Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee has proposed to freeze in-state undergraduate tuition for the upcoming year.

After two years of tuition increases, Gee made the proposal at the Ohio Statehouse Wednesday to hold in-state tuition levels at $10,036.80.

“Given the very real needs of the students and families in Ohio, and the new level of government support that we anticipate, I intend to recommend to our Board of Trustees that we freeze in-state tuition for the coming academic year,” said Gee in a Wednesday university release.

The announcement comes after Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s proposed higher education plan that cap public colleges’ tuition at an annual 2 percent increase. Kasich’s plan will also give 50 percent of state funds to universities based on the percentage of graduating students and 28.2 percent based on course completion.

After years of tuition increases, Undergraduate Student Government President Taylor Stepp said it’s a step in the right direction.

“I’m glad to see this year it’s going to be frozen,” he said.

Stepp said the OSU Board of Trustees will make the final decision on the tuition freeze.

“I think people will be ecstatic about it….it’s a great move for students,” he said.

For the 2012-2013 school year, OSU instructional fees rose 3.5 percent, however a freeze on mandatory fees made the overall rate increase for students 3.2 percent, according to an OSU Board of Trustees document.

Students enrolled in courses this semester are paying 7 percent more on tuition than they would have two years ago.

According to the release, tuition was frozen from 2007 to 2010 under Gee’s administration.