefit from federal funding to support this transition. The bill may eventually affect textbook publishers, as increased use of free alternatives could change the market for commercial textbooks.

The practical result is that students should see lower overall costs for their education, more flexibility in how they access course materials, and potentially better access to learning resources that are available online anytime, anywhere—not just in bookstores.

Affordable College Textbook Act

Durbin, Richard J.

Affordable College Textbook Act This bill directs the&nbsp;Department of Education to make grants to institutions of higher education or states to support projects that expand the use of open textbooks in order to achieve savings for students while maintaining or improving instruction and student learning outcomes. An open textbook is an educational resource that either resides in the public domain or has been released under an intellectual license that permits its free use, reuse, modification, and sharing with others.