With the state Legislature launching their 2005 session earlier this week, Gov. Janet Napolitano urged lawmakers to increase the state's contribution to financial aid in her State of the State address Monday.

UA administration and students, with support from the Arizona Board of Regents and Napolitano, are asking the state to double their financial aid contribution into the Arizona Financial Aid Trust next year.

The Arizona Students' Association, a statewide student-run lobbying group, spent the last year pursuing the measure, which would have the state contribute $2 for every dollar students put into the trust and would increase the state contribution by $4.8 million.

Each year, students pay a $39 financial aid fee, which is approximately 1 percent of in-state tuition.

Currently, for every dollar students contribute to the trust, the state matches with a dollar of state money. However, UA President Peter Likins pointed out the state has failed to match the universities' contributions for the past few years.

Last year, students contributed $3.9 million in financial aid, but only received a $2.1 million contribution from the state, said Maceo Brown, ASA executive director.

"The least (the state) could do is put $40 per student," Likins said. "They should be putting in $80 - even $80 is not that much."

Half of the money students pay in financial aid fees go into the trust while the other half goes into an endowment to be used at a later time, Brown said.

Student lobbyists are trying to increase the amount of immediate student aid from 50 percent to 75 percent. By changing this, three-quarters of the fees students pay for tuition would go into the trust, while only one-quarter would be set aside for later in the endowment.

In the past three years, the state Legislature has cut more than $200 million from the three state universities and decreased financial aid contributions by $700,000.

"I want to help ensure that no qualified Arizona student is precluded from a higher education because of money," Napolitano said. "I propose that we double our state's investment in student financial aid."

Still, Likins said he thinks it is unlikely the state will actually double their contribution to financial aid.

"We ask the state for all kinds of things," Likins said. "I think it's very unlikely that you'll get everything you ask for."

The regents have also made the state-based financial aid increase a priority for the upcoming legislative session.

Regent Chris Herstam said it is critical that the state invest more in financial aid to help needy families send their children to college.

"Arizona is at the very bottom of the country with regards to financial aid for higher education students," Herstam said.

In the past, state lawmakers have told universities and students to make an investment in their own education. By increasing the cost of tuition, Brown said the students have made an effort to invest, and now it is the state's turn to contribute.

"We are trying to improve access to higher education," Brown said. "We want to take care of individuals who are in special circumstances."

As tuition has increased by more than 50 percent in the past two years, the regents also increased the amount of tuition set aside for financial aid from 8 percent to 14 percent. At the UA, Likins pledged to set aside a higher portion, at 16 percent.

But Likins said although 16 percent is set aside, the university contributes more tuition revenue to other forms of financial aid, such as the reduced tuition for graduate research assistants or merit-based aid.

"All together, it's a very significant fraction of the tuition revenue," Likins said.