ORONO, Maine (AP) — A key committee approved a resolution Monday to hold in-state tuition flat for University of Maine System students in the coming year.

The Finance, Facilities and Technology Committee of the University of Maine System Board of Trustees made the recommendation. The move would help keep the cost of a UMaine education down for students and families impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, the system said in a statement.

The $578 million budget could be adopted later this month. It would be the seventh time in the last 10 years it has held the line on tuition rates for Maine students, the system said.

Chancellor Dannel Malloy said the system believes it can "provide a more affordable return to normalcy for our Maine students."

The average full-time tuition for in-state students who attend University of Maine System universities would be $8,572 for the upcoming academic year under the proposal.