The State of College Course Materials 2024-2026
Simba Information’s The State of College Course Materials 2024-2026 provides an in-depth analysis of key trends and challenges shaping the higher education course materials market. The report highlights a 3% increase in undergraduate enrollment and a 7.3% rise in demand for short-term micro-credentials, reflecting a shift toward workforce-oriented education. At the same time, first-year enrollment has declined by 5%, raising concerns about the broader demographic and systemic challenges in postsecondary education.
Affordability remains a critical issue, with average student spending on course materials dropping to $342 annually, the lowest in 16 years. This decline is driven by widespread adoption of Open Educational Resources (OER), inclusive access models, and digital-first solutions. Additionally, the report explores the growing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), with 86% of students integrating it into their learning processes, while faculty adoption lags at just 14%. These insights, along with analysis of policy impacts and publisher strategies, make this report essential for stakeholders navigating a rapidly evolving educational landscape.
- Executive Summary
- Methodology
- Market Size and Enrollment
- Institution Types and Numbers
- Table Number of US Title IV Postsecondary Institutions, 2023-2024 vs. 2022-2023
- For-Profit Private Institutions Outnumber Non-profit Schools
- Institutions with First Year Undergraduates
- Table Degree-Granting Institutions with First-Year Undergraduates, 2023-2024 vs. 2022-2023, vs. 2000-2001
- Distance Education
- Table Number of Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions that Primarily Offer Online Programs Fall 2022
- Federal Plan to Require Attendance Taking in Online Courses
- For-Profit Institutions Enrollment
- Table Simba Information Career College Enrollment Index, 2022 & 2023
- Higher Education Under Pressure: Closures, Mergers, and Acquisitions
- Table College Closures and Mergers: Completed in 2024 and Forthcoming
- Undergraduate and Graduate Enrollment Increased
- Freshmen Numbers Decline
- Interest in Undergraduate Certificates Remains Strong
- Table Enrollment Changes by Award Level and Sector, Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Fall 2024
- Enrollment by Major Field of Study
- Table Enrollment Changes in Top Ten Majors by Credential Type, Fall 2023 vs. Fall 2024
- High Cost of College Hinder Enrollment
- Approaching the Enrollment Cliff
- Institution Types and Numbers
- Policy and Funding
- Cost of Attending College in 2024-2025
- Table Undergraduate Tuition and Fees, 2023 - 2024 vs. 2024 - 2025
- Cost of Attending College in 2025-2027
- Table Cost of Attending College Estimates, 2025 - 2027
- Crossing Psychological Barrier with $100K a Year Sticker Price
- Transparency Bills Seek to Reveal the True Cost of College
- Table Summary of Enacted and Pending Cost Transparency Bills
- Attempts to Eliminate Automatic Charges for Textbooks
- Federal Funding for Higher Education
- Table Selected Higher Education Programs in President Biden's Department of Education Budget Request, 2023 - 2025P (million dollars)
- Student Loans
- Table Average Cumulative Debt Levels in 2023 Dollars: Bachelor's Degree Recipients at Public and Private Nonprofit Four-Year Institutions, 2007-2008 to 2022-2023, Selected Years
- Table Distribution of Outstanding Federal Borrowers by Age Third Quarter FY2017, FY2020, and 2024
- Table Distribution of Outstanding Federal Loan Dollars by Borrowers Age, Third Quarter FY2017, FY 2020, and FY 2024
- Support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities
- Project 2025
- State Funding for Higher Education
- Table Sources of State and Local Higher Education Funding By State, FY 2023
- Student Share
- Table Net Tuition as a Percentage of Total Education Revenue by State (excluding net tuition revenue used for capital debt service), Selected Years, 1980 - 2023
- Workforce Development
- Table Federal Workforce Development Grants, 2024
- Career, Technical and Adult Learning
- Cost of Attending College in 2024-2025
- Course Materials
- Cost of Coursebook Materials
- Table Average Cost of Books and Supplies for First-Year, Full-Time Undergraduates, 2022 - 2023
- Table How much do students pay for their course materials?
- Why Is Student Spending on Course Materials Declining?
- The Impact of Textbook and Courseware Costs
- How Do Students Source Course Materials?
- Course Materials Cost-Cutting Efforts
- Impact on Student Success
- Faculty Concerned by Textbook Affordability: The Growing Share of Open Educational Resources
- Federal Governments Continue to Push OER
- Table Open Textbook Pilot Program New Awards, FY 2024
- State Governments Continue to Support OER
- Table Recent State-Enacted Higher Education OER-Related Policies
- Federal Governments Continue to Push OER
- The Emergence of Z-Degrees
- Table Selected Higher Institutions Recent and Ongoing OER Initiatives
- Outlook for College Course Materials
- Table Sales by Segment of Key College Course Materials, 2023 - 2026P (million dollars)
- Recommendations for Publishers
- Cost of Coursebook Materials
- Industry Trends and Innovations
- Confidence in Higher Education Now Sharply Split
- Gallup Research on Higher Institution
- New American Varying Degrees 2024 Survey
- Pew Research Center Study
- Americans More Confident in Community Colleges
- Colleges Reorganizing Academic Programs
- Programs Consolidation
- Institutions Prioritize Online Courses Development
- Colleges Expanding Micro-credentials
- The Emergence of Accelerated Degrees
- Faculty Interest in Affordable Access Programs Remains Strong
- Inclusive and Equitable Access Programs Expanding
- The Awareness and Use of OER Dwindling
- Digital Textbooks Have Not Fully Won Professors Yet
- Higher Education Diverged in AI Adoption
- Publishers Invest Heavily in AI
- Students Embrace AI for Academic Support
- Faculty Lags Behind Students in AI Adoption
- AI Already Fuels OER Development
- AI and the Copyright Legal Challenges
- The Copyright Office Stand
- Collective Licensing Approach
- Confidence in Higher Education Now Sharply Split
- Competitive Landscape
- Acquisitions, Divestment, and Funding
- 2023 Activity
- Table Acquisitions, Divestments, and Funding for Higher Education Competitors, 2023
- 2023 Activity
- 2024 Activity
- Infrastructure Acquires Parchment and Goes Private
- The Pursuit of Non-Traditional Students and Non-degree Education
- Table Acquisitions, Divestments and Funding for Higher Education Competitors, 2024
- Major Competitors
- Table Performance of Higher Education Competitors: Total Corporate and Higher Education Segment, (million dollars)
- Pearson
- Table Pearson Interactive Media Platforms
- Table Pearson Divisional Financial Results, 2023
- Table Person's AI Development & Roll Out Milestones - Summary, 2023 - 2024
- Cengage Learning
- Table Cengage's Business Segments
- Table Cengage's Digital Platforms
- McGraw Hill
- Table McGraw Hill's Digital Platforms
- Wiley
- Table Wiley's Financial Performance by Segment,
- Future Performance
- Competitive Performance Year-to-Date
- Table Performance and Guidance for Higher Education Competitors, 2024
- Acquisitions, Divestment, and Funding
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