ATLANTA (AP) - University system Chancellor Hank Huckaby said the state's 35 campuses will have to make "a heck of an argument" to increase fees for students this fall.

Huckaby said during a budget hearing at the state Capitol on Tuesday that he wants to "slow that train down." He told state
lawmakers that affordability is one of his top concerns about the university system, which he took over in July.

Mandatory fees for students have skyrocketed as state funding for higher education has dwindled. A student at the University of
Georgia pays nearly $1,100 per semester in fees this year, compared to $587 two years ago.

Fees for students are not covered by the HOPE scholarship.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)