JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Tuition is rising by nearly the maximum amount allowed at most of Missouri's universities.

The 2008-2009 school year marks the first under a state law that caps tuition increases near the inflation rate.

Figures provided by the Department of Higher Education to The Associated Press show most of Missouri's public universities are raising tuition by either the full amount allowed or by just a few tenths of a percentage point less that the maximum.

The average tuition-and-fee increase next year will be 4 percent.

Republican Sen. Gary Nodler, of Joplin, says the new law is working as planned.

But some university officials fear their school services could be hampered in the long-term by complying with the tuition limits.