Summary

Creates a competitive federal grant program to help colleges and consortia develop, adapt, and adopt open textbooks so students spend less on course materials without lowering instructional quality. Grant‑funded materials must be openly licensed, free to access digitally, and accessible for people with disabilities. Grantees must report results, and the Department must report to Congress. Funding is authorized as “such sums as may be necessary.” Updates college textbook transparency rules so students see key details before they enroll: ISBN (or author/title/publisher/copyright if no ISBN), retail price, any fees, whether a material is an open educational resource, and—if primarily digital—a publisher‑provided summary of what student data are collected and whether students can opt out. Colleges receiving federal aid must help affiliated bookstores get timely course and schedule information. Faculty are encouraged (but not required) to consider open textbooks, and GAO must report to Congress within 3 years on costs and the use of open resources.

Key Points

• Launches a federal competitive grant program to create, adapt, and adopt open textbooks (OER) to reduce student costs.
• Requires grant‑funded materials to carry an open license, be free to access digitally, and be accessible to people with disabilities.
• Expands and clarifies textbook/course material definitions and adds a definition of “open educational resource.”
• Requires colleges to disclose ISBN (or equivalent details), retail price, fees, and OER status for each required/recommended material.
• Adds a new privacy transparency step for primarily digital materials: publish a publisher‑provided summary of data collection and opt‑out availability.
• Requires institutions receiving federal aid to share timely course and schedule information with affiliated bookstores; allows faculty adoption deadlines.
• Protects academic freedom while encouraging faculty to consider open textbooks.
• Mandates grantee reporting and annual agency reports to Congress; authorizes such sums as necessary.
• Directs GAO to study textbook costs, the use and impact of OER, and implementation of the updated disclosure rules within 3 years.

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