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Service contrast: In general, non-ASAP students were not offered blocked or linkedcourses such as those offered to ASAP students. At the school that offers learning communitiesto its ASAP students in the first semester, non-ASAP students are also offered learning communitiesin the first semester, and a majority of non-ASAP students enrolled. At another school,first-semester learning communities were available to non-ASAP students who were reading ona college level, although enrollment rates were lower than at the school offering learningcommunities to all new students. At both of these schools in the second semester and beyond,and at the other school in all semesters, there were no other widely available blocked or linkedcourse options for non-ASAP students.Financial SupportsASAP provides a few key financial supports to participating students. This section discussesthose supports and the differences between those supports and what the evaluation’s controlgroup received.Tuition WaiverASAP: ASAP waives the difference between a student’s tuition and fees and financialaid, specifically, the sum of the federal Pell Grant and the New York State Tuition AssistanceProgram grant, CUNY students’ two main need-based sources of aid. 9 In order to be eligible fora waiver, ASAP students must apply for financial aid by completing the Free Application forFederal Student Aid and be eligible for financial aid.During the study period, before or at the start of each semester, the college ASAP directorsand financial aid offices worked together to apply waivers as needed so that ASAP studentsdid not pay any tuition or fees. The waiver was applied to accounts internally, not paid directlyto the students, and students did not get letters or other communication about the precise amountof the waiver. As a result, students typically knew that the waiver existed but did not know howmuch it amounted to.At the two colleges where the fall and spring semesters are split into a longer main sessionand a shorter intersession, the ASAP tuition waiver covered all sessions. At the thirdcollege, the tuition waiver covered the fall and spring semesters. Some additional funds were9 The term “unmet need” is used in higher education to refer to the difference between the total cost ofattending college and financial aid. The total cost of attendance includes tuition and fees as well as othereducation-related expenses, such as textbooks, transportation, and room and board (The Institute for CollegeAccess and Success, 2009). ASAP’s tuition waiver covers only tuition and fees. As discussed later, ASAPprovides monthly MetroCards and free use of textbooks regardless of a student’s amount of financial aid (orlevel of unmet need).38