More than 1,000 Pittsburgh Public Schools seniors have applied for Pittsburgh Promise scholarships, said Superintendent Mark Roosevelt during a taping yesterday of the "KD/PG Sunday edition."

That figure is between 80 and 90 percent of all eligible students, he said.

"It has way exceeded our expectations," he said after the taping. "I didn't think we'd get anywhere near that number."

For this year's graduating seniors, the Promise provides college scholarships up to $5,000 for students who have maintained a 2.0 grade point average and attended city schools since at least ninth grade.

Mr. Roosevelt expects the number of Promise applicants to grow higher as students sign up for community colleges during the summer, he said.

Of the approximately 1,050 students who have applied for the Promise, about 150 students probably won't use the funds because they will attend college out of state or at a private school outside of Allegheny County, said Eddy Jones, project manager for the Pittsburgh Promise. About 1,250 students in the district meet Promise eligibility requirements, he said.

The school district has not established a deadline for applying for the Promise, in part because students have up to five years to use the funds after graduating, said Mr. Jones.

He is, however, encouraging students who have not submitted applications to do so as soon as possible.