More than 50 students from nine Massachusetts state colleges held intimate meetings with state representatives Wednesday to discuss funding for public higher education — namely requesting more funding for state colleges — two days after the House Ways and Means Committee released its $25.3 billion spending plan for the 2006-2007 fiscal year.

The House budget will increase funding for Massachusetts public higher education by more than $60 million, or 7 percent. Of that money, $34.7 million will be allocated for state and community colleges. Despite these increases, funding will remain below the 2001 level when adjusted for inflation.

“We’ve done much better this year with funding higher education than we have in the previous couple of years,” said Rep. Donald Humason, Jr. (R-Westfield), a graduate of Westfield State College. “It’s not as high as we would like it, it’s not as high as you are advocating for, but we’re pushing in the right direction.”

Student leaders from the colleges were selected to represent their schools in front of the members of the House.

“[Working with the representatives] has been phenomenal. They kept an open mind and open ears,” said Thomas Begin, a senior at Framingham State College.

However, Begin said it is unlikely that the House will allocate as much money as students are asking for.

“Senators are willing to sign an amendment, but they’re not necessarily willing to initiate one,” he said.

Beth Itzkowitz, 22, a senior at Framingham State College, said she had mainly spoken with aides, since many representatives were busy.

“You may have gotten frustrated today since a lot of the reps weren’t there. But that’s what happens in state government,” said Robert Antonucci, president of Fitchburg State College. “But whenever we talk to students, they begin to listen.”

After a morning of meetings, students met to hear brief speeches by state representatives, all but one of whom graduated from a Massachusetts state college, according to the Massachusetts House of Representatives website.

In addition to Humason, the speakers included Representatives Paul Kujawski (D-Douglas), Stephen Canessa (D-Freetown), Charles Murphy (D-Bedford), Patricia Haddad (D-Dighton) and Robert Coughlin (D-Dedham). They highlighted various reasons why funding higher education is important.

Canessa said he attended Northeastern University before transferring to Bridgewater State College when he realized that he wasn’t getting the “educational return on investment” that he wanted.

“I wouldn’t be here today had I not attended Bridgewater State College,” he said.

Murphy emphasized the relationship between state colleges and the economy, noting that new developments in stem cell research, biotechnology and nanotechnology are based on college campuses, and that 85 percent of graduates of the Massachusetts higher education system remain working in the state.

“You people are the future of our economy,” he said.

Both students and legislators noted the problem of rising tuition costs. Framingham State College students, including Itzkowitz and Begin, said that one of their goals is to cap tuition. Tuition and fees at FSC totaled $5,000 this year — the lowest of the nine state colleges.

Murphy also stressed the importance of making college affordable.

“As the days go on, we see in this society that the rich are the only ones who are really going to be able to afford higher education unless we do something about it,” he said.