For both open access publishing agreements and discounts, the terms are unique for each publisher, so we recommend reading the details early in the publishing process and asking the Library if you have questions. Generally, here is how agreements and discounts work:

• Agreements: The UC libraries' open access publishing agreements offer support for the article processing charge (APC) of open access articles only with certain publishers. With these publisher-specific agreements, the UC libraries cover a portion of UC affiliates' open access publishing fees. Some agreements require authors to still pay some portion of the fees while others are covered entirely by the UC libraries if the author doesn't have funds. A comprehensive list is available on the UC Office of Scholarly Communication website.
   
• Discounts: Discounts offer a percentage off of the article processing charge (APC). The author is responsible for the remaining cost after the discount is applied. Check each publisher to find the amount of the discount. The discounts are included in the same list as the agreements so it is worth taking a close look at the terms for individual publishers on that list and whether the support is part of an agreement or discount. A comprehensive list is available on the UC Office of Scholarly Communication website.

You may also be wondering, how does UC decide which publishers to negotiate open access publishing agreements and discounts with? See the following article and matrix: