The Promise Scholars Program (PSP) demonstrates rigor in design through its fidelity to CUNY’s evidence-based Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) model, a successful initiative proven to increase timely graduation rates among community college students.

ASAP began in 2007 with 1,132 students across six community colleges and expanded to serve 25,000 students by academic year 2018/19. ASAP is a proven model committed to graduating at least 50% of students within three years through provision of comprehensive support services and financial resources that remove barriers to full-time study and support timely degree completion. ASAP students graduate at more than double the rates of non-ASAP students. 

How did the Promise Scholars Program begin?

In 2017, Skyline College received a grant from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation (LJAF) in the amount of $836,607 for technical assistance from the CUNY-ASAP Office to support the implementation of the model with high fidelity. The Promise Scholars Program includes the Promise Scholarship, designed to remove financial barriers to full-time enrollment and promote higher rates of persistence and completion of educational goals.

The Promise Scholarship was expanded to College of San Mateo (CSM) and Cañada College in Fall 2017, with the expansion funded by a successful application for the CA Promise Innovation Grant that provided $750,000 to support the scholarship program District-wide. Efforts were then made to expand the Promise Scholars Program, including replication of the ASAP model beyond the scholarship component, from Skyline College to Cañada and CSM.

The Promise Scholars Program at Skyline College began with 139 students in its inaugural Fall 2016 cohort, and in Fall 2017 expanded to serve 253 new students. While some elements of the CUNY ASAP model, including fee waivers and the 150:1 counselor-to-student ratio had been implemented already, the Promise Scholars Program launched full replication of the CUNY ASAP model in Fall 2018.