OEPData

Textbook Cost Audit: Key Findings

Fall 2023 vs. Fall 2025

Using the full audit (all sections, not just ZTC and LTC), here are the clearest findings.

1. Overall Textbook-Status Breakdown

Fall 2023

Category Sections
Total sections 3,033
Complete textbook record 2,618
Missing/incomplete record 415
ZTC 551
LTC 257
Other completed adoptions 1,810

Among sections with completed records:

  • 21.0% ZTC (551 / 2,618)
  • 9.8% LTC (257 / 2,618)
  • 69.8% traditional textbook/adoption (1,829 / 2,618)

Fall 2025

Category Sections
Total sections (unique class #) 3,175
Complete textbook record 2,423
Missing/incomplete record 752
ZTC 503
LTC 322
Other completed adoptions 1,598

Among sections with completed records:

  • 20.8% ZTC (503 / 2,423)
  • 13.3% LTC (322 / 2,423)
  • 66.5% traditional textbook/adoption (1,612 / 2,423)

Key Takeaway

The proportion of ZTC sections among completed records is essentially unchanged: 21.0% → 20.8%

However:

  • LTC increased substantially.
  • Traditional textbook courses declined.
  • Missing textbook records nearly doubled.

So the biggest change is not a collapse of ZTC but rather a shift toward LTC plus incomplete reporting.

2. Departments Gaining Share of the Curriculum

These departments represented a larger percentage of all sections offered in Fall 2025.

Largest Gains

Department 2023 2025 Share Change
Biology 86 121 +35
Electrical Engineering 134 164 +30
Digital Game Development (new program) 0 21 +21
Physics 52 73 +21
Chemistry 135 158 +23
Computer Science 71 91 +20
Engineering 36 54 +18
NSS (College Readiness) 13 25 +12
Political Science 36 48 +12
Social Science 12 20 +8

Interpretation

The curriculum appears to have shifted toward:

  • Biology
  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Computer Science
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Engineering

This is noteworthy because many of the strongest new ZTC gains were also in STEM disciplines.

This Section Is in the Article
  • The college offered more sections overall (+142 sections). Undergraduate enrollment increased from 2023 (11,924) to 2025 (13,036), an increase of 9.33%.
  • The percentage of completed sections that are ZTC remained remarkably stable (≈21%).
  • LTC expanded noticeably.
  • Incomplete textbook reporting nearly doubled, making 2025 likely understate some affordability gains.
  • The curriculum shifted toward STEM disciplines, especially Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Engineering, and Physics.
  • The most important ZTC gains occurred in gateway STEM and general-education courses, especially Biology and Mathematics, where textbook costs are traditionally high. Those gains likely had greater student impact than changes in studio, thesis, and independent-study courses.

Last Updated: 08/03/2026 10:15