As part of our mission to increase awareness of Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) initiative at BCIT, our team recently conducted a review of Zero Textbook Cost research. We wanted to move beyond just “general idea” and look at the real data regarding how textbook prices impact the average student’s financial health across Canada.
“Students are expected to pay an average of $1750 per year in textbook costs, an average of 15.4% of a student’s educational costs. “
Draper & McNally (2020, p. 5)
When Costs Become a Barrier
Textbook costs have become a major barrier in the lives of students today. By looking at the data, we can see exactly how significant these expenses are and how they shape the student experience even before the first day of class.
“Cost of textbooks had influenced their course enrollment and persistence, 27% of respondents indicated that they had taken fewer courses, 26% had not registered for a course, and 17% reported dropping or withdrawing from a course, all at least once.”
Jhangiani & Jhangiani, (2017, p. 179)
Real Success
The results from Kwantlen Polytechnic University show just how powerful Zero Textbook Cost courses can be. Through KPU’s ZTC initiative, over 24,000 students saved nearly $13 million on textbooks alone, easing a major financial burden for learners. Even more encouraging is that these savings did not mean lower academic quality. Students in ZTC courses performed just as well, and in many cases better, than those using traditional paid textbooks. This proves that when students are given free and accessible learning materials from day one, they are set up to succeed. KPU’s success shows that ZTC is not just about saving money, it is about creating a more supportive, equitable, and student focused learning experience.
“24,000+ student share saved nearly $13 million through Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) courses, while achieving equal or better academic outcome compared to traditional textbook-based courses.”
Jhangiani et al., (2025, p. 326)
The Impact of ZTC and OER on Academic Success
What about the actual impact of Open Educational Resources (OER) on student performance? Research indicates that OER effectiveness is comparable to, or even higher than, traditional textbooks. In today’s rapidly evolving world, industries change at an incredible pace. To simple put, OER provides the real-time flexibility and up-to-date material students need to succeed right now.
“Instructors, and assigned open textbooks, it might seem extraordinary for 96% of respondents to perceive the quality of their open textbook to be equal or superior to a commercial textbook.”
Jhangiani & Jhangiani, (2017, p. 186)
“Sixty-three percent of respondents judged the overall quality of their open textbook to be above average or excellent, with an additional 33% rating it as average”
Jhangiani & Jhangiani, (2017, p. 181)
“Across 13,605 course sections (2018–2022), ZTC sections had a slightly higher average GPA than non‑ZTC sections; the difference was statistically significant but small (about 0.04 points on a 4.33 scale within the same course)”
Jhangiani et al., (2025)
Bibliography
Draper, D., & McNally, M. B. (2020, October 24). Submission for Alberta 2030: Building skills for jobs consultation. University of Alberta Students’ Union and University of Alberta. https://ualberta.scholaris.ca/server/api/core/bitstreams/27bf3c13-d389-4711-a86a-41a9d5ac5e84/content
Jhangiani, R., Pakkal, O., & Xia, X. (2025). The multi-year impact of Canada’s first zero textbook cost initiative. Open Praxis, 17(2), 326–348. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.T2025072100008700484749587
Jhangiani, R. S., & Jhangiani, S. (2017). Investigating the Perceptions, Use, and Impact of Open Textbooks: A survey of Post-Secondary Students in British Columbia. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 18(4). https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v18i4.3012
