College tuition in Virginia jumped by 10 percent during Gov. Bob McDonnell’s first two years in office, but the average tuition hike last year was about half that, 4.5 percent, the smallest increase in a decade.

The smaller increases follow McDonnell’s decision to make lower tuition costs a centerpiece of his agenda. Last year, he pushed university leaders to not raise tuition and fees and set aside $100 million a year in his 2013-2015 biennial budget for higher education. The cost of education increased by 13.1 percent in 2011 and 9.7 percent in 2012, according to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.