Assignable Payments FAQS

OpenStax Assignable: Pricing and Access FAQ

In this article, you will find answers to the following questions about OpenStax Assignable:

What Is OpenStax Assignable?

Assignable is a paid offering from OpenStax that enhances our textbooks with course-ready features, including assignments, grading tools, and LMS integration. It is designed to improve learning outcomes while remaining affordable and accessible.

  • Cost: Starts at $15 per student, per course, per semester.
  • Free Trial: Students receive a 2-week free trial beginning from their first day of access.

What Are My Payment Options?

We offer flexible options to support both students and institutions.

Student-Paid Access

  • Students can pay directly in Assignable using a credit or debit card.
  • Access begins immediately and includes a two-week free trial. Students may choose to pay during the free trial.
  • After the two-week free trial ends, students will be prompted to pay when they go to complete an assignment in the LMS course.
  • If your students are paying with a credit or debit card issued outside the United States, you may want to consider offering bookstore access codes as an alternative payment option.

Institutional Site Licenses

Inclusive and Equitable Access Programs

OpenStax Assignable is compatible with programs that ensure students receive the required course materials by the first day of class. These include:

  • VitalSource

  • RedShelf

  • Other Inclusive and Equitable Access programs

In these programs, the cost of OpenStax Assignable is typically bundled with tuition or student fees, so students do not need to purchase access separately.

For more details on supported partners and how OpenStax materials are delivered through these programs, see the Inclusive Access Guidelines and Instructions (PDF).

To find out if this option is available at your institution, contact your campus bookstore. You can locate the ISBN for your title on the book’s Details page under the Publication Information section, as shown in the College Success example below.

Book details page for College Success showing the Assignable ISBN in the Publication Information section.

Selling OpenStax Assignable Access Codes in Bookstores

Free Trial and Refunds

Free Trial

Students will have free access to Assignable for two weeks. The trial period begins on the first day the student accesses Assignable. After two weeks, payment will be required to continue. Students will see how much time is remaining in their free trial each time they use Assignable.

Refund Policy

Students who purchase access to Assignable may request a 30% refund of the purchase price within fourteen (14) days of purchase.

Eligibility

  • The refund request must be submitted within 14 days of the purchase date.
  • The refund amount will be 30% of the original purchase price.
  • Refunds are issued to the original payment method.

How to Request a Refund

Eligible users can request a refund by either:

  • Logging in to Assignable and submitting a refund request
  • Contacting our support team at support@openstax.org

Please note: Once a refund is issued, access to Assignable will no longer be available.

Will students receive a refund if they drop the course?

At this time, students are not eligible for a refund after dropping a course, unless it is within the 14-day return window. OpenStax provides a generous grace period so students can explore the course and decide whether to continue before making a payment.

Why doesn't my Assignable course have all the features of other courses? Will students have to pay?

Yes, students will still be required to pay to access your course in Assignable.

While not all courses currently offer the same level of features (such as assessments, videos, or other support materials), the platform fee applies to all courses. This is because a significant portion of Assignable's cost comes from maintaining the overall system and providing LMS integration, regardless of the specific content in each course.

OpenStax is committed to providing choice. Our textbooks remain free to access outside of Assignable on OpenStax.org, and we're continually working to expand the number of fully supported books each semester.

Does the Assignable fee include homework help or student support?

No. The fee provides access to one Assignable course for one semester. It does not include live homework help or additional tutoring services.

Our school has shorter terms than semesters. Will my students have to pay the Assignable fee?

Yes. The cost for Assignable starts at $15 per student, per course. This applies to all courses, regardless of whether they take place during a semester, quarter, summer session, or any other academic term.

My class runs for a full year. Do students have to pay the Assignable fee twice?

Yes. The Assignable fee starts at $15 per student, per course, per term. If your course spans multiple terms, such as fall and spring, students will need to pay the fee for each term they are enrolled.

Why Is There a Fee for Assignable?

OpenStax remains committed to access and affordability. Creating and maintaining a scalable and evolving platform like Assignable requires financial resources.

Charging a fee allows us to:

  • Sustain, maintain, and improve the platform
  • Support instructor and student needs
  • Deliver reliable, high-quality tools without compromising affordability

To learn more about Assignable as a paid offering, please read our blog post, More choice for instructors: Introducing OpenStax Assignable as a paid offering.

All OpenStax textbooks and their aligned instructor and student resources will continue to be available for free at OpenStax.org.

AssignableOrdering/Bookstore