Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC)

A Zero Textbook Cost course requires no textbook cost for students. Required instructional materials are provided at no cost and may include Open Educational Resources (OER), instructor-created content, library resources, public domain works, Creative Commons-licensed materials or other properly licensed materials.

Students receive access to required materials from the first day of class through course completion.

Optional paid resources may be offered but cannot be required for success in the course. Course supplies such as calculators or lab materials do not affect a course's Zero Textbook Cost status.

A Zero Textbook Cost pathway is a complete degree or certificate program in which all required courses use instructional materials that are free to students, resulting in no textbook costs for the full pathway.

Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) identifies courses that have no required textbook costs for students.

Open Educational Resources (OER) are learning, teaching and research materials that reside in the public domain or are under copyright that have been released under an open license, that permit no-cost access, re-use, re-purpose, adaptation and redistribution by others.

Not every course qualifies because all required instructional materials must be available to students at no cost. Courses that require students to purchase textbooks, access codes, homework platforms or other required course materials are not considered Zero Textbook Cost. Optional materials may be offered but cannot be required for success in the course.

Hillsborough College partners with the Florida Virtual Campus (FLVC) and the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) to expand Zero Textbook Cost opportunities for students.

Through these partnerships, HC is developing zero-cost instructional materials, expanding degree and certificate pathway options, and supporting faculty in creating high-quality, affordable learning resources.

The College launched its pilot Artificial Intelligence OER Creation program in 2024, pairing subject matter expertise with AI to produce open textbooks in under six months.