LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The University of Nebraska Board of Regents has approved a tuition freeze for state students.

Regents made the decision Friday during a meeting where they also approved a $2.4 billion operating budget. That’s a 3.5 percent increase in the budget.

The tuition freeze is part of a 2012 deal with the Nebraska Legislature. It provides a 4 percent increase in state appropriations in exchange for keeping tuition rates flat for Nebraska students.

Undergraduate students can expect to pay a base tuition rate of $216 per credit hour next year. Nonresident students can expect to pay at least $680 per credit hour.