Virginia

Course Material Affordability in Virginia

The Virtual Library of Virginia (VIVA) is the consortium of nonprofit academic libraries within the Commonwealth of Virginia. Members include all of the 39 state-assisted colleges and universities (the 6 doctoral universities, 9 4-year institutions, and 24 community and two-year branch colleges), as well as 31 of the independent (private, nonprofit) institutions and the Library of Virginia.

2025 Statewide Survey Finds Course Material Costs Shape Major Student Decisions

New findings show course material costs increasingly influence students’ choice of institution, major, and minor

A statewide survey of nearly 10,000 students reveals that the cost of course materials is playing an increasingly influential role in major academic decisions for students across Virginia. The 2025 Virginia Course Materials Survey was conducted by VIVA, Virginia’s academic library consortium, in partnership with Bay View Analytics. The survey examined how course material costs affect students’ educational choices, learning experiences, and academic outcomes across the Commonwealth.

Compared to results from a similar statewide survey conducted by VIVA in 2021, the 2025 findings show that a growing share of students are selecting their institution, major, and minor based in part on course material costs, underscoring the financial pressures facing students in higher education.

Key findings from the survey include:

Seven in ten students worry about affording required course materials for the current academic term.
The influence of course material costs on students’ choice of institution (53%), choice of major (24%), and choice of minor (13%) has increased since 2021.
Nearly all students (97%) report taking steps to reduce course material costs, including delaying purchases, sharing materials, or seeking lower-cost alternatives.

2021 Course Materials Survey for Virginia students

In Fall 2021, in cooperation with our member institutions, VIVA conducted a Course Materials Survey for Virginia students in higher education. The survey, approved by the George Mason University IRB as 1735732, built on the work of previous states and regions and included a special emphasis on educational equity. More than 5,600 valid student responses from 41 institutions were received, reflecting an overall response rate of 10%.

The overarching research questions were:

What is the impact of course material costs on educational equity among Virginia students?
What course content materials do students find to be most beneficial to their learning?

The survey was completely anonymous and took approximately ten minutes to complete.

Publications

Report: Virginia
2025 Virginia Course Materials Survey: Executive Summary
Author: Rondeau, S., Seaman, J., Seaman, J., O’Gara, G
Year: 2025 - Format: PDF

Report: Virginia
2025 Virginia Course Materials Survey: Results & Findings
Author: Rondeau, S., Seaman, J., Seaman, J., O’Gara, G
Year: 2025 - Format: PDF

Report: Virginia
2025 Virginia Course Materials Survey: Identifying Students Most Impacted by Costs
Author: Rondeau, S., Seaman, J., Seaman, J., O’Gara, G
Year: 2025 - Format: PDF

Report: Virginia
2025 Virginia Course Materials Survey: Student Experience with Inclusive Access
Author: Rondeau, S., Seaman, J., Seaman, J., O’Gara, G
Year: 2025 - Format: PDF

Report: Virginia
VCU and the Virginia Course Materials Survey
Author: Jessica Kirschner
Year: 2023 - Format: PDF

Report: Virginia
Virginia Course Materials Survey Executive Summary Final
Author: Virtual Library of Virginia
Year: 2022 - Format: PDF

Report: Virginia
Virginia Course Materials Survey Initial Results
Author: Virtual Library of Virginia
Year: 2022 - Format: PDF

Report: Virginia
Virginia Course Materials Survey Results and Findings [Accessible]
Author: Virtual Library of Virginia
Year: 2022 - Format: PDF

Report: Virginia
Virginia Course Materials Survey Results and Findings
Author: Virtual Library of Virginia
Year: 2022 - Format: PDF

Presentation: Virginia
2025 Virginia Course Materials Survey: Key Findings PPT
Author: Virtual Library of Virginia
Year: 2025 - Format: PPTX

Presentation: Virginia
Virginia Course Materials Survey Initial Results
Author: Virtual Library of Virginia
Year: 2022 - Format: PPTX

Presentation: Virginia
Virginia Course Materials Survey Initial Results Doctoral
Author: Virtual Library of Virginia
Year: 2022 - Format: PPTX

Presentation: Virginia
Virginia Course Materials Survey Initial Results FourYear
Author: Virtual Library of Virginia
Year: 2022 - Format: PPTX

Presentation: Virginia
Virginia Course Materials Survey Initial Results Private
Author: Virtual Library of Virginia
Year: 2022 - Format: PPTX

Presentation: Virginia
Virginia Course Materials Survey Initial Results TwoYear
Author: Virtual Library of Virginia
Year: 2022 - Format: PPTX

Questionnaire: Virginia
2025 Virginia Course Materials Survey: Instrument
Author: Virtual Library of Virginia
Year: 2025 - Format: DOCX

Questionnaire: Virginia
2021 Virginia Course Materials Survey: Instrument
Author: Virtual Library of Virginia
Year: 2022 - Format: DOCX

Other Resource: Virginia
2025 Virginia Course Materials Survey FAQ
Author: Virtual Library of Virginia
Year: 2025 - Format: HTML

National and Regional

State Level

Institutions

Contact Us

We welcome your feedback and questions. Please submit any questions or comments you may have.