CSU Students and Affordable Learning Solutions (AL$)

• Review your syllabus carefully to determine required materials for the course
• Visit your bookstore website to review their affordable offerings including
  • digital textbook rentals
  • printed textbook rentals
  • used textbooks
• Learn the advantages to using digital readers because digital materials tend to be less costly

Alternative Textbook Resources

• open or free educational resources
• library resources
• low-cost course material

Note you should check your syllabus to verify the alternative content you select will be relevant for your course.

CSU Students you have a voice:

• Become active in your campus Student Government to be an advocate of Affordable Course Materials. 
  • Connect with the California State Student Association (CSSA This link will take you to an external website in a new tab.)
• A growing number of CSU student government associations have passed Affordable Learning Solutions Resolutions on their campuses This link will take you to an external website in a new tab..
• Have you seen the faculty senate resolutions to support affordable course materials from your campus This link will take you to an external website in a new tab.?  Leverage these Senate statements when making a request to faculty in your department, college, or with administrators.
• Contact your campus Affordable Learning Solutions group and volunteer to participate in your campus AL$ initiatives
• Encourage your instructors to consider Affordable Learning Solutions opportunities available through your campus AL$ group.

• CSU Student Government Resolutions supporting low/no cost textbooks This link will take you to an external website in a new tab.
• Make Textbooks Affordable from Student PIRGs This link will take you to an external website in a new tab.
• Student Advocacy on Twitter's #Textbookbroke This link will take you to an external website in a new tab.
• Student Government Toolkit - Making Textbooks Affordable This link will open a PDF file from an external website in a new tab.
• Faculty Textbook Handout This link will take you to an external website in a new tab.

CSU Affordable Learning Solutions (AL$) enables interested faculty to locate and adopt more affordable, quality educational content for their students. By reducing CSU student course material expenses, more students acquire the course materials they need to succeed and benefit from their CSU learning experience. Now, CSU faculty and students have greater access to quality free and low-cost learning materials through a variety of AL$ programs and partnerships listed above.

Did you know, your CSU library has a wealth of resources and expertise free for students? Your campus library can provide students with access to the highest quality electronic books, online scholarly journal articles, streaming audio and video, and other material for instructional uses -- all at no cost. Your library’s collection of electronic books and journal articles can be especially useful in upper division classes where textbooks are not available to cover the more specialized curriculum.

CSU campus bookstores provide many services including working with course material providers to provide traditional print textbooks, eTextbooks, and other learning material options. Your campus store offers its students and faculty multiple choices whether you are looking for new-used-rental print textbooks, eTextbooks, adaptive courseware or custom publishing resources. CSU campus bookstores have search tools available that assist students in finding the most affordable options available for the course materials they require for their classes.