10/26/2026
By Julie Nash and Donna Mellen
We are pleased to announce that no- and low-cost textbook course marking attributes have been added to the Student Information System (SIS) in time for winter and spring 2027 student registration.
The course attributes can be filtered at the section level to indicate whether textbook costs for courses are either:
- No Cost Books ($0): Required course materials are available at no cost.
- Low Cost Books ($50 or less): Required course materials cost $50 or less.
Students will be able to filter for No Cost and Low Cost courses during registration. This initiative supports transparency and affordability, and it is a priority for our students. While it is part of a statewide mandate from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, it is also strongly backed by our Student Government Association and MASSPIRG, which have led the charge through events like the OERscars and Faculty Senate presentations.
Many UMass Lowell faculty have been using no- and low-cost course materials for years. Adding these attributes to SIS makes that work more visible to students and allows the university to better document and report this information annually to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education.
The OER Task Force — including members from the Provost’s Office, Registrar, Academic Technology, Digital Experience, Data Analytics & Institutional Research (DAIR), Administrative Services, Bookstore, and Student Government Association (SGA) — has been working to advance this initiative for several years.
This SIS job aid (PDF) provides instructions for students on how to search for no- and low-cost book attributes in SIS.
Students should continue to seek financial aid and bookstore vouchers to assist with the costs of textbooks. We encourage students to do their own research on textbook costs through the Bookstore website.
Please email Donna_Mellen@uml.edu if you have questions.