The Accelerate, Complete, Engage (ACE) program is one of the most promising comprehensive support models for bachelor’s-degree-seeking students in higher education. Developed by the City University of New York as an expansion of its signature ASAP model, ACE provides proactive advising, financial support, career development, and other structured services designed to help students stay enrolled full time and complete a bachelor’s degree on time. In a randomized controlled trial conducted at John Jay College, ACE increased five-year graduation rates from 57% to 69%—a 12 percentage point gain, or about a 20% increase over the control group.
This project asks the next critical policy question: Do those large gains in degree completion translate into lasting benefits in the labor market? In partnership with CUNY ASAP, CCRC is conducting a long-term follow-up to the original ACE randomized controlled trial to examine ACE’s effects on postsecondary attainment beyond the bachelor’s degree, employment, and earnings up to eight years after random assignment. The study links the original sample, randomized in fall 2018, to CUNY administrative records, National Student Clearinghouse data, and New York State unemployment insurance wage records. An additional qualitative component of the study, led by Metis Associates, will include interviews with students and staff who participated in the randomized controlled trial to provide context for the main impact analysis. The findings will provide timely evidence for policymakers and system leaders deciding whether and how to sustain and scale comprehensive student support programs. This project is co-led by Diana Strumbos at CUNY and funded by Arnold Ventures.