Abstract
Faculty and students have long complained about the prohibitive costs of textbooks. The National Bureau of Labor Statistics has found that the price of textbooks has risen more than 1000 percent since the 1970s and a study by Public Research Interest Group found that of all students have skipped purchasing a textbook because of the cost. This problem is acute at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU), an HBCU located northwest of Houston, TX. This study uses survey and grade distribution data to examine the effectiveness a pilot program designed to increase student accessibility to textbooks as well as improve students’ academic performance. We found statistically significant impacts on early assignments and positive increases in student attitudes towards their classes.