openintro.org

OpenIntro keeps its textbooks free and affordable through a combination of free digital access and paid print sales. Every student using an OpenIntro textbook gets immediate, perpetual, and free access to the PDF, while print editions are sold at affordable prices. Those print sales then fund the nonprofit's ability to expand the number of textbooks it supports. The model works because OpenIntro is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on students and teachers rather than shareholder profit.

The Free Digital Core

The central mechanism is simple: the PDF is free, and access is not time-limited. According to OpenIntro, when a textbook is used, "every student has immediate, perpetual, and free access to the PDF." That removes the most common barrier in college courses, where a required text may be unavailable until a student pays for it or waits for a library copy.

This matters because the cost problem is widespread. OpenIntro cites that 65% of students have opted out of buying a college textbook due to its high price, and 94% of those students know they suffer academically from that decision. A free PDF available from day one addresses both the financial and academic sides of that trade-off.

Affordable Print, Not a Paywall

OpenIntro does not treat print as the "real" product behind a digital teaser. Each book is described as affordable in print, and the print edition is an alternative format rather than a requirement. A student who prefers paper can buy it; a student who cannot or does not want to pay still has the full PDF.

The practical result is that instructors can assign an OpenIntro text without creating a situation where some students have the material and others do not.

Print Sales Fund Expansion

The financial sustainability piece is what separates this from a one-time giveaway. OpenIntro states that print book sales make it financially possible to expand the number of textbooks it supports. In other words, revenue from students and readers who choose print is reinvested into producing and maintaining more free titles.

This is a cross-subsidy model: paid print buyers sustain the free digital side for everyone else. It also means the catalog can grow over time rather than depending solely on grants or donations.

Nonprofit Structure and Focus

OpenIntro is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Its stated mission is to make educational products that are free, transparent, and lower barriers to education. Because it is not maximizing profit for shareholders, the organization says it is 100% focused on what is best for students and teachers.

That structure shapes decisions that a commercial publisher might make differently, such as keeping the PDF free and perpetual rather than licensing it per student or per term.

Supporting Resources and Teacher Access

Free and affordable textbooks are the core, but OpenIntro also features supporting resources such as slides and videos. Teachers who become verified can request desk copies, gain access to solutions for statistics textbooks, review sample exams, and more through the Teacher Registration option.

For instructors evaluating the model, the relevant question is whether the free PDF plus affordable print covers their course needs. The answer depends on the subject: OpenIntro's catalog spans statistics and mathematics, including titles such as OpenIntro Statistics, Introduction to Modern Statistics, Advanced High School Statistics, and, in mathematics, College Algebra and Trigonometry, APEX Calculus, and Linear Algebra, with the mathematics titles noted as available via a pilot program.

What to Check Before Adopting

• Confirm the specific title you need is in the current catalog and, for mathematics titles, that the pilot program covers your use.
• Verify the print price for your edition if students will be expected to have paper copies.
• Have instructors register for verified teacher access if desk copies, solutions, or sample exams are needed.
• Note that free PDF access is the documented model; other access details, such as login requirements for specific resources, should be confirmed on the site rather than assumed.

The short version: OpenIntro keeps textbooks free by making the PDF the default and perpetual format, keeps them affordable by pricing print reasonably, and keeps the model going by reinvesting print revenue into more free titles under a nonprofit structure.

Choose based on your course level and the approach you want students to learn. OpenIntro Statistics is the standard introductory college text, Introduction to Modern Statistics (IMS) is the modern, simulation-first alternative, Intro Stat for Life & Biomedical Sciences is the subject-specific option for health and biology students, and Advanced High School Statistics is the high-school-level text. All four are statistics books in OpenIntro's catalog, and every student gets immediate, perpetual, and free access to the PDF, with affordable print editions also available.

The four statistics options at a glance

OpenIntro also offers a separate randomization-and-simulation version of its intro statistics text (Intro Stat w/Randomization & Sim.), so the simulation-first approach is available both as its own book and as a variant of the standard intro text.

Match the book to your course

If you teach a standard introductory college course

OpenIntro Statistics is the safest fit. It is the general-purpose intro text, and OpenIntro states that each book has been successfully used at a wide range of schools. Choose it when your syllabus, department norms, or transfer expectations assume a conventional intro statistics sequence.

If you want a simulation-first course

Use Introduction to Modern Statistics. The key mechanism is that statistical inference is taught through randomization and simulation, so students build intuition by generating and comparing simulated distributions before or alongside formal methods. This suits instructors who want students to understand why a method works, not just apply a formula. If you prefer the traditional text but want to add simulation, the Intro Stat w/Randomization & Sim. variant lets you keep the familiar structure while shifting the inference approach.

If your students are in life or biomedical sciences

Intro Stat for Life & Biomedical Sciences keeps the statistics content but frames it for these students, which matters when examples and motivation drive engagement. Choose it when most of your class is pre-health or biology-focused and a general intro text would feel disconnected from their field.

If you teach advanced high school students

Advanced High School Statistics is written for that level. Use it rather than a college text when you need pacing and presentation calibrated to high school students, including AP-style courses.

What every option includes

• Free PDF access: every student has immediate, perpetual, and free access to the PDF of the book you assign.
• Affordable print: each book is also available in print at an affordable price. OpenIntro is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and print sales fund the expansion of the textbooks it supports.
• Supporting resources: OpenIntro features supporting materials such as slides and videos.
• Teacher access: verified teachers can request desk copies, access solutions for statistics textbooks, review sample exams, and more through teacher registration.

How to make the final call

1. Confirm the course level. College → one of the three college texts; advanced high school → Advanced High School Statistics.
2. Decide the inference approach. Traditional formula-based sequence → OpenIntro Statistics; simulation and randomization → Introduction to Modern Statistics (or the randomization variant of the intro text).
3. Check your audience. Mostly life and biomedical students → Intro Stat for Life & Biomedical Sciences.
4. Verify teacher materials. Register as a teacher to confirm desk copies, solutions, and sample exams are available for the book you plan to use before you commit.
5. Review the free PDF. Since access is free and immediate, read the chapters you will teach before adopting.

If you are still unsure between the general intro text and the modern approach, the deciding question is simple: do you want students to learn inference primarily through formulas, or primarily through simulation? Answer that, and the choice between OpenIntro Statistics and Introduction to Modern Statistics follows.

Teachers get access to OpenIntro desk copies, statistics solutions, and sample exams by registering on openintro.org and becoming a verified teacher. Verification is the gate: the site lists these materials under "Teacher Access" and states that teachers who become verified can request desk copies, gain access to solutions for statistics textbooks, review sample exams, and more. The exact verification criteria and turnaround time are not described on the page, so treat the steps below as the path the site lays out rather than a guaranteed instant approval.

What verified teachers can access

According to OpenIntro's teacher access section, verification unlocks:

• Desk copies — instructor copies of OpenIntro textbooks, requested through the teacher registration route.
• Solutions for statistics textbooks — answer materials tied to the statistics titles, kept behind teacher verification rather than posted publicly.
• Sample exams — examples you can review when building your own assessments.
• Other teacher options — the site refers to a broader set of teacher resources without listing every item.

The books themselves are separate from these instructor materials: every OpenIntro textbook is available to students as a free PDF, with affordable print editions. Teacher access is about the answer keys, exam samples, and instructor copies, not about unlocking the student text.

Step-by-step: registering as a teacher

1. Go to openintro.org and open the account area. The site's navigation includes "Account" with "Log In" and "Register" options.
2. Create an account with Register. Use the email address and details you want associated with your instructor access.
3. Find the teacher registration path. The site presents a "Teacher Registration" entry point alongside its Teacher Access information; use that rather than the general registration if you are directed there.
4. Submit your teacher details and wait for verification. Verification is what converts a standard account into teacher access. The page does not publish the specific documents or checks used, so follow whatever the registration form asks for.
5. Request desk copies and open the solutions/sample exam materials once your account shows verified teacher status.

Expected result: your account is marked as a verified teacher, and the desk copy request, statistics solutions, and sample exam options become available to you.

Common sticking points

• Registering but not verifying. A plain account is not the same as verified teacher access. If you cannot see solutions or desk copy requests, the verification step is the likely gap.
• Looking for solutions on the public book pages. The site places statistics solutions behind teacher access, so searching the free PDF or public pages will not surface them.
• Assuming a fixed approval time. The page gives no timeline for verification. If you are planning a course around sample exams, register early rather than the week before term.
• Confusing free student PDFs with instructor materials. The free, perpetual PDF access applies to every student; instructor resources follow the separate teacher route.

Is this the right route for you?

If your need is only the textbook content, teacher verification adds nothing — the student PDF already covers it. Verification matters when you need the answer materials and exam samples that support teaching.

OpenIntro publishes free, openly accessible textbooks in two main subject areas: statistics and mathematics. The statistics catalog is the more established one, with several titles for high school and college courses; the mathematics catalog is newer, and at least one title is available through a pilot program rather than as a fully launched offering. All books are described as free to access as PDFs, with affordable print editions also sold.

Statistics textbooks

OpenIntro's statistics list covers introductory courses at both the high school and college levels, plus a title aimed at life and biomedical science students:

• OpenIntro Statistics — the flagship introductory statistics textbook.
• Introduction to Modern Statistics — an introductory statistics text with a modern approach.
• Intro Stat for Life & Biomedical Sciences — introductory statistics oriented toward life and biomedical science students.
• Advanced High School Statistics — a statistics text for advanced high school courses.
• Intro Stat with Randomization and Simulation — an introductory statistics text built around randomization and simulation methods.

These titles are the core of what OpenIntro is known for, and the site notes that each book has been used successfully at a wide range of schools.

Mathematics textbooks

The mathematics offerings are grouped separately and include:

• College Algebra and Trigonometry
• APEX Calculus
• Linear Algebra

One important condition: the site states that mathematics content is "now available via a pilot program." That means these mathematics titles should be treated as pilot-stage offerings rather than as settled, fully launched products in the same way as the statistics line. If you are choosing a book for a course, check the current status of the specific mathematics title before adopting it.

How the books are organized and supported

OpenIntro structures its catalog around intro-level textbooks for high school and college, split into the Statistics and Mathematics sections. Beyond the books themselves, the site says it features supporting resources such as slides and videos.

For instructors, there is a separate Teacher Access path: teachers who become verified can request desk copies, gain access to solutions for the statistics textbooks, review sample exams, and more. This is relevant if you are evaluating a book for adoption and need answer keys or exam samples — those materials are gated behind teacher verification rather than openly available.

Choosing between the titles

The right pick depends on your course level and subject:

For statistics, the choice mostly comes down to course level and teaching approach (traditional vs. modern vs. simulation-based). For mathematics, confirm pilot status and current availability before committing, since the site presents these as part of an ongoing pilot program rather than as fully mature offerings.

A practical next step is to open the specific book's page, review its table of contents against your syllabus, and — if you teach — register for verified teacher access to see solutions and sample exams before adopting.

OpenIntro is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit that develops and promotes educational products—primarily statistics and mathematics textbooks—that are free, transparent, and designed to lower barriers to education. Its core offering is free PDF textbooks with affordable print editions, supplemented by teaching resources such as slides, videos, solutions, and sample exams for verified teachers.

What OpenIntro provides

Textbooks in statistics

OpenIntro's statistics catalog covers both high school and college levels:

• OpenIntro Statistics
• Introduction to Modern Statistics
• Intro Stat for Life & Biomedical Sciences
• Advanced High School Statistics
• Intro Stat with Randomization and Simulation

Textbooks in mathematics

Mathematics titles are available through a pilot program:

• College Algebra and Trigonometry
• APEX Calculus
• Linear Algebra

Supporting resources

Beyond the books themselves, OpenIntro features supporting materials such as slides and videos. Teachers who complete verification can request desk copies, access solutions for statistics textbooks, review sample exams, and more.

How the access model works

The site cites that 65% of students have opted out of buying a college textbook due to its high price, and that 94% of those students know they suffer academically from that decision. OpenIntro positions free PDF access as a direct response to that problem.

Who it is for

• Students who want immediate, no-cost access to a statistics or mathematics textbook PDF, with the option to buy a print copy.
• Instructors who need desk copies, solutions, and sample exams; these require teacher registration and verification.
• Schools and departments looking for textbooks that have been used across a wide range of schools, per OpenIntro's own description.

Getting started

1. Browse the Books section and choose a subject area (Statistics or Mathematics).
2. If you are unsure which statistics title fits your course, use the "Help Me Decide" option listed on the site.
3. Students can open the free PDF directly; those who prefer print can purchase an affordable print edition.
4. Teachers should register and complete verification to request desk copies and access solutions and sample exams.

For questions beyond the catalog, the site also links to a blog, forums, common questions, and contact information.