OER and open access aim to increase access to educational materials through openly licensed content that allows users to retain, reuse, revise, remix and redistribute. OER is defined as educational resources that are freely available online for anyone to use, and open access refers to copyrightable works licensed to allow free use. Studies show that many students do not purchase required textbooks due to high costs, and financial concerns negatively impact academic performance. Implementing OER in higher education can help give students access to materials from day one of class at low or no cost, and allow instructors to customize resources for their needs. The University of Hawaii promotes OER through its repository and recommends applying open licensing to works and adding materials.