INDIANAPOLIS — Ivy Tech Community College’s program to help at-risk students earn a college education is experiencing success.

The college said during its 2017-18 academic year, its Associate Accelerated Program logged a 90 percent student retention rate, which means 154 students were able to earn an associate degree in less than one year’s time. This includes 24 students from South Bend and 17 from Lake County.

The 90 percent retention mark has held steady and varied little for the program, which launched during the 2010-11 academic year, the college said. The retention rate for the 2016-17 academic year was 91 percent.

The ASAP program provides at-risk high school students an opportunity to earn a transferable associate degree on a full-time basis in 11 months. Most students selected for the program are identified while still in high school and are the first in their families to attend college.

A total of 1,236 students have enrolled in the program since its inception and 300 more are enrolled for the 2018-19 school year, the college said. Students in the program can earn a degree in liberal arts, business administration, education, informatics or healthcare specialist.

The program is offered at 16 Ivy Tech campuses including its locations in Elkhart, Gary, Michigan City and South Bend.

ASAP prepares students to transfer to four-year colleges and universities. Of ASAP graduates who apply, 100 percent are accepted by at least one four-year college, allowing them to transfer their credits to a bachelor’s degree with junior status in most cases.

Depending on the student’s eligibility, most ASAP students complete an associate degree program for free or at little cost, the college said.

Ivy Tech said the program provides participants with mentors. Students also attend as a group, allowing them to form a learning community and provide peer support for each other.

ASAP also incorporates service learning, allowing students to give back to the community outside the classroom, the college said.