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The State of College Course Materials; Outlook to 2027

Publisher Simba Information – Reports
Published Apr 17, 2026
Length 142 Pages
SKU # CURP21105939

Description

The US college course materials market is entering a more difficult phase. Simba estimates that sales of new course materials reached $3.24 billion in 2025, up 0.9% from 2024, but forecasts the market will decline to $3.11 billion in 2026 and $2.97 billion in 2027 as falling per-student spending, demographic pressure, and substitution toward lower-cost options outweigh gains in digital delivery. Demand is becoming more selective across institution types, academic programs, and purchasing channels.

This report covers the US college course materials market by product segment, market conditions, and competitive dynamics. Demand is presented in US dollars.

Sales by product are presented for:
new course materials, print, digital media

Sales by major market and demand drivers are presented for:
postsecondary enrollment, freshmen enrollment, student spending, sourcing behavior, funding sources, OER adoption, digital access programs, AI use in teaching and learning, federal and state policy, and competitive performance

Scope of the Report

This report analyzes the size, structure, and outlook of the US college course materials market, with emphasis on the institutional, student, policy, and competitive forces now reshaping demand. It examines enrollment trends, students’ spending behavior, sourcing and funding patterns, OER adoption, digital access models, AI use in teaching and learning, and the positioning of major publishers. Historical context and current-year market conditions are used to support Simba’s forecasts for course materials sales through 2027. The report also evaluates the effect of federal and state policy, shifting institutional finances, workforce-oriented funding changes, and program-level demand shifts on both print and digital materials.

Table of Contents

142 Pages
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
KEY HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE REPORT
METHODOLOGY
CHAPTER 1: MARKET SIZE AND ENROLLMENT
INSTITUTION TYPES AND NUMBERS
Table 1-1. Number of US Title IV Postsecondary Institutions, 2024–2025 vs. 2023–2024
FOR-PROFIT PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS OUTNUMBER NON-PROFIT SCHOOLS
HIGHER EDUCATION UNDER PRESSURE: CLOSURES, MERGERS, AND ACQUISITIONS
Table 1-2. College Closures: Completed in 2025 and Forthcoming
Table 1-3. College Mergers: Completed in 2025 and Forthcoming
UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE ENROLLMENT STABLE
Table 1-4. Enrollment Changes by Award Level and Institution Type, Fall 2024 vs. Fall 2025
FOR PROFIT ENROLLMENT
Table 1-5. Selected For-Profit Colleges Enrollment, 2023 and 2024
FRESHMEN NUMBERS STAGNANT
Table 1-6. Freshmen Enrollment, Fall 2025 vs. Fall 2024
INTEREST IN UNDERGRADUATE CERTIFICATES REMAINS STRONG
Figure 1-1. Enrollment Changes by Credential Type, Fall 2024 vs. Fall 2025
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ENROLLMENT ROSE
Figure 1-2. Annual Percent Change in Enrollment for International Students by Institution Type, Fall 2024 and Fall 2025
ENROLLMENT BY MAJOR FIELD STUDY
Table 1-7. National Undergraduate 4-Year Enrollment in Top 20 Major Field Families, Fall 2024 vs. Fall 2025
Table 1-8. National Graduate 4-Year Enrollment in Top 20 Major Field Families, Fall 2024 vs. Fall 2025
Table 1-9. National Undergraduate 2-Year Enrollment in Top 20 Major Field Families, Fall 2024 vs. Fall 2025
DISTANCE EDUCATION ENROLLMENT REMAINS STRONG
Table 1-10. Number and Percentage Distribution of Students Enrolled at Distance Education Title IV Institutions, Fall 2024
HIGHER EDUCATION OUTLOOK FOR 2026 NEGATIVE
ENROLLMENT OUTLOOK
CHAPTER 2: POLICY AND FUNDING
COST OF ATTENDING COLLEGE IN 2025-2026
Table 2-1. Undergraduate Tuition and Fees, 2024–2025 vs. 2025–2026
COST OF ATTENDING COLLEGE IN 2026-2028
Table 2-2. Cost of Attending College Estimates, 2026 – 2028
FEDERAL FUNDING FOR HIGHER EDUCATION
Table 2-3. Select Education Program Funding in President Trump’s Budget Request vs. the Final Appropriation Bill FY 2024 vs. FY 2026
Looming Pell Grant Shortage
Student Loans
Table 2-4. Average Cumulative Debt Levels in 2024 Dollars: Bachelor’s Degree Recipients at Public and Private Non-Profit Four-Year Institutions, 2008-2009 to 2023-2024, Selected Years
Table 2-5. Distribution of Outstanding Federal Borrowers by Age, Fourth Quarter FY2018, FY2021, and 2025
Table 2-6. Distribution of Outstanding Federal Loan Dollars by Borrowers Age, Fourth Quarter FY2018, FY 2021, and FY 2025
FEDERAL STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT SYSTEM OVERHAUL
GRAD PLUS LOANS ENDING
Table 2-7. Federal Student Loan Limits Under OBBB vs. Previous Law
New Graduate PLUS and Parent PLUS Loan Caps
Table 2-8. Number of PLUS Loans Borrowers, 2009–2010 to 2024–2025, Selected Years (in thousands)
CURBING FEDERAL FUNDING FOR LOW ROI PROGRAMS
Impact on College Materials Publishers
State Funding for Higher Education
Table 2-9. Sources of State and Local Higher Education Funding by State, FY 2024
Student Share
Table 2-10. Net Tuition as a Percentage of Total Education Revenue by State (excluding net tuition revenue used for capital debt service), Selected Years, 2001 – 2024
Pell Grant Extension: Workforce Pell
Opportunities for Publishers
Federal Grants for Workforce Pell Courses
Table 2-11. Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants Program – Summary
NEW AMERICA TALENT STRATEGY
WORKFORCE FEDERAL GRANTS CONSOLIDATION: MAKE AMERICA SKILLED AGAIN (MASA)
PAY‑FOR‑PERFORMANCE INCENTIVE PAYMENTS PROGRAM (REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIPS)
Table 2-12. Pay-for-Performance (PfP) Incentive Payments Program Summary
Table 2-13. YouthBuild – FOA-ETA-26-38 Summary
Figure 2-1. States with the Highest Number of Active Apprentices, FY 2025 (in thousands)
Table 2-14. Career, Technical, and Education Training Budget, 2024 – 2026
CHAPTER 3: COURSE MATERIALS
COST OF COURSEBOOK MATERIALS
Table 3-1. How much do students pay for their course materials per term?
WHY IS STUDENT SPENDING ON COURSE MATERIALS DECLINING?
How Do Students Source Course Materials?
How Students Fund Their Materials?
Table 3-2. Funding Sources for College Education and Materials
Course Materials Cost-Cutting Efforts
Figure 3-1. Cost-Cutting Measures Taken by Students to Reduce Cost of Required Course Materials
The Impact of Textbook and Courseware Costs on Student Success
Figure 3-2. Impact of Cost of Course Materials on Student Academic Success
The Share of Open Educational Resources Keeps Growing
Table 3-3. Percentage of Faculty Using OER as Required Material, 2021 – 2025
Federal and State Governments OER-supporting Initiatives 2025-2026
The Open Textbook Pilot Grant Program Funding Renewal
Affordable College Textbook Act
States OER Policies and Support Efforts
Outlook for College Course Materials
Table 3-4. Sales by Segment of Key College Course Materials, 2024 –2027P (million dollars)
CHAPTER 4: INDUSTRY TRENDS & INNOVATIONS
HIGH VALUE, HIGH COST: AMERICANS’ VIEWS ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Gallup Research: Public Trust in Higher Education Rebounding
Pew Research Center: Higher Education Heading in the Wrong Direction
American Higher Education Barometer 2025 Reveals Cost and Free Speech Concerns
Varying Degrees 2025: Call for a Reform
Vanderbilt University Poll: Colleges Should Stay Out of Politics
Students Find Degree Investment Worthwhile
Students Trust Their Colleges and Universities
Cost Remains a Persistent Barrier to Degree Benefits
Beyond the Printed Page: Faculty Textbook Usage and Preferences
Figure 4-1. Instructors’ Awareness and Use of Digital Core Course Materials
Figure 4-2. Instructors’ Usage of Digital Core Course Materials, 2021 – 2025
Faculty Grade Curricula: Solid Scores, Price Problems
Digital Access Programs: Market Growth Amid Student Concerns
Table 4-1. Top Reasons for Using IA and EA Models Among Administrators
AI IN HIGHER EDUCATION: STUDENTS KEEN, TEACHERS SKEPTICAL
Students and Generative AI: New Habits, New Expectations
Figure 4-3. Students Uses of Generative AI for Coursework
Figure 4-4. Students’ View: How Universities Can Prepare Students for AI
Faculty Largely Unprepared for AI in the Classroom
Teachers Report AI Increases Their Workload
Figure 4-5. Teaching Workloads Reduced Due to Teachers and Students Using AI
Figure 4-6. Teaching Workloads Increased Due to Teachers and Students Using AI
Table 4-2. How Teachers Use GenAI
Figure 4-7. Generative AI Tools Used by Teachers
Figure 4-8. Institutional GenAI Policy Status According to Administrators
Implications for Publishers
Federal Crackdown on DEI Programs
Trump Administration Conflicts with Universities
State Rules, New Realities for Textbook Publishers
CHAPTER 5: COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
ACQUISITIONS, DIVESTMENTS, AND FUNDING
Table 5-1. Acquisitions and Divestments for Higher Education Materials Publishers and Technology and Content Providers, 2025
From Textbooks to Environments
Career, Credential, and Outcomes-Focused Education Is Winning
Distressed Assets Change Hands at Deep Discounts
AI is Infrastructure Now
Learning Commodification Progresses
Major Competitors
Table 5-2. Performance of Higher Education Competitors: Total Corporate and Higher Education Segment, Current and Previous Fiscal Year (million dollars)
PEARSON
Table 5-3. Pearson’s Interactive Media Platforms
Financial Results
Table 5-4. Pearson’s Divisional Revenue, FY 2023 and FY 2024
Table 5-5. Pearson’s Adjusted Operational Profit, FY2023 and FY2024
Personnel Changes
Strategic Directions
Technological Advancements
Table 5-6. Pearson’s AI Development & Rollout Milestones – Summary
Acquisitions, Divestitures, and Partnerships
CENGAGE
Table 5-7. Cengage’s Business Segments
Table 5-8. Cengage’s Digital Platforms
Financial Results
Table 5-9. Cengage’s Units and Total Financial Result, FY 2024 and FY2025
Strategic Directions
Figure 5-1. Cengage’s US Higher Education Digital vs. Print Net Sales, FY 2022 – FY 2025
Personnel Changes
Technological Advancements
Acquisitions, Divestitures, & Partnerships
MCGRAW HILL
Table 5-10. McGraw Hill’s Digital Platforms
Financial Results
Table 5-11. McGraw Hill Total and Higher Education Segment Revenue, FY2024 and FY2025
Strategic Directions
Personnel Changes
Technological Advancements
Acquisitions, Divestitures, & Partnerships
WILEY
Financial Results
Table 5-12. Wiley’s Divisional and Total Revenue for the FY 2024 and FY 2025
Strategic Directions
Personnel Changes
Technological Advancements
Acquisitions, Divestitures, & Partnerships
PERFORMANCE
Competitive Performance Year-to-Date
Table 5-13. FY2026 Performance and Guidance for Higher Education Publishers

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