Cal Poly Pomona Students Save $2.2M on Textbooks With New Instant Digital Program
In fall 2023, Cal Poly Pomona implemented a new digital subscription program for textbooks and course materials that saved students a collective $2.2 million in one semester. More than 75 percent students participated in and remain in the program. The key to that success was making the Instant Access Complete program as easy as possible.
Undergraduate students were automatically charged a flat rate of $250 for the semester and had instant access to all the textbooks and materials for their classes. For graduate students, the cost was $150. On average, California college students spend $938 per year on textbooks and materials, according to the California Student Aid Commission’s 2021-22 Student Expenses and Resources Survey.
Nearly 20,000 students opted into the Instant Access Complete program, which provides automated delivery of the digital course materials — textbooks, faculty-created content, open educational resources and University Library e-books — ensuring access on the first day of classes. Students have the ability to opt out of the program through the end of the add-drop period.
“We are thrilled with the positive impact of the Instant Access Complete program on our students,” said Suzanne Donnelly, senior associate director of the Bronco Bookstore. “By working with our textbook suppliers and designing the program to take advantage of research on the impact of reducing friction with default settings, we make it so students don’t have to navigate confusing options; they just start out with what they need to succeed and learn.”
Mikaela Dryer, a marketing senior, said she appreciates the convenience of having the textbooks at hand right away.
“I feel that Instant Access Complete was perfect for my needs as it took all the stress of finding and purchasing textbooks away,” Dryer said “Many students such as myself lead busy lives, and just knowing that my textbooks would be where I could find them when I needed them was a relief.”
Results from the fall 2023 semester demonstrate the success of the Instant Access Complete program:
- 76.5 percent of enrolled students opted to stay in the program.
- 80 percent participation rate when adjusted for students who had no content (i.e., courses that are internship, independent study, senior thesis and projects that have no paid course content assigned).
- Distribution of 101,695 digital and print materials to 19,951 students, a significant increase from 58,917 units provided in fall 2022 prior to the implementation of Instant Access Complete.
- 89.2 percent of total units were provided in digital format (90,648 units) and 10.8 percent in print format (11,047 units)
- Estimated savings of $2.2 million based on the previous year’s average cost of all required materials per student, translating to savings of $112.80 per student.
The Instant Access Complete program is currently available at Cal Poly Pomona, CSU Long Beach and San Diego State University.