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tion’s Finish Faster initiative, which aims to help higher education systems in select statesdevelop and implement guided pathways to a degree with enhanced monitoring and support. 8Although the effects for these initiatives have on students are not yet known, they reflect a shiftaway from short-term, narrowly focused reforms to a bolder, more comprehensive approach.Even with ASAP’s comprehensive services and unprecedented success in improvingstudents’ outcomes, a substantial proportion of program group students left college without adegree. By the end of the three-year follow-up period, 39 percent of the program group had notearned a degree and were not enrolled in college. Some of those students might return to schoolin later semesters or might have found a good job without a degree, but the finding highlightsthe ongoing challenge of fostering college completion for low-income students.Considerations About ASAP’s CostsIt may not be surprising that ASAP’s effects are large, given the comprehensive natureof the program, that it provides services consistently for up to three years, and that it substantiallyincreases the level of investment in each student. MDRC’s evaluation estimated that CUNYspent about $16,300 more per program group member over three years than it spent per controlgroup member. However, the study also found that, because ASAP boosted graduation rates sodramatically, the program actually cost less per graduate than did the usual colleges services —at least at the three-year point.When considering ASAP’s cost as presented in this report, it is important to bear in mindthat many of the costs depended on the context in which the program was operated. For example,the cost of living in New York City is among the highest in the nation; staff salaries and fringebenefits in CUNY ASAP are likely higher than those at many other colleges. The costs alsoinclude administration and management at the colleges and several staff at CUNY Central. Mostother colleges, however, are not overseen by a central administrative body, and operation costsmight be lower. Most students in the program group did not need the tuition waiver. If theprogram had targeted students who were less likely to get complete coverage from their financialaid, the cost would have been higher. In short, an ASAP-like program in another setting isunlikely to be low cost, although its total cost would depend on various factors.ASAP’s success in increasing students’ academic outcomes makes it a model for collegesin states where funding for higher education is linked to performance outcomes. Performance-basedfunding first started in Tennessee in 1979, and to date more than half of U.S.states have tried it. Using indicators such as student retention, attainment of certain credit levels,8 See project description on the Community College Research Center’s website(http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu).90