FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 23, 2016
Kansas DegreeStats Provides Data on Degree Cost and Earnings
(Topeka, Kansas) - With hundreds of degree programs available, there are many factors for a student to consider when picking what university to attend and which degree to pursue. At today’s meeting, the Kansas Board of Regents announced the launch of a new interactive online tool, “Kansas DegreeStats” (www.ksdegreestats.org). A resource for prospective students, the tool provides information on the cost of various degree programs and the earnings graduates from those programs are making today in Kansas.
Kansas DegreeStats was built in response to interest expressed by the Kansas Legislature (Senate Bill 193) to require a 'degree prospectus' be published for each postsecondary degree program in Kansas.
Built using data from real Kansas graduates, the tool includes nearly 600 different degrees and reports on the typical Resident Tuition, Fees, Room and Board, and Books and Supplies costs for each degree program, the typical length of time students took to complete each degree program, along with the funding sources contributed to this investment – data on Scholarships and Grants received, Loans, and the Personal Investment made by the individuals who graduated from that degree program. Through a partnership with the Kansas Department of Labor, Wage Information about a program’s graduates is also reported, both upon entry into the Kansas workforce and after five years of employment. A user can calculate the Total Loan Debt or Total Degree Investment made and review an Estimated Monthly Payment and % of Expected Annual Earnings, based on the Number of Years Repayment selected.
While there are six other states which publish earnings data by degree program, there is no other state which provides data on the actual costs experienced by graduates, and no other resource available which combines degree-level cost and earnings data in one place.
Publicly-available now at www.ksdegreestats.org, each university will be promoting Kansas DegreeStats to prospective students with links throughout their websites and when hard copies of materials about a specific degree program are made available. There is information about “How to Use This Site” available as part of the interactive tool, and it has been built to enable and facilitate sharing information: Search Results can be downloaded and saved, and each DegreeStats page has a unique URL address so it can be copied and shared.
For more information, contact Breeze Richardson at (785) 291-3969 or
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About the Kansas Board of Regents:
The nine-member Kansas Board of Regents is the governing board of the state’s six universities and the statewide coordinating board for the state’s 32 public higher education institutions (six state universities, one municipal university, nineteen community colleges, and six technical colleges). In addition, the Board administers the state’s student financial aid, adult education, high school equivalency, and career and technical education programs. Private proprietary schools and out-of-state institutions are authorized by the Kansas Board of Regents to operate in Kansas.
Kansas DegreeStats Provides Data on Degree Cost and Earnings (PDF download)