HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Corbett pledged Friday not to seek a third straight year of cutbacks in state aid for higher education and said he has secured a commitment from state-supported universities to keep tuition growth as low as possible.

Corbett said he will ask the Legislature on Tuesday when he releases his budget plan for the 2013-14 fiscal year that begins July 1 to maintain the state’s current commitment of nearly $1.6 billion to higher education.

“At the same time, the leaders of these universities have made a commitment to me ... that they will keep tuition as low as they possibly can,” Corbett said at a news conference with leaders of Temple, Pitt, Penn State, Lincoln and the 14 state-owned universities.

It remains to be seen how low tuition increases must be to satisfy Corbett and lawmakers.

The comments from Corbett, a Republican who made a campaign pledge not to raise taxes, came amid projections of a very tough budget year for the state.

Corbett’s commitment on higher education support follows two straight years of seeking deep cuts in aid to the institutions.

Tax collections improved after the governor’s initial budget proposals, allowing some of the cuts to be eased. Still, the state’s funding level for higher education has dropped from nearly $1.9 billion in 2010-11.