Sustainability (MDPI) APC and Open Access: High Volume, Higher Price, and What You're Actually Paying For

MDPI has built the most elaborate discount system in academic publishing. It's worth understanding because it can meaningfully reduce your costs:

Reviewer vouchers: Every time you complete a peer review for an MDPI journal, you receive a discount voucher (typically 10-15% off an APC). These vouchers are transferable within your research group. Prolific reviewers can accumulate significant savings.

Editorial board discounts: Members of MDPI editorial boards receive ongoing discounts, often 20% or more. MDPI editorial boards are large (sometimes 100+ members per journal), so this discount reaches a lot of authors.

Institutional memberships: MDPI offers institutional membership programs where universities pay an annual fee and their researchers get 10% off all APCs. Over 500 institutions participate globally.

Early-career discounts: MDPI occasionally runs promotional discounts for PhD students and early-career researchers, typically 15-20%. These aren't automatic and need to be requested.

Some of these discounts can be stacked. A researcher at a member institution who also has a reviewer voucher might pay as little as $2,100. This is something MDPI doesn't widely advertise, but it's worth checking what you're eligible for before paying full price.

Like all MDPI journals, Sustainability is 100% gold open access. There's no subscription track. Every article is published under a CC BY 4.0 license, immediately free to read and reuse.

MDPI's business model is built entirely on APCs. The company publishes over 400 journals, nearly all gold OA, and processes roughly 300,000 manuscripts per year. This scale is what allows a relatively low per-article APC while still running profitably.

For authors, this means:

1. You pay CHF 2,600 from your grant, institution, or personal funds
2. Your article is immediately and permanently free
3. Anyone can reuse it under CC BY terms
4. No embargo, no paywall, no access restrictions

Sustainability launched in 2009 and has grown into one of the largest journals covering environmental and sustainability science. Its scope is deliberately broad: environmental sustainability, social sustainability, economic sustainability, sustainable development, corporate social responsibility, and sustainable energy.

The journal's impact factor is 3.3 (2024). That positions it solidly in the mid-tier of sustainability research, above many newer journals but well below the elite Elsevier and Wiley titles in the field.

Key facts about the journal:

• Volume: 12,000+ articles per year, making it one of the top 20 largest journals in the world
• Acceptance rate: Estimated at 40-50%, though MDPI doesn't publish official rates
• Review speed: Median 30-40 days from submission to first decision, among the fastest in the field
• Indexed in: Web of Science (SCIE), Scopus, PubMed (selective), and all major databases
• Published by: MDPI (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute), Basel, Switzerland

The review speed deserves extra attention. MDPI has been both praised and criticized for its fast turnaround. On the positive side, researchers get decisions quickly. On the critical side, some argue that 30-day review cycles don't allow enough time for thorough evaluation, particularly for papers with complex methodologies. This is a legitimate concern, and you should weigh it against your own timeline needs.

You can't write honestly about Sustainability without addressing the broader MDPI debate. MDPI journals, including Sustainability, have faced persistent questions about:

Special issues: MDPI publishes an enormous number of special issues, often with guest editors who solicit papers from their networks. Critics argue this creates a pipeline that prioritizes volume over quality. Defenders note that special issues are common across all publishers and that MDPI's are properly peer-reviewed.

Rapid review timelines: As noted above, 30-day review cycles concern some researchers. A 2023 study in Quantitative Science Studies found that MDPI journals had significantly shorter review times than comparable journals at other publishers, raising questions about review depth.

Indexing concerns: In 2023, several MDPI journals (not Sustainability) were temporarily flagged by Clarivate for citation manipulation. Sustainability itself has maintained its Web of Science indexing without interruption, but the broader MDPI brand carries some reputational baggage.

The practical reality: Sustainability is not predatory. It's indexed, peer-reviewed, and widely cited. Thousands of researchers at reputable institutions publish there. But it's worth knowing that some hiring committees and grant reviewers view MDPI publications with mild skepticism. If you're early in your career, understand what your specific field thinks about MDPI before committing.

As a fully gold OA journal under CC BY, Sustainability meets every major funder mandate. This is one of MDPI's strongest arguments. If your funder requires immediate open access with no embargo, Sustainability delivers it automatically.

For EU Horizon Europe grants, which now require immediate open access, Sustainability is a straightforward compliant option. The APC is also eligible for reimbursement under most EU grant budgets.

• No page charges. The APC covers everything.

• No color figure fees. All MDPI journals include free color figures.

• Special issue invitations: If you're invited to submit to a special issue, you still pay the full APC. The invitation doesn't come with a fee reduction unless specifically stated.

• Rapid publication option: MDPI doesn't charge extra for fast publication. The baseline is already fast.

• Tax: VAT may apply for EU-based authors.

• Preprints: MDPI runs its own preprint server (Preprints.org) and also accepts papers previously posted on other servers.

• English editing: MDPI offers paid English editing services. These are optional and separate from the APC. Prices range from $200-$500 depending on manuscript length.

Sustainability makes sense when:

1. You need a fast, gold OA publication in sustainability research
2. Your funder requires immediate open access and you can't wait for a selective journal
3. You have MDPI discount vouchers that bring the effective cost down
4. Your institution has an MDPI membership
5. Your paper is technically sound but not competitive for J. Cleaner Production or RCR

It's less ideal when:

1. Journal prestige matters for your career stage (aim for J. Cleaner Production, RCR, or Ecological Economics)
2. You don't need gold OA and can publish for free via subscription tracks at Elsevier journals
3. Your field views MDPI publications skeptically

For the official journal scope and submission guidelines, visit Sustainability on MDPI.

Before submitting to any journal, catch the formatting and methodology issues that slow down review. Sustainability (MDPI) submission readiness check to identify problems before reviewers do. And for broader context on open access publishing costs, compare across multiple journals before committing your budget.

Worth paying if:

• Your funder mandates open access (check Plan S / cOAlition S requirements)
• An institutional Read & Publish agreement covers the fee
• Open access visibility meaningfully benefits your research area
• The APC fits within your grant budget

Consider alternatives if:

• The APC is a personal out-of-pocket expense
• A subscription option or green OA (preprint + embargo) satisfies your funder
• Another OA journal with a lower APC would provide similar visibility