COLUMBIA (AP) — Students attending Tennessee's public community colleges and applied technology colleges will not face a tuition or fee increase for the upcoming academic year, officials said.

The Tennessee Board of Regents voted at a quarterly meeting Friday to keep tuition rates stable for the second time in three years. The board oversees the state's community colleges and colleges of applied technology.

The board also suspended campus-specific online course fees for the second consecutive year, saving students a total of about $2.6 million.

A major increase in state funding for public higher education was approved this year, and federal coronavirus pandemic funding was extended for another year, the board said.

"Savings and efficiencies achieved by the colleges enabled the Board to keep tuition and fees stable for another year despite rising inflation," the board said in a news release.

The board voted for no increase in tuition and fees for the 2020-2021 academic year due to the pandemic. Last year, the board approved its smallest tuition increase in 30 years but did not raise other mandatory fees.