Open and Affordable Textbook Program: Overview

Spring 2025 - View and apply for an AY 2025-2026 OAT Award!

The NJIT Open and Affordable Textbook (OAT) Program began in 2017 with the goal of encouraging NJIT faculty to redesign their courses using open textbooks, free or low-cost materials, library resources, or open educational resources (OER) in place of commercial texts to increase course material affordability for NJIT students.

To date, the OAT Program has brought an estimated savings of $1,192,678 to 8,705 students.

The goals are to:

• Encourage and promote the adoption, adaptation, or creation of open educational resources
• Support and engage in new pedagogical models for classroom instruction
• Contribute to student success, retention, and graduation by helping to lower textbook costs
• Raise awareness of OER within the NJIT community

The OAT Program awards funds to full-time and part-time faculty and instructors who are willing to:

• Adopt: replace commercial textbooks with open alternatives that are free or low-cost
• Modify: replace commercial textbooks with articles, book chapters or media content that are open access or free and low-cost resources, or licensed through NJIT University Library
• Create: replace a commercial textbook with one that they will design, author, and provide for free or low-cost to students

Application for the next academic year are now open. Go to the AY 2025-2026 OAT Application page for additional information and to access the application form.

The OAT Program is managed by the University Library with support from the Center for Educational Innovation & Excellence and the Office of the Provost.