Accelerated Study in Associate Programs Initiative

The Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) is CUNY’s nationally acclaimed program to help motivated community college students earn their degrees as quickly and successfully as possible. CUNY established the program in 2007. An independent research study showed that by 2010, 55 percent of the original cohort of ASAP students had graduated, compared with a 24.7 percent graduation rate among a similar group of CUNY community college students. This impressive graduation rate continues to be about three times the national rate.

Six CUNY community colleges have ASAP programs on their campuses. Key features of ASAP include a consolidated course schedule (morning, afternoon or evening), cohorts by major, small class size, required full-time study and comprehensive advisement and career development services. Financial incentives include tuition waivers for financial aid-eligible students and free use of textbooks and monthly MetroCards for all students.

The success of ASAP prompted a large expansion of the program, partly funded by New York City and New York State. As part of the College Success Initiative, the Guttman Foundation gave CUNY $1 million to support the ASAP program over two years to continue to provide extensive academic and support services to students at CUNY community colleges. As of Fall 2023, the average graduation rate was 53 percent among the 88,000 students who have participated in ASAP since its founding, compared with 25 percent for a statistically matched comparison group.  

Learn more about the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs.