Applications due at 4:00 p.m. on February 13, 2026
Background
The Educational Development and Technology (EDT) unit at the Minnesota State system office invites campuses within the system to submit an interest application for the Z-degree project.
The Z-degree project, with funding from the State of Minnesota and EDT, supports the development of a complete associate or bachelor’s degree program that exclusively uses course resources that are no cost to students. These zero-cost resources include open educational resources, open textbooks, library-curated materials, and other resources provided at no cost to the student.
To be considered a Z-degree course, the instructor cannot require students to purchase any courses resources, with a few exceptions. Supplemental or optional resources that have an associated cost can be recommended.
The Z-degree project is entering its seventh year. Thirteen (13) colleges are currently offering Z-degrees and 14 colleges and universities are in the process of developing Z-degree programs.
Grant Types
Applicants can apply for one of three grant opportunities for FY26:
- faculty development
- open textbook exploration and review
- building open textbook capacity in the transfer curriculum
Exploration award requirements include:
- Participate in Minnesota State Z-degree community of practice
- Meet each semester with Associate Vice Chancellor for Educational Development and Technology and System Director for Student Success Technologies to discuss project status
- A college or university’s course offerings for its Z-degree program must include at least two distinct courses in each transfer curriculum goal area and at least enough credits in each transfer curriculum goal area to complete the transfer curriculum package.
- Add courses or course sections
- Updating courses to reflect changes in instructors or content
- Increase the number of faculty using zero textbook cost materials in a course already part of an existing Z-degree
Expansion and/or Sustaining award requirements include:
- Continued use of the Course Marking feature in ISRS which allows for the identification of no-cost courses
- Participate in Minnesota State Z-degree community of practice
- Meet each semester with Associate Vice Chancellor for Educational Development and Technology and System Director for Student Success Technologies to discuss project status
- A college or university’s course offerings for its Z-degree program must include at least two distinct courses in each transfer curriculum goal area and at least enough credits in each transfer curriculum goal area to complete the transfer curriculum package.
New for FY26, and instead of offering implementation awards, EDT is launching a grant initiative which will provide funding for two or more Z-Degree colleges or universities that have previously received funding from EDT to collaborate on a project or initiative that will address one of the following goals or challenges:
- Equity 2030
- Critical subjects/disciplines (e.g., Biology, Math, et al.)
- High demand areas (e.g., lab manuals, quiz banks)
- Cross campus faculty development
Multi-campus collaborative award requirements include:
- Continued use of the Course Marking feature in ISRS which allows for the identification of no-cost courses
- Participate in Minnesota State Z-degree community of practice
- Meet collectively each semester with Associate Vice Chancellor for Educational Development and Technology and System Director for Student Success Technologies to discuss project status
The system office will select participating exploration campuses from the pool of applicants based upon responses provided in the following readiness categories:
- Readiness of campus personnel
- Structural readiness
- Cultural readiness
- Current open / zero-cost textbook inventory
- Proposed Z-degree and course sequence
Learn more and submit an application
Learn more on the Z-degree page of the OER Community Site. Find definitions and cost calculation criteria information, as well as answers to frequently asked questions.
Minnesota State faculty and staff can submit an interest application now through 4:00 p.m. on February 13, 2026.
Note that a letter of support (PDF or Word) from each participating campus president will be required.
Deadline is 4:00 p.m. on February 13, 2026.
Project Timeline
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| December 3, 2025 | Call for Interest Applications Released |
| January 14, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. CT | Z-Degree Project Information Session (for faculty, staff, and administrators) |
| January 20, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. CT | Z-Degree Project Information Session (for faculty, staff, and administrators) |
| February 13, 2026 | Interest Applications Due |
| March 25, 2026 | Z-Degree Project awards announced at Minnesota State Open Education virtual conference |
| May 15, 2026 | Z-Degree Project funds estimated to be disbursed to campuses |
| Fall 2026 Spring 2027 Fall 2027 Spring 2028 | Awardees meet with Associate Vice Chancellor for EDT and System Director for Student Success Technologies to discuss project status |
Contact
Michael Olesen
Interim System Director for Student Success Technologies
Learn more about Z-degrees and OER at Minnesota State at www.MinnState.edu/OER.
