Montana State University students are paying less for textbooks than many of their peers nationwide, due to efforts by the MSU Library and Bookstore. Over the past six years, these initiatives have resulted in significant savings for students.
Christina Trunnell, assistant dean of the MSU Library, said that while families often focus on tuition and housing, textbook costs can be underestimated. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, textbook prices increased by more than 1,000% between 1977 and 2015—outpacing inflation by over three times. The university recommends that students budget $725 per semester for books.
Trunnell noted that high textbook costs can force students to make difficult choices, such as dropping classes or not purchasing required materials. This can affect academic performance and delay graduation. “Textbook costs and not being able to access your course materials can put a huge amount of stress on students,” she said.
To address this issue, the library collaborates with faculty to provide lower-cost alternatives when possible. In 2019, the library began encouraging professors to use open educational resources (OER), which are free digital textbooks or low-cost print versions with open licenses. Faculty members can also modify OER materials to better suit their courses.
Since launching the program, more than 65 faculty members have adopted OER in their teaching. Based on enrollment data and textbook pricing at the time of transition, about 34,500 students have collectively saved $4.5 million as of spring 2025.
Supporting faculty through this transition is a key part of the program. The library allocates funds each year for professors who develop or adapt OER materials and hosts workshops to help them find suitable resources if they are not creating their own content. While most OER options exist for introductory courses, availability is expanding annually.
The MSU Bookstore also plays a role in reducing costs. As one of few nonprofit university bookstores nationally, it uses profits from merchandise sales to lower textbook prices by at least 10% compared to national retail rates and up to 20% compared with other university bookstores.
“We don’t want a student to come to MSU and feel like the cost of a textbook is a reason why they can’t take the class,” said Chad Schreier, bookstore president and CEO. “So, we’re going to do everything we can to get that price down as low as possible.”
The bookstore continues offering used books and rentals but has expanded its “inclusive access” model. This approach provides digital course materials directly to students at reduced rates negotiated based on course enrollment size rather than individual purchases—resulting in bulk discounts from publishers. If inclusive access textbooks are OER-based, they are free for students.
Participation in inclusive access has grown steadily; between spring 2023 and spring 2025 there was a 67% increase in student enrollments in inclusive access courses and a 156% rise in participating courses. Last spring saw approximately 20,000 enrollments through this platform—more than MSU’s total headcount—indicating multiple uses per student. Nearly 60% of all textbook options submitted by faculty now use inclusive access.
During the 2024-2025 academic year alone, inclusive access saved MSU students $2.7 million compared with traditional new print textbooks.
Looking ahead, MSU plans to launch a tool allowing students registering for classes to see which courses offer free or low-cost textbooks (under $40). This feature will debut at Gallatin College MSU in fall before expanding campus-wide in spring 2026; it was developed by MSU’s Persistence to Degree Committee with input from both the library and bookstore.
“We want to give students as many affordable options to choose from as possible,” Schreier said.
