Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP)

A Program That Almost Doubles Three-Year Graduation Rates

October 2015

What is ASAP and why is there a need for it?

Graduation rates at community colleges are low, especially for students who need developmental (remedial) courses to build their basic skills. ASAP is a comprehensive program at the City University of New York designed to help more associate degree-seeking students graduate and help them graduate more quickly.

ASAP meets key challenges faced by community college students

ASAP increases three-year graduation rates by 84%

What did MDRC’s study find?

Using a random assignment research design, MDRC evaluated ASAP’s impact on the academic outcomes of 896 low-income students with remedial needs and found that ASAP almost doubled three-year graduation rates. These are the largest impacts MDRC has found in more than a decade of research in higher education.

Is ASAP scalable and replicable?

In New York City, CUNY has been expanding ASAP with a goal of serving 25,000 students by 2019, thanks to an allocation of $77 million from the city of New York.

Beyond New York City, MDRC and CUNY are working with three community colleges in Ohio to implement ASAP. The demonstration will test the extent to which the ASAP model can be replicated, and if its effects are similar in new contexts serving different student populations.