The Kentucky Community and Technical College System’s Board of Regents voted Friday to keep tuition flat for the coming year.

“The pandemic has taken a toll on our students who’ve been affected in numerous ways, including job loss,” Board Chair Gail Henson said in a news release. “The board wanted to help students, and we felt keeping our tuition at the same rate would help thousands of families.”

The schools of the community and technical college system already have the lowest tuition in the state, at $179 per credit hour, according to a news release. Out-of-state students from counties contiguous to Kentucky pay $358 per credit hour. All other out-of-state students pay $627 per credit hour.