New Jersey's public colleges and universities might be forced to keep tuition increases in check.
Gov. Chris Christie has proposed a 4 percent cap. Schools that exceed it would lose more state aid.
Tuition and fees at the state's four-year schools average about $11,000, one of the highest public rates in the nation.
The governor also is considering reopening union contracts to try to get salary concessions at the institutes of higher learning, spokesman Michael Drewniak told The Record of Bergen County.
Unionized employees at the schools deferred a 3.5 percent increase last year when former Gov. Jon Corzine reopened their contracts.
College and university officials are considering cuts to staff and programs to offset a $173 million cut to higher education in Christie's proposed budget.
