Utah Valley University’s Physician Assistant program is part of the state’s largest public university and proudly reflects UVU’s mission of access, growth, and student support. With a high percentage of first-generation students in each cohort — 38% across the university and 26% in the PA program’s Class of 2027 — the program is committed to fostering equity and providing meaningful opportunities for future healthcare providers. As the program’s reputation grew and application numbers surged to 700+ per cycle, UVU PA needed a way to fairly and efficiently assess applicants without overwhelming its faculty or compromising on depth.
“We want students to come see our culture and feel what it’s like to be here,” shared Michelle Bastian, Admissions Director for the PA program. “It’s important to us that the admissions experience matches the same support and care they’ll find in the program.”
With Kira, UVU found a solution that helped them streamline admissions, reduce bias, and create a more intentional, student-centered process.
Putting efficiency at the forefront of admissions
“Before Kira, we spent six full days conducting eight-hour interviews,” Bastian shared. “With Kira, we’ve cut that down to three days and three-hour sessions — all without compromising the quality of our applicant evaluations.”
“Our faculty have limited time, and Kira has given us a way to engage them meaningfully in admissions without disrupting their teaching responsibilities,” she explained. “Using an Asynchronous Assessment in Kira as a first-round interview, we’re able to focus our time in the final in-person interviews to dig deeper into each candidate’s story and motivation.”
Utah Valley PA’s in person interviews used to run 8 hours a day for 6 days. By bringing Kira in as a prescreening step, they’ve been able to reduce that time commitment down to just 3 hours a day for 3 days. For their faculty members, that means a reduced time commitment from 48 hours down to only 9 hours across the interviewing cycle.
“Shortening the interview day has made it easier for faculty to stay focused and fully engaged with each applicant.”
Introducing a new tool at mitigating bias
“Admissions has historically struggled with bias, and we’re constantly trying to figure out how to best mitigate that impact,” shared Bastian.
“With Kira, we’re able to apply a consistent, structured evaluation process,” Bastian continued. “That change has been integral in helping us to reduce subjectivity and bias across our admissions decisions.”
By using a structured rubric and getting multiple reviewers per applicant, Kira helps ensure a fairer, more balanced admissions process — one that mitigates individual bias and promotes equity.
Uncover the 9 most common forms of admissions bias and see how Kira can help mitigate them
“The way Kira’s platform lets us assign three faculty members to each applicant aligns with our mission to counteract the natural biases that can occur in the admissions process.” explained Bastian. “Because of the way it’s set up—with Kira’s team helping us write questions, with rubrics, with video intros—it becomes much more fair.”
“Even with our rising applicant volume and the complexity of a holistic admissions process, Kira is helping us make thoughtful, mission-driven decisions more efficiently than ever before.”
Bringing applicant submissions to life
“Kira allows us to see beyond an applicant’s paper qualifications, bringing their personality and communication skills to life in a way that the application alone never could,” shared Bastian. “It has been truly transformative for our admissions process.”
“Applicants are more than numbers. Kira helps us understand who they are — their story, their values, and their communication skills — in ways that traditional applications can’t.”
“We’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback from applicants about their Kira interview experience — which speaks volumes, considering how stressful the process can be,” Bastian continued. “Our applicants now leave their interview day feeling more confident, less fatigued, and genuinely positive about the process.”
“Kira Talent has truly elevated our admissions process,” she added. “It’s intuitive, reliable, and backed by a fantastic support team — it’s something we genuinely look forward to using each year.”
Since opening its doors to its first class in 2019, the Burnett School of Medicine at Texas Christian University has quickly earned a reputation for producing more than just knowledgeable physicians—they’re cultivating compassionate, human-centered healthcare leaders. With a modern curriculum that prioritizes hands-on experience and soft skill development from day one, Burnett’s approach is deeply rooted in empathy.
“Our mission is to transform healthcare by inspiring empathetic scholars,” shared Jennifer Bridges, Director of Admissions. “We want our students to graduate with the necessary medical knowledge, but also the ability to connect with their patients and really make them feel seen, heard, and cared for.”
This commitment to authentic human connection is woven into every aspect of the Burnett School of Medicine experience—including admissions. From one-on-one meetings with the Dean to peer-to-peer conversations with current students, applicants are encouraged to explore the school’s values firsthand.
A key part of that experience is the school’s Multiple Mini Interview (MMI), a structured format designed to assess how applicants' traits, skills, and motivations align with the school’s mission. But when the interviews were conducted on Zoom, the process didn’t always reflect the same care and attention to detail.
“The Zoom process felt clunky. Technical issues often caused delays, and overall it just didn’t leave the best first impression of our program,” explained Bridges. “That’s why in 2023, we moved our MMI to Kira Talent.”
Building and scheduling at your fingertips
"Everything about Kira is user-friendly," shared Bridges. "The platform is intuitive and our dedicated Client Success Manager was on hand to help us get everything set up and show us the ropes."
"The efficiency of getting the entire MMI set up and ready in one day was amazing,” Bridges shared. “With Zoom, we had to manually build things out piece by piece, but Kira streamlined everything from the start.”
"This shift, combined with Kira’s intuitive scheduling, has saved us more than 30 hours over the course of the year."
The efficiencies built into the Kira process continued beyond interview setup. Having integrated Kira with their existing AMP system, the admissions team at Burnett School of Medicine can sit back and watch completed scores transfer seamlessly into their applicant records.
Learn how NYU Grossman School of Medicine is benefiting from Kira’s seamless AMP integration
Minimizing interview day no-shows
One of the most impactful changes for Bridges and her team has been the reduction in interview no-shows. With Kira’s Admin Dashboard, they can now easily flag applicants who haven’t completed their set-up and may therefore not be planning on attending.
"For a Monday interview day, we require applicants to complete their Kira pre-check-in by Friday at noon, and if they haven’t, we call them," Bridges shared. "Having advance insight into which applicants hadn't checked in allowed us to follow up and confirm any declines or reschedules ahead of interview day, which saved us a significant amount of time."
“This proactive approach means that out of 312 interviewees, only two or three didn’t show—and we knew in advance."
Positive feedback from Faculty and Staff
Beyond improved efficiency, the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU has received praise on an improved experience from both applicants and reviewers.
"Our interviewers love our new process with Kira,” shared Bridges. “Allowing them to select their dates well in advance, along with timely reminders from Kira, made it easy for them to participate alongside their other responsibilities.”
“We've received consistent positive feedback—with many sharing how much they prefer Kira over Zoom."
"Kira’s on-hand support during interview days makes our experience, as the admissions team, so much more efficient and enjoyable as well,” Bridges continued. “If something happened, like a candidate dropping out at the last minute, they were able to broadcast to raters and stations so that everyone was informed, and we stayed on track."
"We truly do love the Kira platform,” she added. “It has made life in our admissions office very easy."
In the world of K–12 admissions, there’s a quiet revolution underway.
As independent and private schools across the U.S. seek new ways to enroll not just the right students—but the right families—more admissions teams are shifting from traditional checklist evaluations to a values-based approach grounded in what truly matters: competencies.
These aren’t abstract ideals tucked away in a mission statement. Competencies are the traits, behaviours, and values that define your school’s culture and shape the experience for every student and family in your care. And when your admissions process is designed to identify and evaluate those core traits, everything changes—for the better.
Why competencies matter now more than ever
The traditional K–12 admissions process often relied on polished applications, glowing recommendations, and a well-rehearsed interview. But as expectations shift and families seek more meaningful connections with schools, these surface-level signals no longer tell the full story. Today’s families aren’t just applying to schools—they’re looking to join communities where their values are shared and their children can thrive.
Competency-based admissions meet this moment by focusing on what truly matters: the traits and behaviours that reflect your school’s mission and culture. By anchoring decisions in defined competencies, schools can build a clearer picture of both the student and the family behind the application. This approach empowers admissions teams to make more confident, informed choices—not just about who can succeed academically, but about who will flourish socially, emotionally, and communally. It’s an approach that doesn’t just fill classrooms—it strengthens the culture and continuity of the school itself.
Four competencies that signal student success
Grades and test scores can tell you what a student knows. Competencies help you understand how they learn, grow, and engage with the world around them.
Here are four of the student competencies schools are prioritizing—and how thoughtful questions can help surface them in the admissions process→
- Empathy & Collaboration: “Tell us about a time you made someone new feel included. How do you think it made them feel?”
- Creative Thinking: “How many pizzas are eaten every day in the U.S.? There’s no right answer—we’re interested in how you’d figure it out.”
- Courage to Try New Things: “Share a time you tried something new. How did it feel? What did you learn about yourself?”
- Resilience & Adaptability: “What do you think will be your biggest challenge in a new school? How will you work through it?”
These questions aren’t about catching the “right” answer. They’re designed to spark honest reflection and reveal the traits that signal a student will thrive in your environment.
It’s not just the student—it’s the whole family
Independent schools don’t just welcome students—they embrace families. And building a values-aligned community means understanding parent and guardian mindsets just as deeply as student motivations.
By evaluating family fit with intention, schools can better foster meaningful partnerships between home and school. That starts with competencies like→
- Parent-School Collaboration: “What are your expectations for how we’ll work together to support your child’s growth?”
- Balanced Approach to School Life: “Tell us about a time your child struggled with their commitments. How did you support them? Would you do anything differently?”
These types of questions help surface the attitudes, expectations, and engagement styles that shape a family's relationship with your school.
From concept to practice with Kira’s competency workshop
Recognizing the importance of competencies is one thing. Putting them into action across your admissions process is another. That’s where the Kira competency workshop comes in.
As part of every school’s onboarding experience, this workshop is a hands-on, collaborative session designed to help your team clearly define what “fit” looks like for your community. With Kira, you’ll explore the traits and values that reflect your mission and vision—not in broad strokes, but in detailed, practical terms that can be meaningfully assessed. Kira guides your team through defining age‑appropriate competencies and crafting multiple custom questions for each one. For middle school entry, prompts might invite students to reflect on teamwork in a playground setting; for upper school, questions shift to leadership roles in clubs or community projects. Similarly, family‑focused questions can be tailored to the concerns of parents of younger children versus those preparing teens for the rigors of high school.
By the end of the workshop, you’ll have a living competency framework—complete with grade‑level‑specific question banks—that’s ready to power every step of your admissions journey, from invitation to evaluation.
Built-in fairness, at scale
Once your competencies are defined, Kira helps bring them to life across your admissions process.
At the heart of this system is the Kira question bank—a curated collection of custom questions, each tied to a specific competency. During onboarding, your team works closely with Kira’s experts to develop multiple questions for each trait you want to assess. For example, if you’ve identified “resilience” as a core student competency, Kira will help you write several different prompts that can surface that trait in authentic and age-appropriate ways. When an applicant or family begins their Kira assessment, the platform randomly selects one question from each competency category. This means that no two students or families receive the exact same prompts, yet everyone is evaluated through the same lens.
Kira’s randomized question bank brings a powerful layer of fairness to the admissions process. Because no two applicants receive the same combination of questions, it’s much harder for families to prep using leaked prompts or to coach responses in advance. Reviewers are able to evaluate genuine, in-the-moment insights into how students and parents think, communicate, and reflect—resulting in a more authentic, equitable process.
On the reviewing side, Kira’s structure promotes fairness at every step. Reviewers use consistent rubrics to assess responses, reducing subjectivity and bias. Collaborative review tools enable multiple perspectives and increase transparency in decision-making. Whether you’re rolling out a brand-new process or refining one that’s already working, Kira offers a scalable, structured way to ensure your admissions decisions are aligned, equitable, and mission-driven.
From aligned admissions to thriving communities
When you build your admissions process around competencies, you’re doing more than admitting students—you’re cultivating a community. You’re giving your team the tools to assess what matters most and inviting families who share your values into a meaningful partnership.
With Kira, you're not just getting an assessment platform. You’re gaining a partner who helps your school define success, and then builds a process to help you find it—every step of the way.
Kicking off the new year at Kira Talent, we focused on tackling some highly anticipated new features. From giving applicants more flexibility in how they complete interviews, to equipping teams with deeper insights into applicant behaviour, read on to see how these updates can help you deliver a more connected admissions experience.
Updates and new features:
- Mobile accessibility
- Applicant integrity tracking services
- Downloadable video transcriptions
- Coming soon to Kira: New Admin User Experience
Structured interviews in the palm of your hand
Give applicants the flexibility to complete their interviews from a phone or tablet, with full mobile access to Kira’s Live Interview and Asynchronous Assessment platforms. Whether on a mobile browser or desktop, applicants now get the same seamless experience of completing their Kira assessment.
- Support every screen size with a responsive interface that adjusts automatically to fit smaller devices, making it easy for applicants to navigate actions like viewing questions, muting, or switching views.
- Achieve full feature parity by offering the full capabilities of Kira’s interview experience — including prep time, live interaction, and timed responses — on both IOS and Android.
- Guide applicants with confidence with the refreshed Help Center content, chatbot support, and walk-through demos designed to make mobile interviews smooth and intuitive for applicants.
More insights, better integrity
Kira’s Applicant Activity Tracking Service (ATS) enhances the security and reliability of your assessments or interviews by actively monitoring applicant activity throughout the process.
- Track key applicant behaviours such as copying and pasting text, tab switching, and more — all quietly recorded for both Live and Async formats.
- Support confident decision-making by providing your team with behind-the-scenes visibility into potential red flags — without affecting the applicant experience. This silent monitoring lays the foundation for fairer, more informed reviews.
- Build toward better reporting by storing this behavioural data in Kira’s internal Activity Tracker Database — where each flag is stored in a vault containing all user assessment insights and data.
Transcribe with a click
Ensure you're getting every word — without having to replay responses. You can now download transcripts of your applicants’ recorded video responses in just a few clicks.
- Share transcripts with the admissions committee to support collaborative review and defensible admissions decisions.
- Unlock new ways to review and analyze applicant responses, scanning transcripts for quick insights or digging deeper to identify trends.
- Provide accessible review formats for staff and reviewers who need a written reference.
Coming Soon: A new admin user experience
A new era of administration is on the horizon at Kira Talent. With a refreshed user experience currently in development, the upcoming updates for our Admin Platform will streamline day-to-day tasks and offer expanded capabilities for managing assessments, applicants, and assignments. The redesigned interface will include powerful tools like universal search, enhanced analytics and reporting, and a more intuitive builder experience — all designed to make navigating Kira faster, smarter, and more efficient for your entire admissions team. Stay tuned for more updates!
Warwick Business School (WBS) is home to one of the world’s top-ranked Global Online MBA programs. With applicants from across the globe, WBS needed an admissions process that was not only efficient, but also flexible enough to accommodate diverse time zones and applicant backgrounds. At the same time, the school wanted to maintain the personal, welcoming experience that defines its approach to education.
Having previously relied on an online video interview platform that felt more suited to corporate hiring than university admissions, WBS sought a solution that aligned with their values.
"Warwick truly stands out to applicants for its warm, friendly, and welcoming atmosphere," said Paula Elmer, Assistant Business Development and Recruitment Manager at WBS. "Our goal was to reflect that same feeling throughout the admissions process."
In Kira Talent, WBS found an innovative solution that enables them to streamline their admissions process while maintaining the personal touch that's so important in evaluating applicants.
Investing in the right technology
Before implementing Kira, WBS relied on an online video interview platform originally designed for general recruitment purposes, rather than university admissions. While it served basic needs, it lacked the tailored features and functionality required to effectively assess prospective students in an academic context.
"Our old interviewing experience felt clunky and disconnected from our brand,” shared Trushali Chudasama, Recruitment and Admissions Coordinator at Warwick Business School.
"We were looking for something more education-focused," added Elmer. "Our previous platform felt more suited to corporate hiring, and it didn’t provide the right experience for students. We wanted a tool that felt like an extension of Warwick Business School."
"With Kira, we were able to tailor the experience—record our own videos, add our branding, and create an environment that feels like Warwick.”
"Kira is user-friendly and intuitive, and it makes candidates feel like they’re engaging with Warwick Business School, not an external system," explained Chudasama. “That branding continuity is invaluable."
"Last cycle, applicants rated their interview experience an impressive 4.5 out of 5 stars," continued Elmer. “We received so many comments on how professional and polished it was compared to other systems applicants were encountering. We’ve even had applicants mention that they enjoyed the interview process and that it felt engaging, rather than like a standard admissions hurdle.”
Evaluating talent beyond the application
For WBS, Kira Talent has become an essential step in the admissions process.
"Kira has been fantastic for refining our selection process," shared Elmer. "If we’re on the fence about an applicant, we invite them to complete an Asynchronous Assessment in Kira to give them a chance to expand on their application.”
"Kira allows us to get a deeper understanding of candidates who might not shine on paper but have a lot to offer,” she continued. “It gives them the chance to showcase their personality and communication skills in a way that static documents simply can’t capture."
Optimizing admissions operations
Since implementing Kira, WBS has seen a significant improvement in efficiency.
"Before Kira, we had to manually set up interviews twice a week," Elmer explained. "Now, we simply click a button, and the applicant has 10 days to complete their interview.”
"Connecting with top applicants quickly has been instrumental in keeping them engaged and interested."
"And it’s not just the time savings; it’s the flexibility," added Elmer. "If we need to tweak a question or change a deadline, we can do it instantly, without waiting for external support. That level of control has made our process so much smoother."
"We’re able to easily adjust questions, update videos, and refine the process along the way," shared Chudasama.
"Setting up cohorts in Kira is so simple. The first time I did it, it took me just 15 minutes."
Reliable support when it matters
"It’s a competitive market for business schools," shared Elmer. "If an applicant encounters issues, they might turn to another school. Having Kira’s support available when needed reassures us that we’re offering a seamless experience."
"Kira’s customer service has been exceptional,” continued Chudasama. “Even with time zone differences, support is always quick and effective. That reflects well on us, as it ensures a smooth and professional experience for our candidates."
"When we were exploring potential interview platforms, we focused on key technical aspects, such as planned downtime and response times for critical issues," Elmer explained. "Kira’s exceptional reliability played a crucial role in our decision. Disruptions aren’t an option for us, and Kira ensures a seamless, uninterrupted experience."
Charting a course for successful business cohorts
Beyond its core functionality, Kira has inspired WBS to further personalize their admissions process.
"Kira has saved us time, improved the applicant experience, and helped us create a more personal, welcoming admissions journey.”
"We’ve started involving academics and current students in interviews to make the experience even more engaging," Elmer shared. "These were things we hadn’t considered before, but Kira made it easy to implement."
"Kira has also helped us think more strategically,” Chudasama added. “Because the process is so smooth, we can focus on improving the candidate experience — whether that’s through refining our questions, adding more interactive elements, or creating a more personalized touch."
“We’re really happy with the platform," Elmer added. "We’re now on our third cohort, and every cycle is better than the last."
With the growing complexity of admissions processes, nursing programs face the challenge of thoroughly evaluating candidates while working with limited resources. Balancing the assessment of academic qualifications, clinical skills, and alignment with program values can be difficult, especially with growing applicant numbers. This pressure is further heightened by the need to select individuals who will excel in both classroom and patient care settings.
One solution to these challenges is the implementation of a holistic review process. Holistic review goes beyond traditional metrics like GPAs and test scores, evaluating candidates based on a broader range of criteria, including life experiences, personal attributes, and potential contributions to the program and the nursing field. By considering the whole person, programs can identify candidates who may bring unique perspectives and qualities that align with their mission and values.
That's where Kira comes in.
As a partner in holistic admissions, Kira helps more than 1,500 programs streamline their admissions processes to achieve in-depth review at scale. By integrating technology and expertise, Kira allows nursing programs to evaluate essential traits like motivation, empathy, communication skills, and resilience—all vital to success in clinics and classrooms.
Here are 5 ways Kira helps nursing programs seat stronger classes year after year.
1. Unlocking competencies for future nurses
Nursing education goes far beyond strong test scores and academic excellence. Programs must recruit students who embody resilience, adaptability, and empathy and reflect the diverse communities they serve to face the challenges of today's healthcare landscape. While traditional application components like GPAs and essays offer a starting point, they often fail to provide true insight into the soft skills that are key predictors of program fit and future success.
In December 2020, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) released a white paper titled “Promising Practices in Holistic Admissions Review: Implementation in Academic Nursing.” The paper emphasizes the significance of the Experience, Attribute, Metric (E-A-M) Model and the need to align recruitment and admissions processes with a broad range of evaluation criteria, highlighting strategies used by nursing programs to scale holistic admissions reviews while promoting diversity. Key practices, such as standardized interviews, diverse admissions committees, bias-reduction training, mission-driven questions, and the effective use of technology, are called out as essential components for fostering a fair and inclusive admissions process.
With Kira, you can seamlessly implement these practices and elevate your admissions process to meet the highest standards of holistic review.
Kira helps you meet these requirements with competency and mission-focused assessments, enabling programs to evaluate qualities like grit, motivation, and problem-solving skills. Through customizable timed video and written responses, Kira allows admissions teams to evaluate candidates beyond test scores and grades and see a more holistic picture of an applicant. This interactive process brings candidates’ personalities and critical thinking skills to life, providing reviewers with the insights they need to make more informed decisions.
Case study
University of Missouri Sinclair School of Nursing
“Two years ago, we began implementing a holistic approach within our admissions process,” shared Pete Ozias, the Director of Student Affairs at the Sinclair School of Nursing. “Before, we ranked students by GPA. It's a method that, while much easier, has been shown in various literature to not be the best way to admit medical students. Today, we use the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) model to add credence to our decision-making process.”
After determining the specific competencies that each program wanted to assess, Kira helped Missouri Nursing’s team create a bank of questions for each competency. For each applicant, a different combination of questions is pulled from the bank, ensuring applicants are evaluated consistently while maintaining the integrity of the interview.
“When creating our assessments, the Kira team used our existing questions as a starting point and then showed us where we could dig deeper and improve,” Ozias shared.
“Kira opened our eyes to new ways of asking questions and eliciting the kinds of responses we were looking to evaluate.”
2. Mitigating the use of AI writing tools
The rise of AI writing tools like ChatGPT has made it increasingly difficult for admissions committees to determine the authenticity of written responses in applications. These advanced tools allow candidates to draft essays that may appear polished and well-constructed, but often lack the personal touch and depth that come from genuine effort and reflection. As more applicants turn to AI for assistance, schools face the challenge of ensuring authenticity and evaluating an individual’s true motivation.This growing dependence on AI tools raises important questions about fairness, integrity, and how institutions can adapt their evaluation methods to maintain trust in the admissions process.
Kira’s applicant integrity tools tackle the challenge of ensuring authentic, human-created submissions in written assessments.
Powered by leading plagiarism and AI detection software from Turnitin, SimCheck in Kira Talent detects and flags both plagiarism and content generated by AI, giving nursing programs confidence in the originality of applicants' submissions. This integration helps admissions teams evaluate writing ability, tone, and analytical skills with accuracy, while maintaining fairness in the process. By streamlining the review of submissions, Kira saves time and ensures that programs can focus on assessing genuine potential.
Case study
The California University of Science and Medicine
The California University of Science and Medicine (CUSM) uses SimCheck to thoroughly review applications for originality and alignment with program expectations. This innovative solution supports CUSM in maintaining a fair, transparent, and efficient admissions process by accurately assessing candidates' true writing and analytical skills and helping ensure that applications meet the program's standards.
“Kira’s Applicant Integrity Metrics were the final piece of the puzzle, giving us a bird’s eye view of an applicant as they work through the written portion of their assessment,” shared Evelyn Aguirre, Assistant Director of Admissions at CUSM. “Kira automatically alerts us of suspicious behaviours, such as copy-pasting text or browser refreshes, so we can take a closer look.”
“It’s a great system. Kira gives us access to all kinds of integrity data, helping us make confident and informed admissions decisions.”
3. Reducing bias, empowering reviewers
Unconscious bias is a persistent concern in creating an equitable admissions process. Whether it’s a tendency to favour outgoing personalities or the impact of candidate demographics, unchecked bias can influence admissions outcomes.
In alignment with the AACNs recommended E-A-M Model of assessment, which advises schools to include a clear and purposeful rubric in order to establish inter-rater reliability and promote equity throughout the admission cycle, Kira features defined rubrics that guide reviewers to assess applicants based on standardized criteria. These rubrics ensure that all applicants are evaluated with consistency, limiting subjective interpretations and creating a fairer evaluation process. Kira's inter-rater reliability reports also provide visibility into scoring discrepancies, alerting programs to potential scoring anomalies that can be addressed through additional training or reassessments.
On top of that, reviewers score independently directly within Kira's platform, helping them provide thorough feedback without being influenced by their peers. This capability increases fairness and improves transparency across all decision-making stages.
Case study
UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing
UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing leveraged Kira’s bias-mitigation tools to radically improve the diversity of their cohorts. By integrating holistic review principles and eliminating barriers like in-person travel, they increased enrollment of Hispanic and Latino students in graduate nursing programs by 62%.
“Once we implemented Kira Talent, we immediately saw the impact that it had, not only on the number of diverse applicants who were applying and completing their interviews but also on the number of diverse students who ultimately enrolled in our programs.”
- Henry Cantu, Director of Admissions and Special Programs, UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing
4. Faster Decisions with Seamless Integrations
The ability to move quickly from application reviews to admissions offers is critical in the competitive race for top applicants. With limited time and resources, nursing programs require workflows that are clear, well-organized, and adaptable.
Kira offers integrations with NursingCAS and leading CRMs to streamline the admissions process from start to finish. Programs can send applicant data seamlessly between platforms, eliminating manual data entry or delays. This connectivity empowers admissions teams to focus on strategic decision-making, not administrative tasks.
Case study
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science DNP-NA
"Kira has significantly streamlined our admissions process, saving us days of work and greatly improving overall efficiency."
Using NursingCAS to collect the basic application components, Dr. Peter Kallio, Program Director for the DNP-NA, and his team transitioned from in-person interviews to help manage a growing applicant pool.
“The assessment integrated seamlessly into our existing admissions process,” Dr. Kallio explained. “Students submit their initial application via NursingCAS. Once their transcripts are verified, our admissions team reviews the applications to determine who advances to the interview stage. Selected applicants then receive an automated invitation via Slate to complete the video assessment on the Kira Talent platform.”
“The integration with Slate works seamlessly,” Dr. Kallio noted. “It automates email invites for applicants and eliminates manual transcription of scores, saving us valuable time.”
5. Building connections with applicants
Beyond streamlining assessments or reducing reviewer workloads, Kira helps programs build connections with applicants. Admissions workflows often feel transactional, but Kira’s personalized welcome and question videos humanize the experience. From welcome videos showcasing the campus and culture, to video questions delivered by current nursing students, Kira creates touch points that reflect the spirit and values of individual programs.
Case study
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science DNP-NA
Rosalind Franklin University’s Doctor of Nursing Practice in Nurse Anesthesia (DNP-NA) program achieved remarkable success by transitioning from in-person interviews to Kira’s asynchronous assessment platform. The result? A 95% applicant satisfaction rating, reflecting how this modernized approach meets the needs of today’s applicants without compromising the quality of their evaluation.
“The feedback we’ve received from students has been overwhelmingly positive. They like how flexible, efficient, and intuitive Kira is.”
- Dr. Peter Kallio, Program Director for the DNP-NA
The future of admissions for nursing programs
The healthcare sector is experiencing an unprecedented demand for skilled and compassionate professionals. In response, nursing programs are adopting holistic, competency-based admissions processes to address this challenge effectively. Solutions like Kira Talent are proving pivotal in this effort.
By streamlining admissions and focusing on the qualities that matter most, Kira Talent has helped programs achieve measurable outcomes, including increased diversity, stronger cohorts, and significant time savings.
Interested in transforming your admissions process and recruiting your strongest cohort yet? Connect with us.
Colleges and universities are working harder than ever to attract top talent from around the world, but when it comes to assessing international students, admissions teams face a unique challenge. Traditional admissions methods often fall short of meeting the unique needs of international applicants. Logistical challenges, time zone differences, and limited opportunities for meaningful engagement can leave programs struggling to make a strong impression during the admissions process, ultimately losing top applicants.
Luckily, Kira Talent is here to help.
Kira’s solution for engaging international applicants
International applicants often encounter unique challenges compared to their domestic peers. From navigating cross-border regulations and understanding new cultural norms to battling time zone differences and language barriers, they require more thoughtful engagement. Kira's bespoke assessments enable schools to better connect with international applicants, helping top universities like the McCombs School of Business and UCD Smurfit successfully engage and assess top international students.
“Having a way to effectively engage international applicants is a huge reason why Kira Talent was so attractive to us. It means that we’re able to get a picture of our international applicants beyond their paper application, while still offering them a convenient way to connect with us.”
- Rob Chabot, Senior Director of Admissions and Recruiting at Fisher College of Business
Kira combines Asynchronous Assessments with Live Interviewing technology to provide an adaptable, applicant-friendly admissions experience from anywhere in the world — allowing you to meet global applicants wherever they are.
Here are six key ways Kira helps schools effectively engage and connect with international applicants.
1. Eliminate barriers in admissions
International applicants often face significant hurdles in the admissions process, from time zone challenges to unreliable internet connections and costly travel requirements for in-person interviews.
Kira’s Asynchronous Assessment removes these barriers by allowing students to complete their admissions interviews on their own time, from anywhere in the world. This flexibility is especially beneficial for international applicants or those juggling multiple commitments, as it eliminates the need to coordinate schedules across different time zones.
Still want to connect with applicants in real-time? Then opt for Live Interviewing. Kira’s Live Interviewing platform offers a sophisticated solution tailored to the unique challenges of international admissions. Unlike traditional video conferencing platforms, Kira integrates structured evaluations directly into the interview process. Kira automatically places applicants and reviewers in their assigned rooms at the right time, according to your set schedule, allowing international candidates to participate without unnecessary stress or confusion. Additionally, its fully compliant accessibility features, like closed captioning and assistive technology, ensure every applicant has an equal opportunity to shine.
Unlike traditional virtual interview platforms such as Zoom, Kira is specifically designed to provide a fair and consistent experience for all applicants. By standardizing the interview process, Kira ensures that no candidate is at a disadvantage due to time zone differences, technical limitations, or scheduling conflicts.
How Kira helps:
Asynchronous Assessments: Say goodbye to scheduling conflicts with Kira’s on-demand assessments. No need to coordinate live sessions across time zones—experience a streamlined, flexible solution designed to fit everyone’s schedule.
Live Interviews: Connect with applicants from around the globe in a simple, face-to-face format. Cut down on bias and save time with easy, built-in evaluations right on the platform.
2. Create a lasting impression from anywhere
First impressions are everything. With Kira’s integrated welcome video feature, schools can create a lasting connection with international applicants by highlighting campus culture, introducing faculty, and setting an inviting tone for the admissions journey.
Langara College leverages welcome videos to introduce key faculty members, creating a sense of personal connection for applicants, no matter how far away they are. Similarly, the University of St. Gallen uses its welcome video to highlight the program’s core values and culture. These thoughtful approaches build trust and generate excitement among prospective students.
Key benefits:
A fully customized experience: Kira provides the canvas for your custom questions, competencies, rubrics, and platform experience, elevating your brand in the minds of applicants.
Integrated marketing videos: Use personal video messages integrated into the Kira experience to bridge the distance, making prospective students feel welcomed and engaged from the start. Highlight your campus, introduce faculty and staff, or feature current students—there are countless ways to help international students feel a genuine connection.
3. Maintain consistent communication and support
Engaging top international talent early in the admissions process is crucial to preventing yield loss. Many top-tier students apply to multiple institutions, and delays in communication or interview scheduling can result in lost enrollments.
With Kira, universities can automate invitations and reminders, keeping applicants engaged and moving efficiently through the admissions pipeline. At the University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy, Kira streamlined the decision-making process, enabling faster connections with top applicants and driving a 25% increase in enrollment.
This early engagement gives international students confidence in their application, increasing the likelihood that they will choose the institution that offers them a smooth, welcoming experience.
How Kira helps:
Automated email reminders: Kira makes it easy to stay in touch with applicants, fostering a sense of connection and support throughout their journey with your program.
24/7 applicant support: Kira's round-the-clock applicant support guarantees that help is always available, no matter the time or time zone. Applicants can access the answers they need, whenever they need them.
4. Assess international applicants’ skills with confidence
Traditional admissions criteria like GPA, test scores, or essays often fail to capture the full potential of international applicants. Language barriers, varying education systems, and cultural differences can make it difficult for admissions teams to effectively assess candidates.
For institutions with English-language programs, evaluating an international applicant’s communication skills is an especially critical component of admissions. Standardized tests like TOEFL and IELTS provide one measure of proficiency, but they don’t offer insight into an applicant’s ability to communicate in a real-world academic setting.
Kira Talent solves this by integrating structured video and written assessments that evaluate an applicant’s soft skills, communication ability, and cultural fit alongside their academic achievements.
The Yale School of Management introduced a Kira assessment in place of the traditional standardized English proficiency tests for MBA applicants, helping them identify candidates better equipped to excel both academically and professionally.
At UCD Smurfit, Kira enabled the admissions team to go beyond paper applications and better understand an applicant’s motivations and employability. As a result, Smurfit saw a 6.5% increase in admission offers and an 8.2% increase in acceptances, proving that the right tools can help institutions identify the best-fit candidates, not just the best resumes.
How Kira helps:
Competency-based questions: Assess critical soft skills, such as critical thinking, leadership, and motivation, with custom competency based questions.
Real-time language evaluation: Gain authentic insights into applicants’ language skills by evaluating their ability to think and communicate on their feet through unscripted, unrehearsed responses.
Holistic Assessment: Gain a richer understanding of applicants by exploring their unique personal experiences and diverse global perspectives.
5. Reduce bias in admissions
International applicants often face unintended bias in admissions interviews, whether due to differences in language proficiency, cultural norms, or interviewer subjectivity.
Kira Talent helps mitigate these biases through structured and consistent interview experiences. In a traditional interview process, an applicant’s experience depends heavily on their interviewer’s approach. Kira ensures every applicant is asked the same questions, evaluated on the same criteria, and assessed by multiple reviewers.
McCombs School of Business found that inconsistencies in their old interview process created unfair advantages for some applicants. With Kira, they now deliver a consistent, bias-mitigated evaluation that levels the playing field for international students.
How Kira helps:
Structured Interviews: With Kira’s Asynchronous Assessment you create structured interviews, with predetermined questions and criteria for evaluation. This ensures a fair and objective assessment of all candidates, without any variation in the interview process.
Defined rubrics: Kira’s defined rubrics ensure that all applicants are evaluated using the same criteria. This eliminates the potential for language proficiency or cultural norms to impact an applicant's chances.
Multiple Reviewers: To further mitigate bias and ensure equal opportunities for all applicants, Kira allows multiple reviewers to evaluate each candidate's responses. This provides different perspectives and reduces the risk of personal biases influencing the decision-making process.
The next generation solution for global admissions
Connecting schools with applicants across more than 140 countries, Kira’s all-in-one platform makes the admissions process more efficient and user-friendly for both institutions and applicants.
If your school is ready to engage more international applicants and increase enrollment at scale, connect with us.
The Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs at the University of Tennessee is a brand new school with a rich history of promoting public service and governance education. Initially founded as the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy, in 2023, the program evolved into a full-fledged school offering various graduate and undergraduate degrees and certificates.
“We are the first and only school of our kind in Tennessee,” shared Claire Morrell, the Admissions Coordinator at the University of Tennessee’s Baker School of Public Policy. “For students aspiring to careers in government, law, or national security, this program offers an incredible opportunity to begin their journey in college, gaining practical experience and specialized education that will set them up for success in their careers.”
To celebrate this landmark program, six esteemed Tennesseeans generously contributed funds to establish scholarships for students aspiring to become future leaders. To ensure these scholarships are awarded to the most deserving candidates, the Baker School looked to assess more than just academic qualifications.
"We wanted to incorporate a video component into the scholarship application process," Morell explained. "Our goal was to engage more meaningfully with the students, while avoiding any added hurdles or barriers.”
"We spoke to the University of Tennessee’s College of Veterinary Medicine, who use Kira Talent in their admissions process, and they highly recommended the platform,” she shared. “So we launched our inaugural selection cycle with Kira."
Awarding scholarships on a rolling basis
“This being our first year awarding scholarships, we didn’t have an established process,” Morell shared.
“Kira gave us the structure we needed to stay organized and efficient.”
“We didn’t come in with specific questions in mind, Kira helped us shape them based on the topics we wanted to cover,” she shared. “Then the team helped us build our structured assessment and set it up so that we could invite students to complete the assessment on a rolling basis.”
"As students transition off the waitlist, we aim to provide them with equal opportunities to apply for these scholarships," Morell explained. "It was essential for us to have a platform that allowed flexibility, without fixed submission dates or restrictive limitations."
Identifying value alignment
“Our goal is to find students who genuinely align with our program’s values,” shared Morell.
“We're named after Senator Howard Baker, and we carry on his legacy. We want to ensure that we’re awarding these scholarships to students who we can see carrying his vision forward to the next generation.”
“With Kira, we can see applicants’ leadership potential and passion firsthand,” she continued. “Since they only receive the questions as they begin recording their response, we’re able to assess their ability to communicate in the moment.”
"We're not looking for perfection," she clarified. "What matters is their ability to think quickly and adapt — an essential skill in public affairs."
"Once the assessment is submitted, it’s evaluated by two reviewers," Morell shared. “We assign one staff member, like myself, who works directly with students in an admissions or engagement capacity, and one faculty member to each applicant.”
“We do this to balance perspectives and keep our evaluation as fair as possible,” she explained. “Once we review the scores, our scholarship committee awards scholarships based on those results.”
Reducing administrative burden with an intuitive platform
Kira’s user-friendly platform was another selling point for Morell and her team, making it easier for faculty and staff to fairly and effectively evaluate candidates while balancing their other responsibilities.
"I've used other virtual interviewing platforms in previous roles, and they always felt a bit clunky."
“The Kira platform, on the other hand, is incredibly intuitive,” Morell shared.
Confident in Kira’s user-friendly design, Morell and her team opted to forgo a live training session, instead sharing a short training video, provided by Kira, with the reviewing team.
"Our review team consists of admissions staff and program faculty," Morell explained. "With the semester now underway, faculty are busy teaching, making their time quite limited. It’s not always practical to bring everyone together for a training session.”
“The Kira platform is so easy to navigate, even without a training video, our reviewers would have been fine,” added Morell. “That said, the training provided by Kira, along with the availability of their support team, added an extra layer of reassurance."