Students from across Massachusetts waited eagerly outside the Marriott Cambridge Hotel yesterday, hoping to walk away with an invitation to lock horns with Regis Philbin on an upcoming college edition of ABC's "Who Wants to be a Millionaire."

"Don't we just scream freshmen?" said Jackie S. Kane, who along with her four Boston College roommates lightened up the line wearing bright orange BC logo T-shirts.

The hit game show is holding auditions this month in five cities for its three college editions that will air this fall.

In order to be eligible, students who showed up for the 30-question "fastest finger" test had to present a current tuition bill as proof of their college enrollment.

Only the first 125 students in line were allowed in for the test, and for those who passed, a videotaped interview followed. The show held three sets of auditions yesterday.

Those who arrived after the 125 slots had already been filled walked away with heads hung low. The few left in line were left to calculate their slim chances of making the show.

Since the show will accept 30 students of the 1,875 it interviews, students set their chances at 1.6 percent.

John P. Leone of Haverhill, who said he attended Northern Essex Community College, was first in line for the test.