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9 Texas colleges receive $2 million to provide free course materials

By
FOX 7 Austin
Education
Published August 17, 2026 4:12 PM CDT
Published August 17, 2026 4:12 PM CDT
FILE IMAGE - Students from George Washington University wear their graduation gowns outside of the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 18, 2022. (Photo by STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images) article

FILE IMAGE - Students from George Washington University wear their graduation gowns outside of the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 18, 2022. (Photo by STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

The Brief

    • Gov. Greg Abbott announced over $2 million in state grants for nine Texas higher education institutions to expand free online textbooks and course materials.
    • The Open Educational Resources funding focuses on workforce training programs, including nursing, cybersecurity, electrical technology, and business, to reduce student costs.
    • Specific details on when students can access these new zero-cost materials for their registered classes are currently undisclosed.

AUSTIN, Texas - Texas Governor Grwg Abbott announced that nine Texas colleges and universities will receive more than $2 million in state grants to expand free textbooks and other course materials for various workforce training programs. 

Expanding free textbooks across Texas

What we know:

Grants will be awarded through the state's Open Educational Resource Grant Program (OERGP) and will help schools develop openly licensed materials that students can access, for no additional cost, through the state's Open educational resource digital library.

Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching, learning and/or research materials that are in the public domain or carry licenses allowing them to be freely used, adapted and redistributed.

The 2026–28 grants announced Monday are:

  • Alamo Community College District: $285,000
  • Collin County Community College District: $285,000
  • El Paso County Community College District: $285,000
  • Lamar Institute of Technology: $285,000
  • Lee College: $285,000
  • North Central Texas College: $285,000
  • Texas A&M University-Kingsville: $15,000
  • Texas State University: $285,000
  • West Texas A&M University: $15,000

The awards total $2.025 million. The competitive grant program is administered through the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and provides funding to public colleges and universities to develop courses using open educational resources. 

Grants support nursing, cybersecurity, and trade programs

What they're saying:

Gov. Abbot specified how the funding would support nursing programs as well as workforce programs in other fields such as cybersecurity, electrical technology and business.

"As we strengthen our workforce in nursing, cybersecurity, electrical technology, and business, it is critical that students have access to the resources they need to succeed in their chosen field," Abbott said in a statement. "These grants will expand access to free learning materials to make education more affordable for Texans."

Texas Higher Education Commissioner Wynn Rosser said the program is intended to ease costs that students face beyond tuition.

"As every college student knows, the cost of textbooks and supplies can put a dent in their bank account," Rosser said in a statement. He said the program has reduced those expenses for thousands of students by expanding the state's online collection of free course materials.

Texas’ Open Educational Resource Program 

The backstory:

The Texas Legislature and Abbott established the state's OER grant program in 2018. Since then, the program has served more than 33,000 Texas students and saved them an estimated $3.5 million in textbook costs, according to the governor's office.

The Source: Information in this article was provided by the Texas Governor's Office.

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