Although community colleges enroll almost half of the students engaged in postsecondary
education, they have poor success in student completion of degrees. Nationally it appears
that less than a quarter of community college students obtain the two-year associate degree,
and the success rate is even lower in urban community colleges. In response, the City
University of New York (CUNY) evaluated the obstacles to degree completion and
responded by establishing the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP). ASAP …

This study evaluates CUNY's Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) from a
benefit-cost perspective. ASAP is designed to accelerate degree completion within three
years at community colleges. This report builds on the CUNY evaluations of ASAP, which
provide consistent evidence for the dramatic success of ASAP on increasing the timely
completion of associate degrees. Although ASAP requires more resources per student than
the traditional associate program, the cost per graduate was found to be lower because of its …