Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) of...

Viking ROADS, a Program Modeled on CUNY-ASAP That Provides Supports to Community College Students

Reviewed

Postsecondary Education
Accurately reported
Credible positive finding

MDRC (March 2025) posted RCT results for Viking ROADS – Westchester Community College’s replication of the successful CUNY-ASAP program, which provides academic, personal, and financial supports to community college students. This high-quality RCT found a remarkable 12 percentage point increase in degree completion after three years.

In community colleges in the United States, graduation rates remain frustratingly low. Students face many challenges, including the financial costs of attending college; the demands of school, work, and family; complex institutional systems; underfunded student support services; and insufficient preparation for college-level work. To address these challenges, in 2018 Westchester Community College in New York state launched Viking Resources for Obtaining Associate Degrees and Success (Viking ROADS). This student support program was based closely on the City University of New York’s Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) model, which has a strong track record of producing large effects on student outcomes in multiple locations. Viking ROADS offers a comprehensive and integrated three-year package of support services comprising student support, financial support, and specialized course enrollment options.

Findings from a randomized controlled evaluation of Viking ROADS, conducted three years after random assignment, show that the program led to significant increases in full-time enrollment, credit attainment, and degree completion at Westchester Community College.  By the end of six semesters, the program group showed a 12 percentage point increase in degree attainment over the control group.  Despite the fact that much of the study took place during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic—a time when college learning environments transformed drastically—Viking ROADS still had considerable effects on three-year graduation rates, confirming the strength and adaptability of the ASAP model. Viking ROADS not only helped students navigate the immediate disruptions caused by the pandemic but also supported their continued academic progress and degree attainment.

Full Study Report

We have no suggested revisions to the study abstract.

No-Spin’s Study Overview

Large, high-quality RCT of Viking ROADS - Westchester Community College’s replication of the CUNY-ASAP program of student support - finds a remarkable 12 percentage point increase in degree completion after three years.

Program:

  • Viking ROADS is Westchester (New York) Community College’s replication of the City University of New York’s ASAP program. The program provides comprehensive academic, personal, and financial supports to community college students, and requires them to enroll full time.

Study Design:

  • The study sample comprised 574 incoming students, who were randomly assigned to Viking ROADS (treatment) or usual services (control). 77% were 19 or younger, 72% were Black or Hispanic, 46% were female, and 32% were the first in their family to attend college.
  • Based on our careful review, this was a high-quality RCT (e.g. baseline balance, no sample attrition, preregistered analyses).

Findings:

  • Three years after random assignment, the study found a statistically significant 12 percentage point increase in completion of a credential (i.e., degree or certificate) at any college – the primary study outcome. 36% of the treatment group completed a credential vs. 24% of the control group (p<0.01).
  • Only 1 student’s highest credential was a certificate, so the result essentially reflects increased attainment of associate degrees.
  • Substantial control group catch-up in future years seems unlikely, as the percent of students still enrolled in college at the end of year 3 was nearly identical for treatment vs. control (44%).

Comment:

  • The Viking ROADS findings reproduce the large graduation impacts found in earlier RCTs of the ASAP program at CUNY and Ohio colleges. Together, the results are of great policy significance: ASAP is a proven, replicated tool that community colleges nationwide can use to increase graduation rates.
  • Disclosure: Arnold Ventures, which funds the No-Spin Evidence Review, funded the Viking ROADS RCT.

Click or tap a highlight to see No-Spin’s comment

Related Reviews