City University of New York (CUNY) ASAP

Program Description: 

The City University of New York’s (CUNY) Accelerated Study in Academic Programs (ASAP) is a comprehensive student success initiative designed to increase timely degree completion by helping reduce the financial, academic, and personal barriers to full-time study. The current ASAP umbrella builds on CUNY’s original Accelerated Study in Associate Programs model launched in 2007 to support associate-degree students, and the later Accelerate, Complete, Engage (ACE) program launched in 2015 utilizing the same core approach to support bachelor’s-degree students.  
 
ASAP provides a comprehensive suite of supports, including tuition and fee gap awards for eligible learners, NYC transit cards, textbook stipends, and structured academic advisement. Although financial resources play a critical role in students expressing interest in ASAP, once enrolled, participants frequently cite the program’s required academic advisement as the most important benefit. According to the National Academic Advising Association, the median caseload number for academic advisors at two-year colleges is 441. CUNY ASAP advisors have a maximum load of 150 learners each semester, allowing more individualized support. Program participants are assigned to high, medium, or low support groups based on their time in the program, level of need, and academic performance. All first-year ASAP students are considered high support and meet with their advisors more frequently during their first year. As learners progress, the level and frequency of advising may be adjusted based on their academic standing, progress toward degree completion, and individual needs. Maintaining advising appointments is a core expectation of program participation and helps students remain connected to the broader range of financial, academic, and personal supports, including NYC public transportation cards. 

Impact: 

Since the program began in 2007, CUNY ASAP has served over 130,000 learners and operated at systemwide scale since the academic year 2018-2019, supporting nearly half of the first-time full-time associate degree-seeking population across CUNY. It is offered at 16 CUNY colleges across associate and bachelor’s degree pathways.  

CUNY ASAP participants were more than twice as likely to complete an associate degree over 3 years compared with similar learners not enrolled in the program. Although the model requires additional investment per student, the dramatic increase in graduation rate meant that CUNY’s cost per graduate decreased significantly. While the ASAP model costs taxpayers more per learner, it costs less per degree awarded. 

The additional support provided by CUNY ASAP is especially important for first-generation college goers and learners who may otherwise be unfamiliar with the college environment. An analysis of the first five cohorts of ASAP participants found that all demographics saw increased graduation rates, and that it may help narrow graduation gaps for Black and Hispanic male students. An updated analysis of ASAP’s impact across the fall 2017 – fall 2021 cohorts confirmed large, significant, positive impacts across all subgroups. 

With technical assistance from CUNY through the ASAP National Replication Collaborative, the CUNY ASAP model has been/is being replicated at colleges across the country, including in Arizona, California, Colorado, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia. 

Population Served: 

ASAP serves eligible students at participating CUNY colleges. Eligibility varies by degree pathway and may include factors such as New York City or State residency, degree program, credit threshold, full-time enrollment, academic standing, and completion of required financial aid applications, including FAFSA/Pell and the New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), as applicable.  

Steps for Implementation:

• 2007: CUNY launched Accelerated Study in Associate Programs with support from the New York City Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity.  

• 2015: MDRC, a nonprofit and nonpartisan education and social policy research organization, released a rigorous study finding that ASAP increased three-year graduation rates for associate degree students.  

• 2015: CUNY launched Accelerate, Complete, Engage (ACE), adapting the ASAP model to support students pursuing bachelor’s degrees. 

• 2019: Through baseline funding from the city, ASAP reaches its expansion goal of serving 25,000 associate degree-seeking students each academic year. 

• 2021: Funding from the NYC Juneteenth Economic Justice Plan allowed ACE to expand to more CUNY senior colleges. 

• Fall 2026: CUNY brought ASAP and ACE together under the Accelerated Study in Academic Programs umbrella, reflecting the model’s support for students across associate and bachelor’s degree pathways and leading into the program’s 20^th year.  

Learn more here.

Page last updated in August 2026