Albany Technical College has practically eliminated the cost of general core class books for students through several proactive initiatives. Last summer Dr. Anthony Parker and senior staff started discussing options on how to reduce the cost of books and in turn, passing cost savings on to the student. The plans were implemented in the fall semester 2018 to start these savings. Further reductions are in place to eliminate the cost of general core books by January 2020. This means zero book cost to the students in these core curriculum classes here at Albany Tech.

Albany Technical College has been aware of the expense of books for many years now. For the past 12 years, ATC has lowered the cost by offering a 20% markup but not to exceed $20.00 flat fee. This had been done in efforts to minimize the price passed on to the students.

Last summer, in an effort to lower the costs for students across the board in a variety of programs offered at the college, Albany Technical College began offering the option of 1)loose-leaf versions of books when available 2) e-books 3) OER Open Education Resource 4) some programs started using an online service called Cengage Unlimited which will give the students their course plus other options at their fingertips. Multi-term subscriptions were available for the programs that are using ATC Cengage Unlimited.

“Albany Tech has an obligation to be the engine for change in the lives of their students by making books affordable while obtaining an Associate of Applied Science degree. This is one of the many methods being used to develop an employable workforce,” stated Dr. Anthony Parker, President of Albany Technical College.