One of the biggest expenses college students face is alcohol (jk...we meant textbooks!). A new program from the Minnesota State College System is taking steps to make many of them available for free.
Here’s Five Fast Facts On Free Minnesota State Textbooks:
- 📚 Great 48 - Minnesota State Universities and Colleges have enrolled in the Open Educational Resources (OER) program. It’s part of a national effort to use free or nearly-free textbooks and instructional materials. A total of 47 other university systems across the country are participating.
- 📔 Mix and Match - OER materials are different for each class. For example, a librarian may ensure students can borrow required literature. They can also be e-books or PDFs or even interactive games.
- 📓 Starting Empty - The program was partly created after data showed that around two-thirds of students don’t have access to materials in the first three weeks of class. That’s usually attributed to the wait on student loans or military benefits.
- 📖 Almost a Million - So far, 85,000 students in the Minnesota State system have taken at least one course that relies on free materials.
- 📗 A to Z - Some campuses have taken it a step further, offering Z-Degrees, which are entire programs that guarantee students will graduate without having to buy a single text book. There are currently 10 colleges that offer Z-Degrees and another 15 are in the process of creating the programs.
🔥Bottom line: Cheaper college is a good thing, especially since enrollment is dwindling and tuition is getting more expensive. Hopefully the program becomes permanent because every little bit helps.
What do you think of the program?
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