State officials approved at or near maximum tuition increases at four state colleges on Friday.
The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education approved 2.9 percent for Eastern Kentucky University, 2.9 percent for Murray State University, a 3 percent hike for the University of Kentucky, and 3.1 percent for Northern Kentucky University.
That's an average increase of 7.9 percent over the past two years, just under the 8 percent that is allowed.
The increases come amid a heated GOP primary for governor where the candidates have all lamented the escalating cost of college.
Candidate James Comer on Thursday proposed tax credits he said would guarantee a four-year-degree for an in-state student would cost at most $20,000. That's about half of what students pay now at the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville.