An image of the Kansas DegreeStats homepage, ksdegreestats.org. The online tool created by the Kansas Board of Regents allows users to compare estimated costs and post-graduation earnings for degrees at state universities.

Kansas City, Kan. ? The Kansas Board of Regents on Wednesday unveiled a new tool created in response to the Legislature’s request that universities provide estimates of cost versus employment benefits of degrees.

Kansas DegreeStats — online at ksdegreestats.org — allows users to access side-by-side comparisons of up to three degree programs at the six state universities and Washburn University.

Tables show estimated attendance costs, salary information upon hiring and five years after graduation, debt payments and length of time to repay them.

Data used to build the tool came from real Kansas graduates, with wage information obtained with help from the Kansas Department of Labor, according to the Regents.

An image of the Kansas DegreeStats homepage, ksdegreestats.org. The online tool created by the Kansas Board of Regents allows users to compare estimated costs and post-graduation earnings for degrees at state universities.

There’s no “perfect tool” for this type of information, Regents President and CEO Blake Flanders said.

“It’s not a cost calculator,” he said. “Some students’ costs are going to be higher, and some students’ costs are going to be lower. … I think it gives a really fair demonstration about really what your costs will be.”

Flanders said he hoped Kansas DegreeStats won’t be used to deter students from choosing degrees with lower projected salaries, but rather help them make informed decisions about how much it’s prudent to borrow to get that degree.

“The economic returns of higher education are important, but they’re not solely the purpose for higher education,” Flanders said. “We know we want students to find their passion.”

Kansas DegreeStats includes nearly 600 different degrees, according to the Regents.

A sample page from the Kansas Board of Regents new Kansas DegreeStats online tool. This search compares estimated costs to get a bachelor of science degree in math at Emporia State, Kansas State and Kansas universities. Additional information the tool provides includes estimated salaries upon and five years after graduation.

Users can select specific degree names from a drop-down menu, but there’s also an important keyword search option because not all schools name their degrees the same, Regents spokeswoman Breeze Richardson explained. For example, a finance degree at one school might be titled business administration at another.

Kansas DegreeStats is somewhat similar to the national College Scorecard tool, which compares schools at the broader collegiate level, launched last fall by President Barack Obama.

At the state level, Richardson said, six states besides Kansas currently publish graduates’ earnings, but Texas is the only other one that currently pairs that with information about costs.

She said state universities in Kansas will be required to link to the Kansas DegreeStats tool on their online homepages and provide information about it with all electronic and hard-copy transmissions about their degree programs.

Senate Bill 193, first introduced last year and now in conference committee, would solidify the creation of Kansas DegreeStats and also add two-year degree programs from technical and community colleges, said Elaine Frisbie, Regents vice president of finance and administration.

Board of Regents President Shane Bangerter said the “degree prospectus” demand by the Legislature was controversial.

He said he believes Kansas DegreeStats builds “good will” with the Legislature while providing a useful service to Kansas students and families.

The state has provided funds to the Board of Regents specifically for data collection and maintenance, Richardson said. She said the Regents didn’t calculate a specific cost to create Kansas DegreeStats.

“There were no grant monies received, or additional state funds, no money earmarked specifically for this,” Richardson said. “Rather, board office staff designed, built and tested various ideas in order to produce the final product you see now. Moving forward, this tool will be updated alongside our other data initiatives.”