PUBLISHER: SIMBA Information, Inc. | PRODUCT CODE: 1426997
PUBLISHER: SIMBA Information, Inc. | PRODUCT CODE: 1426997
State of College Course Materials 2023-2025
Simba Information's State of College Course Materials 2023-2025 report reveals a significant decline in student spending on course materials, a drop to an average of $285 per year per student. Also highlighted in the report is a rise in undergraduates seeking short-term credentials, closures of higher education institutions, and increased use of Open Educational Resources (OER) requirements from federal and state governments. Additionally, the report notes a growing use of AI among students and faculty, accompanied by concerns about privacy and unauthorized use by students. The State of College Course Materials covers a range of topics that include enrollment trends, distance education growth, policy and funding developments, the shift from print to digital instructional materials, subscription and inclusive access plans, technology trends, and mergers and acquisitions in the industry. Simba provides both the size and context for market segments, encompassing new course materials in both digital and print formats.
Table of Content
INTRODUCTION
METHODOLOGY
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
CHAPTER 1: MARKET SIZE AND ENROLLMENT
INSTITUTION TYPES AND NUMBERS
Table 1.1. Number of U.S. Title IV Postsecondary Institutions, 2022-2023 vs. 2021-2022
Public vs. Private
For-Profit Private Institutions Outnumber Nonprofit Schools
Institutions with First-Year Undergraduates
Table 1.2. Degree-Granting Institutions with First-Year Undergraduates, 2022-2023 vs. 2020-2021 vs. 2000-2001
Distance Education
Forthcoming (2024)
2023
Shifting Market for For-Profit Institutions
Table 1.3. Simba Information Career College Enrollment Index, 2022
Figure 1.1. Interest in Short-term Credentials Increased in 2023
Figure 1.2. First-year Student Enrollment Fell at Four-year Colleges
Figure 1.3. Enrollment Changes by Credential Type
Table 1.4. Enrollment Changes by Award Level and Sector, Fall 2022 & Fall 2023
Figure 1.4. Freshman Enrollment Changes by Age
Figure 1.5. Freshman Enrollment Changes by Sector
Table 1.5. Enrollment Changes in Top Ten Majors by Credential Type, Fall 2022 & Fall 2023
THINKING ABOUT STUDENT DATA
Disciplines, Majors and Job Growth as Drivers
CHAPTER 2: POLICY & FUNDING
INTRODUCTION
COSTS OF ATTENDING COLLEGE IN 2022-2023
Table 2.1. Undergraduate Tuition and Fees, 2021-2022 vs. 2022-2023
COSTS OF ATTENDING COLLEGE IN 2023-2024
Table 2.2. Undergraduate Tuition and Fees, 2022-2023 vs. 2023-2024 (dollars)
COSTS OF ATTENDING COLLEGE 2024-2027
Table 2.3. Costs of Attending College Estimates, 2024-2027 (dollars)
FEDERAL FUNDING FOR HIGHER EDUCATION
Table 2.4. Selected Higher Education Programs in President Biden's Department of Education Budget Request, FY 2022-FY2024P (million dollars)
HEERF Funds 2023
STUDENT LOANS
Table 2.5. Average Cumulative Debt Levels in 2022 Dollars: Bachelor's Degree Recipients at Public and Private Nonprofit Four-Year Institutions, 2006-07 to 2021-22, Selected Years
Table 2.6. Distribution of Outstanding Federal Borrowers by Borrower Age, Second Quarter FY 2017, FY 2020, and FY 2023
Table 2.7. Distribution of Outstanding Federal Loan Dollars by Borrower Age, Second Quarter FY 2017, FY 2020, and FY 2023
IMPACT OF STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS
CONTINUED PUSH FOR OVERSIGHT
Programs and Colleges Impacted
DOE Introduces New Student Protections
STATE SUPPORT FOR HIGHER EDUCATION
State Funding
Table 2.8. Sources of State and Local Higher Education Funding by State, FY 2022
Student Share
Table 2.9. Net Tuition as a Percentage of Total Education Revenue by State (excluding net tuition revenue used for capital debt service), FY 1980-2022
SHEEO STATE HIGHER EDUCATION FINANCE: FY 2022
Looking Ahead
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Table 2.10. Federal Workforce Development Grants, 2023
APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS
Table 2.11. State Policies and Programs to Support Employer Led RAPs
Figure 2.1. Map of OA and SAA States
Career, Technical, and Adult Learning
CHAPTER 3: COURSE MATERIALS
INTRODUCTION
LONG-TERM DECLINE IN COURSE MATERIALS SPEND CONTINUES
Table 3.1. Average Cost of Books and Supplies for First-Year, Full-Time Undergraduates, 2021-2022 (dollars)
Figure 3.1. Average College Student Spending on Course Materials, 2007-2022 (dollars)
Figure 3.2. Average College Student Spending on Course Materials by Major, 2022-2023
THE IMPACT OF TEXTBOOK AND COURSEWARE COSTS
Potential Solutions
Figure 3.3. Most Common Free Materials Assigned by Faculty
OER
Federal and State Governments Continue to Push OER
Figure 3.4. Open Textbooks (OTP) Program Fiscal Year 2023 Summary of Funding
State Governments Continue to Support OER
OpenStax Expands Implementation, Gains Federal Funding
Course Hero, Lumen Pair to Expand Access to OER
More Institutions Encourage Adoption, Creation and Use of OER
Table 3.2. Putting OER to Work, 2022-2024
OUTLOOK FOR COLLEGE COURSE MATERIALS
Table 3.3 Sales by Segment of Key College Course Materials, 2022-2025P (million dollars)
Recommendations for Publishers
CHAPTER 4: INDUSTRY TRENDS AND INNOVATIONS
DECLINING CONFIDENCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Gallup Research on American Institutions
Figure 4-1. Gallup Poll on American Confidence in Higher Education
Eroding Value of a College Degree
Businesses Drop College Degree Requirements
Fallout from Campus Protests on Israel-Hamas War
Education in Flux
CHANGING COURSE MATERIALS MODELS
Subscription Services
Inclusive Access and Equitable Access
Inclusive Access
Equitable Access
Implications
ONLINE LEARNING
Changing Perceptions
Growing Market
eSpelman
What the Rise of AI in College Classrooms Means for the Industry
A Snapshot: Where Things Stand Now
How are Students and Faculty Using AI?
Figure 4-2. University Leader Perspective on AI
PRACTICAL MATTERS: SETTING POLICIES
The Educational Publisher's Imperative
CHAPTER 5: COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
BACKGROUND
ACQUISITIONS, DIVESTMENTS AND FUNDING
2022 Activity
Pearson Sells Local K-12 Courseware Businesses
Chegg Exits Course Materials Business
Table 5-1. Acquisitions, Divestments and Funding for Higher Education Competitors, 2022
2023 Activity
Two OPM Divestments
Barnes & Noble Divests DSS
New Funding
Notable Acquisitions
Inclusive Access and Equitable Access
The Pursuit of Non-Traditional Students
Clarivate Incubator
Table 5.2. Acquisitions, Divestments, and Funding for Higher Education Competitors, 2023
MAJOR COMPETITORS
Table 5.3. Performance of Higher Education Competitors: Total Corporate and Higher Education Segment (million dollars)
PEARSON
Pearson+
Corporate Strategy
Figure 5-1. Pearson Strategic Overview by Segment
Leadership Change
CENGAGE LEARNING
Reorganization
Higher Education Segment
Cengage Unlimited
Strategic Directions
Accredible Partnership
MCGRAW HILL
Higher Education
Strategic Directions
TikTok for Studying
McGraw Hill GO
WILEY
Divestment Plan
Learning Segment
Strategic Directions
CHEGG
Performance
Bracing for Impact
Strategic Directions
BARNES & NOBLE EDUCATION
DSS Spinoff
Business Segments
Retail
Wholesale
First Day Inclusive Access and Equitable Access
Strategic Directions
PERFORMANCE
Competitive Performance Year-to-Date
Table 5-4. 2023 Performance and Guidance for Higher Education Competitors
