HAMMOND | Applications for College Bound scholarships are up by 40 over the program's inaugural year, city consultant Tom Dabertin said Wednesday.

Dabertin said with the application deadline past, the review process is in full swing.

Of the 171 applicants from this year's class, up from 131 in 2006, 100 have received award letters, Dabertin said.

"For the remainder, in most cases we're waiting on missing information," he said.

The program provides up to $7,500 annually to children of Hammond homeowners.

Dabertin said the process will shift into high gear in the next week or two as prospective universities are contacted.

A full list of scholarship winners is expected to be available by Sept. 15.

Returning for a second round of scholarships are the 117 students whose scholarships were approved last year.

Scholarships are not automatically renewed, Dabertin said. Students must re-apply annually.

"We've seen very few students dropped because of performance," he said. "Far better than 90 percent will be returning from an academic standpoint."

The cost for the first year of the program, which is funded with gambling money, was about $500,000. Dabertin said the second round of awards will double the program's costs to the $1 million range.