Ontario Making College and University More Affordable with Free Online Textbooks

Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development

Province Helping Post Secondary Students Focus More on Learning, Less on Paying

Ontario is investing in free online textbooks and educational resources for students to make college and university more affordable and accessible.

Deb Matthews, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development and Minister Responsible for Digital Government, made the announcement today at eCampusOntario, alongside partners in digital education.

Ontario is partnering with eCampusOntario to develop and provide free and low-cost digital textbooks to students. The Ontario Open Textbooks Initiative will focus on Ontario-specific content in areas where the most significant impact and cost savings for students can be realized, including high-enrolment first-year courses, French language content, content for Indigenous studies, trades and technical skills content, and content for new Canadians.

New materials developed for Ontario will be added to the eCampusOntario online library of free educational resources which also launches today.

Ontario is also supporting students through the new Ontario Student Assistance Program, which will provide free average tuition to more than 210,000 students starting this fall. By next year, it is estimated that some 230,000 students receiving OSAP will have less debt.

Making education more affordable for students is part of our plan to create jobs, grow our economy, and help people in their everyday lives.