Equitable Access Mission Statement
Reduce inequity among students by eliminating course material access issues, while ensuring that costs are predictable and equal for all undergraduate students.
The positive impact of Equitable Access on Financial Aid
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Financial aid for textbooks and course materials is based on student spending surveys, but a large percentage of students currently do not purchase all of their course materials due to the cost. Therefore this calculation and the total cost of attendance is understated because students cannot self-report on textbooks and course materials they have not purchased—Equitable Access eliminates the understatement of costs resulting in a more accurate total cost of attendance.
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Currently, low-income students choosing higher-cost textbook majors (e.g. STEM fields) do not receive adequate financial aid support for costs that exceed the average. Under Equitable Access all course materials will be covered by one affordable flat fee regardless of major and cost—this eliminates the challenge presented by using the average cost of course materials.
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The reduction in cost ($100 per eligible student per year) created by Equitable Access will leave more financial aid money available for other uses (e.g. basic needs).
Additional media coverage, resources and information on Equitable Access
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The Chronicle of Higher Education: Can a Health-Insurance Model Bring ‘Equitable Access’ to the Textbook Market?
https://www.chronicle.com/article/Can-a-Health-Insurance-Model/246513 -
Helix Education / YouTube Link to Animated Highlight Clip: Flat-Fee Textbook Model at University of California, Davis with Jason Lorgan
https://youtu.be/Xwm6p1qK9bM -
EdSource: Initiatives underway for low-cost, free textbooks for California college students
https://edsource.org/2019/low-cost-free-textbooks-for-california-college-students/616831 -
The Scholarly Kitchen: UC Davis Experiments with a New Textbook Model: An Interview with Jason Lorgan
https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2019/09/04/uc-davis-experiments-with-a-new-textbook-model-an-interview-with-jason-lorgan/ -
Bill Rosenblatt’s Blog/Copyright and Technology: UC Davis’s Plan to Disrupt Textbook Publishing
https://copyrightandtechnology.com/2019/08/05/uc-daviss-plan-to-disrupt-textbook-publishing/ -
Helix Education / Enrollment Growth University Podcast: Flat-Fee Textbook Model at University of California, Davis
http://enrollmentgrowth.libsyn.com/flat-fee-textbook-model-at-university-of-california-davis -
Helix Education Blog / Enrollment Growth University: Flat-Fee Textbook Model at University of California, Davis
https://www.helixeducation.com/resources/blog/flat-fee-textbook-model-at-university-of-california-davis/