(CHAPEL HILL) -- Explaining that there must be a balance, UNC System President Tom Ross said on Thursday that his recommendation for tuition increases will be lower than those proposed by the system's individual campuses. Ross said he will submit a final proposal next month.

"I think what I try to do is to look at the needs and figure out what the real needs of the campuses are and I think their tuition proposals demonstrate those needs pretty clearly and I suspect that every dollar we can give them in tuition they could spend wisely and really help improve the University of North Carolina," said Ross.

Before a meeting of the UNC System Board of Governors on Thursday, a group of former Board of Governors member signed a letter asking for lower tuition hikes. While this group is urging that tuition increases not exceed 6.5 percent, Ross is hoping to keep increases below 10 percent.