Zero Textbook Cost Grant Program
Applications Open March 6th!
Keep reading to learn more about the Zero Textbook Cost Grant Program and how to apply.
According to College Board, the average undergraduate student in a four-year public institution spent $1,290 to cover textbooks and supplies in 2024-2025. UC Libraries is introducing the Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) Grant Program in 2026 to help reduce the burden of commercial textbook costs for students.
The zero textbook cost (ZTC) model aims to replace conventional textbooks with open educational resources (OER) and other zero-cost options that do not place a financial burden on students.
An open educational resource (OER) is any teaching and learning resource that is freely and publicly available. This includes openly licensed resources, like The American Yawp or University Physics, and works in the public domain, like Frankenstein.
Program Overview
The Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) Grant Program provides UC instructors with the financial incentive and material support they need to integrate OERs and existing library-licensed resources into course curricula and maintain their use. Starting in March 2026, grants will be available in three categories: Adoption, Adaptation, and Maintenance.
Adoption grants will be awarded in the amount of $1,500. These grants will be awarded to support the adoption of a zero-cost model utilizing existing OERs, existing library resources, or a combination of the two. If an adoption grant recipient is unable to identify a suitable replacement for existing course materials, they may be eligible to transition into the Adaptation category.
Adaptation grants will be awarded in the amount of $3,000 (or a $1,500 top-up for Adoption track transitions). These grants will be awarded to support the substantial adaptation of existing OER materials for use in UC courses. Example adaptation projects might include:
- Rewriting and/or adding to a psychology OER to make it appropriate for use in a social work course context
- Digitization and annotation of public domain works from Archives and Rare Books
- Remediation of inaccessible open resources
Adaptation grants will be awarded in the amount of $500 and will support the maintenance and updating of OER course materials that are already in use at UC.
