AUSTIN, Texas - Gov. Rick Perry says he wants to help blunt the rising costs of higher education by letting students lock in four-year tuition rates at state colleges and universities.

Perry may push the plan starting in January in the Legislature, where tuition freezes have been discussed before. He mentioned the idea Friday while speaking at the Texas Tribune festival, a three-day public policy forum in Austin.

The Austin American-Statesman reported that Perry said guaranteeing a set tuition rate for students would "tell an incoming freshman, this is what the university will charge you for four years."

Perry has sometimes clashed with state universities over tuition rates. He has championed $10,000 bachelor's degrees, and the University of Texas regents recently froze tuition for two years under pressure from Perry.