Texas is awarding more than $2 million in grants to expand access to free textbooks and other educational materials for college students across the state.
Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday that the grants will go to nine Texas higher education institutions through the state’s Open Educational Resource Grant Program. The funding will support the creation and adoption of free educational materials for students enrolled in nursing and workforce training programs.
The materials are made available through OERTX, a state digital library that provides openly licensed textbooks, course materials, and other educational resources at no cost to students.
“As every college student knows, the cost of textbooks and supplies can put a dent in their bank account,” Texas Higher Education Commissioner Wynn Rosser said. “The OER grant program has reduced those costs for thousands of Texas students through the continual expansion of the OERTX online library of free textbooks and course materials.”
The grants will help develop materials for programs in high-demand fields including nursing, cybersecurity, electrical technology, and business.
Abbott said expanding access to the free materials can help make education more affordable while preparing students for careers needed in the Texas workforce.
The Open Educational Resource Grant Program was established in 2018. According to the governor’s office, the program has since assisted more than 33,000 Texas students and saved them an estimated $3.5 million in textbook costs.
Most of the institutions included in the latest round of awards are slated to receive $285,000, including Alamo Community College District, Collin County Community College District, El Paso County Community College District, Lamar Institute of Technology, Lee College, North Central Texas College, and Texas State University.
