This project investigates the impact of CUNY’s Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) on students’ educational and labor market outcomes 10 years after they started college. ASAP is a three-year program designed by CUNY and now replicated in seven states that provides comprehensive support to students, including student services, financial assistance, and structured pathways. Prior studies have found that ASAP substantially boosts graduation rates. This project pools data on 2,397 students from low-income households who participated in MDRC’s randomized controlled trial evaluations conducted in three CUNY community colleges and three Ohio community colleges. Data from the National Student Clearinghouse, state unemployment insurance records, and the U.S. Census Bureau is being used to track degree completion, employment, and earnings, providing the first assessment of CUNY ASAP’s labor market outcomes. To provide context for the results, a returns-to-degrees analysis will be conducted to shed light on pathways to positive labor market outcomes and help strengthen CUNY’s career guidance and services.
This project is led by MDRC. CCRC is working with MDRC researchers Michael Weiss and Colleen Sommo and with Christine Brongniart, university executive director of CUNY ASAP. The project is supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R305A240240 to MDRC.