New Central Michigan University students won't have to worry about tuition increasing next year.

The Mount Pleasant school's board Thursday approved a freeze in tuition for all new students — first-year students who enter with less than 56 credit hours.

"We're doing the hard work to keep costs as low as possible for our students and families while delivering a top-tier education," President Bob Davies said in a statement. "We are committed to making our degrees as affordable as possible."

That would leave tuition at $12,510 for the year for first-year resident students.

Read more:

9 questions with University of Michigan-Dearborn's new chancellor

Low-income students aren't graduating from college at same rate as higher-income students

Central Michigan has been struggling financially in recent years, and is among several Michigan public universities facing steep enrollment declines. Officials have warned of coming budget cuts.

The freeze is part of a broader restructuring of tuition at the school. The board approved a new upper/lower division tuition structure. Beginning with new students enrolled this fall, tuition for first- and second-year students will be lower than for students in their third and fourth years.

Upper-level courses are more costly because of factors such as smaller class sizes; laboratories, and more intensive, career-focused learning experiences, the school said in a news release.

Current, continuing undergraduate students will not be affected by the upper/lower structure. For these students, trustees set a 3.1% tuition increase from $417 to $430 per credit hour, the school said in its news release.

Contact David Jesse: 313-222-8851 or djesse@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @reporterdavidj