University Co-op Impact Report 2024–2025 by University Co-op

A MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO & BOARD

CHERYL PHIFER

The 2024–2025 academic year was filled with so much excitement! The energy and enthusiasm for football season was palpable from fans coming to the Co-op. Coming off the heels of the playoff run in the 2023–2024 season, this season we saw fans that visit us every season and fans that hadn’t been into the Co-op or to a game in years – decades in some cases! It was wonderful to see so many Longhorn fans in the store and share our newly remodeled space with them. They were delighted to see that we had changed things up and we were pleased with the freshness and efficiencies that we gained with our new look and feel, new fixtures, new lighting, and new product collections.

As a result of the excitement and our new space this year we saw record sales and record donations – both of which go directly to expanding course material scholarships for Longhorn students. With your support, in the 2024–2025 academic year and we were able to expand support with course material scholarships to all student athletes, pom and cheer, and to Co-op student employees in addition to the expansion to include the Longhorn Band last year. That means that 39% of students at UT Austin are receiving financial assistance on their course materials either through a Co-op Course Material Scholarship or a Dell UT for Me Textbook Credit.

We are so grateful for the support from the Longhorn community. Without you, we would not be able to support students with these scholarships at the University of Texas at Austin. Over $769,800 been donated to scholarships since 2022. You are changing their academic experience and setting them up for success by reducing the financial burden of higher education.

Thank you, Longhorn Nation!

President & CEO

since 2016

BOARD CHAIR

Students are able to use their scholarships on all of their materials because of faculty and staff’s commitment to submitting their course material adoptions and students’ credits go farther when faculty adopt Longhorn Textbook Access Materials. Last academic year 44,494 students used Longhorn Textbook Access materials, gaining access to those materials on or before the first day of class, setting students up for academic success. We are appreciative of the faculty and staff’s commitment to their students!

Additionally, we are so grateful to the Co-op team members and board for their commitment to our vision that course materials are free for every Longhorn student. It’s the creativity and ingenuity that our team brings to the table that helps us get better every single year, thusly expanding course material scholarships. Thank you, team!

This academic year, we have expanded scholarships, expanded our store footprint, embodied our new vision and mission statement, and enhanced our eCommerce experience (more on those later in this impact report!). Last spring, we have been focused on the prep for all these initiatives and unveiled them this fall, ringing in the 2025–2026 academic year. We hope to see new and regular fans in store again supporting all of our amazing student athletes and shopping at the Co-op to expand scholarships to all Longhorn students! Thanks, and hook ‘em!

Board Chair

Person since 2021

ABOUT THE CO-OP

CO-OP AT-A-GLANCE

Employees

251 Alumni as of Fall ‘25

18 Students

184

NOT-FOR-PROFIT & INDEPENDENT

Founded in 1896, The Co-op’s original mission was to address the rising cost of course materials for Longhorn students.

Staying true to our original mission and vision set by the Co-op Founder & President and future University of Texas President, Dr. William J. Battle, today we envision a world in which the cost of course materials never prevents a single student from attending or graduating from The University of Texas at Austin.

While many college bookstores are operated by for-profit corporations, the University Co-op is an independent 501(c)(3) not-for-profit and operated by a board of directors comprised of students, faculty, and community members at The University of Texas at Austin.

This academic year, over 9,000 students will receive Co-op Course Material Scholarships with many more to come!

Our retail store is the economic engine for our not-for-profit mission and every penny of profit goes directly to course material scholarships for Longhorns.

All of this is possible because of your support, thank you!

NEW AT THE CO-OP

A NEW VISION AND MISSION

Last year we re-looked at our Vision and Mission statement to realign them with our goal of making course materials free for all Longhorn students. Our new mission and vision statements are:

AT THE UNIVERSITY CO-OP, WE ENVISION A WORLD WHERE ALL COURSE MATERIALS ARE FREE FOR EVERY LONGHORN STUDENT.

OUR MISSION IS TO GIVE EVERY PENNY OF PROFIT AND DONATIONS DIRECTLY TO COURSE MATERIAL SCHOLARSHIPS FOR LONGHORN STUDENTS.

NEW E-COMMERCE EXPERIENCE

This summer we migrated the spiritwear online assortment to a new platform, Shopify. Shopify gives us much more flexibility and access to technology to support sales and donation growth in this channel, thus funding more course material scholarships for Longhorns. Our next project will focus on bringing the academic portion of our assortment into the Shopify experience to have one whole website experience. We are excited for the opportunities and technology that Shopify provides to support funding more scholarships for students!

EXPANSION

We had the opportunity to expand our first floor retail space this year. The expanded space includes a new and revamped custom shop which now offers the ability to customize nearly every hat in the store! This additional retail space allows us to expand our assortment available in store and fund more course material scholarships for Longhorn students!

PROGRAMS REDUCING THE COST OF COURSE MATERIALS

PROGRAMS REDUCING THE COST

CO-OP COURSE MATERIAL SCHOLARSHIP

The University Co-op Course Material Scholarship gives students $250 each academic year towards students’ course materials. This includes books, art and school supplies, scrubs, and more! Last academic year 7,561 students received a Co-op Course Material Scholarship!

UT FOR ME TEXTBOOK CREDIT

UT for Me – Powered by Dell Scholars is a program that ensures all Longhorns have access to the tools and resources needed for a successful college career. Through this program, students receive a $250 credit towards their course materials. As a service to the Longhorn community, we facilitate this program and students can use their credit in store and online at the Co-op. Last academic year 9,163 students received a UT for Me – Powered by Dell Scholars textbook credit.

COST OF COURSE MATERIALS

LONGHORN TEXTBOOK ACCESS

Longhorn Textbook Access (LTA) is an initiative that has reduced the cost of digital textbooks and other digital course materials for students. Faculty are able to choose learning materials as they have done in the past, without constraint, to best support their course learning objectives.

LTA ensures the best possible price for digital versions of commercially-published course materials selected by faculty members while also encouraging the use of Open Educational Resource (OER) course materials that are free or low cost for students. Critically, the program also promotes student success by making all materials available on the first day of class without upfront payment or commitment.

THE IMPACT

HOW HAS THE SCHOLARSHIP IMPACTED

ROCIO BAUTISTA

“I see the Course Material Scholarship as a pebble in a lake—it creates a ripple effect in a student’s education and experience at UT Austin. This scholarship has helped fund the expensive textbooks for my degree and has allowed me to fully engage with my coursework without financial stress. Beyond academics, it has also given me the freedom to participate in my community and take on leadership roles.”

• Mechanical Engineering, Class of 2025

XAVIER BUTLER

“The course material scholarship takes a big mental and financial load off of me. My friends that are students have talked to me about how hard it is to buy textbooks and school materials. I’m beyond grateful for this opportunity.”

• Sports Management, Class of 2027 Texas Track Athlete

IMPACTED YOU?

ALAINA GOMEZ

“Receiving this scholarship has significantly lightened my financial load, allowing me to focus more on my academic growth and research initiatives. It has not only helped cover my textbooks and course materials but has also provided me with the opportunity to dedicate more time toward my studies in data science and my research.”

JACK ENDRIES

“The course material scholarship has made an impact on my academic career by providing my teammates and I with textbooks and school materials. We were able to receive everything we needed to continue thriving in school. Hook ‘em.”

•Undeclared Major, Class of 2026 Texas Football Athlete

• Statistics and Data Science, Class of 2027 Co-op Employee

COURSE MATERIAL SCHOLARSHIPS

2024–2025 IMPACT

This academic year, 7,561 Longhorn students received a scholarship for textbooks and school supplies. That’s $1,149,890 committed to student success!

The funding of these scholarships was made possible by the alumni and fans of Longhorn Nation that choose to shop with the University Co-op.

2024–2025 STUDENTS IMPACTED

Every penny of profit and donation goes directly to Course Material Scholarships; helping improve the lives of Longhorn students.

$1,149,890

IN 2024–2025, ~18% OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS RECEIVED A CO-OP COURSE MATERIAL SCHOLARSHIP

7,561

2023–2024

6,771

Support Longhorn students! Make a donation in-store or online when you shop with us. Your donation helps make textbooks and school supplies more accessible to Longhorn students.

$2,894,799 16,724 39% IN SAVINGS ON COURSE MATERIALS

STUDENTS RECEIVED SCHOLARSHIPS FOR THEIR MATERIALS OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS RECEIVED FINANCIAL AID

44,494

HOW FACULTY CAN HELP

PROFESSORS, YOUR ADOPTIONS

HELP STUDENTS!

By sharing this information with us as early as possible, we are able to secure your students’ course materials at the lowest cost possible.

Additionally, when you share this information early, we are able to carry all materials for students to use their UT for Me – Powered by Dell Scholars textbook credit or Co-op Course Material Scholarship.

LONGHORN TEXTBOOK ACCESS DEADLINES 2025–2026

Adopting LTA materials is as easy as any other textbook adoption. Let our textbook team know you’re interested in LTA adoption and we’ll take it from there!

Learn more about adopting materials with the Co-op here:

www.universitycoop.com/pages/adoptions

IMPACT BY COLLEGE

Data as of March 2025

SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

MCCOMBS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

MOODY COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

COCKRELL SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS

Co-op Course Material Scholarship

UT for Me Textbook Credit LTA Usage

JACKSON SCHOOL OF GEOSCIENCES

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS

COLLEGE OF NATURAL SCIENCES

SCHOOL OF NURSING

STEVE HICKS SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK

FUTURE PROJECTIONS & PROJECTS

Looking forward to this academic year, we are excited to expand course material support for Longhorns! We’re projecting that between UT for Me - Powered by Dell Scholars and the Co-op Course Material Scholarship 44% of undergraduate students will receive assistance with their course materials.

In addition, we’ve expanded support to include every student athlete, every Longhorn Band member, every member on the Pom and Cheer squad, and every Co-op student employee who aren’t already receiving

a textbook credit or course material scholarship through financial aid. We look forward to continuing to expand scholarship access in the years to come!

COURSE MATERIAL SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED

EVERY STUDENT WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR FINANCIAL AID RECEIVES EITHER A CO-OP COURSE MATERIAL SCHOLARSHIP OR A UT FOR ME TEXTBOOK CREDIT.

2025–2026 COMMITMENT

This academic year we’re projecting 44% of students will receive a Co-op Course Material Scholarship or a UT for Me - Powered by Dell Scholars textbook credit. Because of the tremendous year that we’ve had, we were able to expand support to cover all course materials for all student athletes (both scholarship and

non-scholarship), the entire Longhorn band, and the entire Pom and Cheer squad, and our Co-op student employees. We look forward to continuing to expand course material scholarships for Longhorn students over the coming years!

$1,250,000 $250,000

CO-OP COURSE MATERIAL COMMITMENT ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP FUND

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank you, Longhorn Nation, for choosing to shop at the Co-op. Unlike other other Longhorn retailers, we are the only one that gives every penny of our retail store profit directly to Longhorn students through course material scholarships. When you shop with us, you’re not just buying Longhorn gear – you’re investing in the success of UT students and helping ensure their futures are brighter. We are so grateful to be part of the Longhorn community who supports our mission and are endlessly inspired by the students at The University of Texas at Austin.