WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s college and university endowments — often used to fund scholarships and professorships — had strong growth last year, according to a report released Tuesday. That’s a bit of good news for higher education institutions under pressure to hold down tuition costs amid some enrollment declines.

More than 80 institutions reported endowments from the 2013 budget year valued at more than $1 billion. Overall, endowments returned an average of 11.7 percent. A year earlier, returns had held relatively steady, with a less than 1 percent decline, according to the analysis by National Association of College and University Business officers and Commonfund using data from the 835 colleges and universities that agreed to participate.