Clearly identifying courses that use openly licensed resources or have zero resource costs
What are cost indicators
Cost indicators identify attributes of a course, such as:
- Zero Textbook Cost
- Low Textbook Cost
- No Textbook Cost
- Using OER
- Using free library content
Project Details
In post-secondary education, the cost of course materials can have a big impact on students’ academic choices and financial well-being. Yet, at many institutions, students don’t know how much their course materials will cost until after they register, making it hard to plan or make fully informed decisions.
This three-year, system-level initiative, led by BCcampus and funded by the Hewlett Foundation, aims to change that by:
- Introducing cost indicators in course registration systems so students can see upfront costs for required materials, including textbooks, articles, course packs, lab manuals, and software.
- Building a sustainable, automated system for tracking and reporting on the adoption of open educational resources (OER) across institutions.
- Giving institutions better data to guide strategy and growth in affordable learning practices.
By improving transparency around course material costs, this work helps students make informed choices and supports institutions in creating more affordable, accessible learning experiences.
Collaboration is at the heart of the project.
- Student groups are key partners and advocates for transparency and institutional change.
- Institutions are supported by the project team through the cultural, technical, and operational shifts needed to make system-wide implementation possible.
Apply for Funding
BCcampus will be providing funding to BC and Yukon public post-secondary institutions who are looking to implement cost indicators or grow their current cost indicators initiative. The call for funding proposals will be released in Spring 2026.
Using Cost Indicators and Open Educational Resources
Why Cost Indicators Are Important?
- Provide transparency for students, helping with informed financial planning.
“Findings indicate that students, across all demographic categories, who attempt no-cost/low-cost (NCLC) credits increase their likelihood of graduation with a significant impact for older students.” Diaz Solodukhin | No-Cost/Low-Cost and OER Impact on Time-to-Credential: An Event History Modeling Study | Journal of Open Educational Resources in Higher Education - Promote awareness of OER, library content, and free resources.
- Streamline OER adoption data collection.
Learn more about Cost Indicators: Findings of the OER Course Marking Landscape Analysis Survey by the Midwestern Higher Education Compact [PDF]
What are OER, ZTC, and Low or No Cost?
- Find Open Resources – Getting Started with OER Publishing
- Copyright and Open Licences – Self-Publishing Guide
- B.C. Open Collection | BCcampus
- Zero Textbook Cost | KPU.ca – Kwantlen Polytechnic University
- Canada Overview/ Open Praxis: The Multi-Year Impact of Canada’s First Zero Textbook Cost Initiative | Open Praxis
“Students shouldn’t need to gamble on the cost of a course. Upfront details about textbooks, materials, and Open Educational Resources (OER) allow students to see the true price of courses before they enrol. Cost transparency empowers students to plan confidently and choose courses that fit their budget.”
— Cole Reinbold, Secretary-Treasurer, BC Federation of Students
Project Resources
Branding Package
Download project branding, social media files, and advocacy materials to share at your institutions.
Check back regularly as we will add more to this folder as the project progresses.
Implementation Toolkit
A toolkit is currently being developed to support institutions in implementing cost indicators and will be available here in early 2027.