Washtenaw Community College (WCC) has been awarded a new state grant to expand a program that has already saved students more than $16 million in textbook costs since 2017.
The new $200,000 College Success Grant from the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) will help grow WCC’s Open Educational Resources (OER) program. The program provides students with free digital textbooks and other low-cost learning materials, helping students overcome cost barriers to education.
The OER initiative allows students to use free textbooks adapted by WCC faculty or other open-source alternatives instead of traditional textbooks that can cost hundreds of dollars each. Since its inception, thousands of WCC students have earned degrees, certificates and general education credits with little or no textbook costs.
During the current Fall 2025 semester, 20 academic departments are offering 410 course sections with OER materials, saving students more than $1.1 million in textbook costs. Last year, the program saved WCC students more than $2.7 million.
“The OER program aligns perfectly with our mission to provide affordable and accessible education,” said WCC President Dr. Rose B. Bellanca. “We are grateful for this new College Success Grant from the state to help us expand our program and continue to serve our students in the best way possible.”
As WCC continues to grow its OER offerings, the new grant reflects the college’s long-standing commitment to affordability and student success. As WCC celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, the expansion of free textbook options demonstrates how the college continues to innovate and remove financial barriers for students.
WCC currently offers three Z-Degrees – full degree pathways that can be completed with zero textbook costs – and six business Z-Certificates. Newly expanded OER course options this semester include programs in Liberal Arts Transfer, General Studies Transfer, and Math & Natural Sciences.
For students like Nicole Johnson, the program has been life-changing. Johnson, a 33-year-old childhood education student, learned about the OER program from her instructor and saved money immediately by using a free textbook for her ECD 101 class.
“I didn’t qualify for the Pell Grant, but thankfully I had my TEACH scholarship to help cover classes,” Johnson said. “I couldn’t afford to purchase a book. I am grateful for this program.”
Using the new grant to expand the OER program supports the state’s Sixty by 30 goal of 60% of adults with a skill certificate or degree by 2030.
A 2018 study by the Florida Virtual Campus Office of Distance Learning and Student Services found that textbook costs continue to hinder students’ progress toward higher education goals. The study reported that 64% of students did not buy required textbooks, and 43% took fewer courses because of textbook expenses.
Tags: Accessibility, Affordability, Library, MiLEAP, OER, Open Educational Resources, Z-Certificate, Z-Degree