The financial support of our visitors helps keep MIT OpenCourseWare going and growing. OCW now offers more than 1800 courses, virtually the entire MIT curriculum - useful, high-quality materials in the sciences, engineering, humanities, business, and many other disciplines. We continue to expand our free content, but there is a substantial expense in publishing these materials.

The cost of "free" education

Publishing new and updated courses (about 200 per year), producing new video materials, developing our new Highlights for High School program, and improving the web site all incur a significant cost. Every course on OCW goes through an extensive process to make sure it is presented in a useful, accessible format. When professors use external materials like photos and graphs, we research copyright owners and get permission to publish them on OCW. Our video courses, among the most popular on OCW, require hundreds of hours of filming, editing, and captioning for the hearing impaired. But all this content production is just a part of our work - we distribute the materials through a reliable world-wide network to every corner of the globe. We also support alternative distribution channels like mirror sites—nearly 200 of them—for areas with limited Internet access. In total, it costs about $4 million each year to support OCW.

Think about the return on this investment

You use resources like the six-semester course in Chinese language and culture taught by Professors Wheatley and Tong, Professor Lewin's memorable video physics courses, and Professor Strang's unparalleled calculus course complete with online text book. You know what these materials mean to you. Some of your fellow OCW users—both teachers and learners—transform these resources into great programs that serve humankind, whether through educational innovations or other projects that make our planet a better place.

We are truly inspired by user stories that show how OCW is helping to improve the world and change lives.

We need your help

MIT is committed to keeping OCW open and free to all, everywhere. You know the value of OCW to yourself and how the materials offer a greater value to humankind. And now you know the cost. Your contribution of $25, $50, $100—or whatever amount is right for you—directly supports the production and distribution of high quality MIT course materials.

Please invest in yourself and your world. Click here to make your donation now.

Show your support for OCW

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Read what inspired others to give

Alumni

"It's very simple. I live in Silicon Valley where many people think ideas should be owned like property. This mentality consumes an enormous amount of time and energy that could be better spent elsewhere. MIT OpenCourseWare is outstanding for two reasons; first the quality of the material really does make a difference. I've personally used OCW as a reference long after my old college "bibles" ended up in the recycling bin. Even better, OCW is a shining example of ideas being celebrated. I suspect it inspires just as much as it enriches."
—Jeff Breidenbach, MIT Alum, Class of 1996

"As to my reasons, I honestly think that, through OCW, MIT is doing the right thing at the right time. And, whatever the short term results, the institution should be reminded by its alumni that it is on the right track, and should pursue in that direction."
—Anonymous, MIT Alum, Class of 1977

Students

"I use the OCW for extra study materials and to fill out gaps in the curriculum I currently have through my BS in Computer Science program at Regis University. I donated because I want MIT to keep the OCW going. I appreciate the hard work and innovation being done over at MIT. Thank you."
—Heath Novak, USA

"Because I significantly gained a lot by the high quality educational materials from MIT faculty. Its good to know that a superb resource for knowledge and learning is made available to everyone in the world! Thank You so much!"
—Aditi Gupta, USA

Self Learners

"I've been asked on your website to write and explain why I've donated to your site. I believe it's every person's responsibility to stand up and support the things he (or she) values. I enjoyed watching your online video courses and would like to express my gratitude for putting them on, and help ensure your site continues to grow. I wish you all the best."
—Assaf Tal, Israel

"I supported OpenCourseWare because I believe that MIT is setting the standard for education around the world by liberating the course content. The actions of respected institutions have profound effects, and supporting OCW was my way of saying "thank you" for having the courage and insight to take this bold step that helps promote advanced education everywhere."
—Ted Inoue, USA

"I'm an extension agent working with underprivileged communities. It is important that I have an eclectic source of reference materials for my work. MIT (OCW) has been instrumental in my professional development. I would like this resource to grow."
—Harry Crissy, USA