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
- 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.
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."
Since its inception in 2009, the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (RFUMS) Doctor of Nursing Practice-Nurse Anesthesia (DNP-NA) has become one of the top-ranked programs of its kind. The 36 month, hybrid program offers Registered Nurses the flexibility to remain at home for the majority of their schooling, travelling periodically to one of two campuses for in-person classes, clinics, and labs.
"The number of students applying to our program has continued to grow year over year,” shared Dr. Peter Kallio, Program Director for the DNP-NA. “In 2009, our program began with just 12 students. Today, our cohorts have grown to approximately 50 students, placing us among the top 5% of Nurse Anesthesia programs in the U.S. by enrollment volume.”
“Our application numbers have consistently grown year after year,” Dr. Kallio shared. “In fact, last year, we received double the applications compared to the previous year. Kira Talent has been instrumental in helping us manage this growth effectively.”
Saving hours with a streamlined application
Before adopting Kira Talent, RFU's admissions process relied heavily on in-person interviews, demanding considerable time and resources from faculty, staff, and students. By transitioning to Kira’s Asynchronous Assessment, the program has streamlined its approach, enhancing efficiency and creating a smoother, more enjoyable experience for everyone involved.
"Our in-person interviews spanned an entire week, involving all six faculty members, administrative staff, and several students," Dr. Kallio shared. "It was pulling them away from their responsibilities in the clinics and classrooms."
"Kira has significantly streamlined our admissions process, saving us days of work and greatly improving overall efficiency."
“The assessment integrated seamlessly into our existing admissions process,” he 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.”
“After an assessment is submitted, it’s assigned to three faculty members,” Dr. Kallio continued. “They can log into the Kira platform at their convenience to review the videos, provide feedback, and submit scores. The flexibility is remarkable—evaluations can be completed anytime, whether it’s in the morning, afternoon, or even on the weekend.”
Customized for stronger connections
Kira’s flexibility extends far beyond better scheduling—it empowers Rosalind Franklin University's Nurse Anesthesia program to design an assessment tailored precisely to their unique requirements.
“Kira’s customizable framework allowed us to easily transfer key pieces of our traditional interview.”
“Our Kira assessment consists of seven questions designed to evaluate key metrics like motivation, problem-solving, ethics, and communication,” Dr. Kallio continued. "Each question is presented by a current student through a recorded video within the Kira platform, giving applicants an authentic glimpse into the personality and spirit of our program."
"We also had the flexibility to customize the scoring structure and response weighting," he explained. "Each question was assigned a specific point value, contributing to a total score out of 40. This score serves as a crucial factor in the comprehensive assessment of the applicant.”
A success story worth sharing
Since implementing Kira Talent, the Rosalind Franklin University DNP-NA has seen widespread positive results.
"Our college has risen in national rankings, moving from the top 75 to the top 15."
“There’s a real buzz around our program right now,” shared Dr. Kallio. “It’s very exciting!”
“The feedback we’ve received from students has been overwhelmingly positive,” he added. “95% of our students are happy with the Kira assessment process, they like how flexible, efficient, and intuitive it is.”
"Our success with Kira has sparked interest from other programs within our college."
“Kira has been a game-changer for us and we continue to tout our successes with it,” Dr. Kallio shared. “We're the envy of our colleagues, from an applications perspective and how we process our admissions.”
Harnessing innovation to promote equity and fairness
Kira’s innovative integrity features add another level of interest for Dr. Kallio and his team.
“Kira helps us ensure a greater level of consistency and reliability of our scoring process.”
“With Kira's Inter-Rater Reliability Metrics, we’re alerted to significant score variations, allowing us to take action—whether by involving a fourth reviewer or reassigning the review—to ensure every applicant is assessed fairly and accurately," Dr. Kallio explained.
“We’re even working to identify trends in high-performing applicants from past cohorts,” Dr. Kallio shared. “We’ve started exploring Kira’s Advanced Insights tool to see how we can try using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help us better predict which students will succeed in our program.”
Kira’s Advanced Insights feature evaluates applicant videos by analyzing speech, text, and both verbal and non-verbal cues. Using the Big Five personality traits model as a framework, it generates a detailed personality assessment for each candidate.
"We're eager to explore the role AI can play in the admissions process," Dr. Kallio continued. "Whatever direction it takes, we aim to stay ahead of the curve—and Kira is helping us do that."
At Kira Talent, we're always striving to enhance the application process for both applicants and admissions teams. Every feature we design and every point of feedback we gather keeps applicants at the heart of what we do. This year was no exception.
In 2024, more than 200,000 applicants left feedback on their Kira experience.
This report takes a closer look at the data, exploring how applicants interacted with Kira, sharing their feedback, and highlighting the key features that make the Kira applicant experience a standout in admissions.
- New features making an impact in 2024
- Applicant feedback scores
- Applicant testimonials
- What’s next?
- Past reports
New Features Making an Impact in 2024
2024 saw the rollout of several features designed to enhance accessibility and engagement:
WCAG 2.1 Accessibility Compliance
Applicants can showcase their best work with confidence, thanks to features designed to support individuals with visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive impairments, ensuring accessibility for all.
Word limits on written responses
New automated alerts help applicants submit concise written content by setting strict word limits and highlighting the number of words they need to remove before they can submit their response.
Multilingual Platform Support
In addition to English, French, and Spanish, Kira introduced Mandarin to our language settings, allowing schools to engage with the applicants in their preferred language.
Applicants shared glowing feedback about these innovations, which we’ll explore in the next section. For more product and feature updates from Kira, check out our 2024 Product Digest.
Applicant Feedback Scores
The highlights:
- 4.6/5 average applicant satisfaction rating – our fifth consecutive year of an “Exceptional” rating!
- 90.8% of users rated their experience as “Exceptional” (5/5) or “Great” (4/5) – another remarkable track record, over 90% of applicants have rated their Kira experience as ‘Exceptional’ every year since 2019.
- 97.9% of inquiries were solved instantly by Charlie, our AI chatbot – ensuring applicants got the answers they needed, right when they needed them.
- 87% of support reviews marked “Great” – maintaining the high standard of technical support that applicants appreciated in previous years.
A seamless admissions process does more than enhance operational efficiency—it shapes how applicants perceive your school. Negative experiences, whether due to technical issues, inadequate support, or poor communication, can quickly discourage prospective students. But when applicants feel supported and valued during the admissions journey, they are more likely to enroll and stay on course through to graduation.
With Kira, the proof is in the reports. At Kira, our annual Applicant Experience Reports reflect our dedication to creating an applicant-focused admissions process. We strive to ensure that every interaction leaves applicants with the best possible impression of your institution.
Applicant Testimonials
Kira Talent was founded on the belief that numbers alone can't capture the whole story. That’s why, when we evaluate the Kira applicant experience, we focus on sharing feedback straight from the applicants themselves. Here’s what some users shared about their experiences this year:
Applicants saw the value of virtual interviews.
“I liked having the opportunity to showcase a bit of my personality and character to the school using this assessment. All other schools I have applied to in the past did not utilize this program and I think it is beneficial to both the applicant and the admissions committee.”
“It was a seamless experience. Video assessments are a great way to give voice to the essays and ensure that the application review process is holistic.”
“This is a fantastic way to get to know your prospective students better.”
“This was a great experience! I enjoyed the opportunity to speak off the top of my head, which makes the responses more genuine.”
Platform usability was top of mind, and Kira delivered.
“Kira was easy to use and navigate, and allowed me to focus on the interview entirely without worrying about how the platform works.”
"I really liked that there were practice questions beforehand so that, as a first-time user, I could get comfortable with the platform before beginning the actual questions.”
“I found the progress bar for the timer at the top of the screen to be really helpful, as the thing I was most worried about was losing track of time. I also liked how on the video, there was a sound giving me a 3-second warning and counting down when the recording would start.”
Applicants loved the custom questions from their programs.
“I thought the questions were quite interesting and out of the box. It was a pleasure to participate.”
“I loved that the questions and scenarios were unique to the program!”
“Those questions are not only interesting but also really gave me the chance to speak for myself in a way that essays can't provide. The system is also easy to understand.”
The recorded videos integrated throughout the Kira experience made applicants feel connected.
“What I valued most about the platform were the opening and closing videos. These videos significantly enhanced my experience, providing a comforting and uplifting start and end to each session. They helped improve my mood and set a positive tone, making the overall experience more enjoyable and engaging.”
“The entire interview process was excellent. The best part was the numerous practice opportunities, allowing us interviewees to understand the whole process better. Another aspect I found great was that the questions were read out by real people, which added a lot of interactive experience and helped me feel more relaxed.”
At Kira, our mission is to establish admissions standards that are accessible, equitable, and purposeful. By sharing feedback directly from applicants, we strive to provide admissions teams with deeper, more genuine insights into the applicant experience, helping them make more informed decisions as they refine and enhance their admissions processes.
What’s Next?
In 2024, we made significant strides toward building a more equitable, inclusive, and user-friendly admissions platform. But, this is just the beginning.
With plans for mobile compatibility, deeper applicant integrity metrics, and more, we’re committed to continuing our evolution alongside applicants and admissions teams alike.
Be the first to know when this feature launches by subscribing to the Kira Talent newsletter.
To everyone who used Kira Talent this year, thank you for sharing your stories, feedback, and insights. Together, we’re reshaping admissions—one exceptional experience at a time.
Explore reports from other years
2024 was a transformative year for Kira Talent, showcasing the launch of groundbreaking tools like Live Interview Recording and significant enhancements to our Review Platform. These features were thoughtfully crafted to streamline your workflow, making it easier than ever to identify top candidates in your applicant pool with efficiency and precision. Here are 6 standout highlights from this year’s feature releases at Kira Talent (and a few sneak peeks for 2025)
Discover what’s new at Kira
- New Live Interviewing features
- Enhanced Review Platform
- WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards compliance
- Customizable score calculations
- Bulk-unassignment
- Ravenna Integration
- Coming Soon to Kira - Mobile compatibility
1. Virtual interviewing just got better
Live Interviews, on-demand insights
Experience the best of both worlds with Live Interview Recording in Kira Talent. Schools can choose to have conversations and responses during their Live Interviews captured for future review and analysis, bringing a new layer of transparency and accountability to the interview process.
Capture every critical moment, from preparation to response sessions, creating a complete and accessible record for your admissions team.
Revisit and analyze these recordings in Kira’s intuitive Review Platform, where interviews are neatly organized by station.
Make confident, defensible admissions decisions by revisiting recorded interviews for scoring calibration, training, and committee discussions, helping your team make data-informed decisions.
Visualize, organize, optimize — all in one dashboard
Transform how you manage your Live Interviews. The Circuit Visualizer’s intuitive interface offers unparalleled visibility into interview scheduling and execution.
Effortlessly switch between organizing logistics and understanding interview flow by toggling between list and timeline view. Admins can track participant statuses, send Broadcast Messages, or dive into the details of specific interview stations — all from one centralized dashboard.
Follow applicants through their interviews with a color-coded schedule that shows their movement across stations at a glance. Hover over any station or participant to view key details, copy email addresses, or check which questions are being asked where.
Sort and locate specific applicants or reviewers in a pinch with a robust search feature that allows you to quickly pull up interview details or schedules for any participant.
2. Applicant review made effortless
Empower your reviewers with an easy-to-use dashboard designed to track progress and improve productivity.
Easily track review progress with visual indicators designed to keep reviewers organized and on schedule. Kira’s intuitive dashboard provides a clear snapshot of each reviewer’s workload, including the number of applicants assigned, the number of reviews completed, and how many are still pending. Reviewers also get an estimated time to finish their remaining tasks, helping them stay efficient and focused.
Watch, assess, and score, all on one screen, with Kira’s side-by-side response and rubric layout. This intuitive interface allows reviewers to watch responses and score them simultaneously, ensuring a seamless and efficient review process. Expandable rubric definitions provide clarity for accurate, consistent evaluations, while uploaded documents—like essays, resumes, or forms—are displayed in their original format for effortless assessment. Everything you need, all in one user-friendly screen.
Let Kira handle the grammar checks, while your reviewers stay focused on what truly matters. Available as an optional feature on the Review Platform, Kira highlights spelling and grammatical errors in written submissions and provides both the current and maximum word count for each response.
Learn how Kira’s Review Platform can streamline your reviewing process.
3. Accessibility, elevated
Accessibility is essential to fostering diversity and inclusivity in higher education. By adhering to WCAG 2.1 standards, we’ve gone above and beyond to ensure the Kira platform aligns with your goals—delivering an accessible and equitable admissions experience for all.
Help applicants confidently submit their best work without barriers, with features built to assist individuals with visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive impairments.
Break down barriers and deliver an inclusive experience that reflects the principles of holistic review, empowering your team to identify top talent without compromise.
Learn more about WCAG 2.1 standards and why they’re important for your admissions process
4. Calculate your scores your way
In 2024, Kira added two new methods of calculating applicant scores — Total Sum Scoring and Dual Calculation.
View final scores as the sum of individual competency scores, rather than the standard average score with Total Sum Scoring.
Combine average competency scores with reviewer scores using the Dual Calculation method. Incorporate competency weights into the calculations to ensure that the final scores accurately reflect your team’s priorities and expectations.
Effortlessly monitor an applicant's progress with detailed, downloadable reports that provide comprehensive scoring insights.
Score calculations are seamlessly integrated across all API endpoints and webhooks, keeping your workflows efficient, streamlined, and fully connected.
5. Easily balance reviewer workloads
Is one of your reviewers falling behind? With Kira’s new bulk-unassign feature, you can quickly lighten their load and keep your reviews on track.
Redistribute assignments in seconds by selecting the number of applicants to unassign to ensure your team stays on schedule and your review process runs smoothly.
6. Simplify enrollment with Ravenna
Kira’s integration with Ravenna Admit® streamlines the enrollment process for K-12 private and independent schools, keeping your process organized and connected.
Invite applicants directly through the Ravenna HUB and receive real-time updates as they complete their Kira assessments.
Track progress and share insights with your enrollment committee. Kira scores are synced with Ravenna, giving you centralized access to all your data in one streamlined platform.
Coming soon — Kira goes mobile
Experience the same seamless Kira platform you know and love, fully optimized for mobile browsers. Available for iOS and Android users, applicants can easily record video responses and submit written answers directly from their mobile devices.
Stay tuned for the official launch date and get ready to experience Kira in a whole new way.
Be the first to know when this feature launches by subscribing to the Kira Talent newsletter.
Offering an integrative curriculum that seamlessly combines foundational sciences with practical clinical training, the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) allows its students to gain early hands-on experience, equipping them with the skills and expertise needed for thriving careers in veterinary medicine.
“We have a futuristic curriculum,” shared Dr. Jacque Pelzer, Associate Professor of Practice & Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Admissions at the College of Veterinary Medicine. “We teach basic sciences and clinical sciences side by side for the first two years, giving our students early access to clinical faculty, and early entry to clinical rotations in our teaching hospital.”
“We are committed to diversifying the veterinary profession,” Pelzer continued. “We’re looking for applicants who come from underserved communities and intend to return to those communities to establish veterinary practices.”
“We’re very mindful of the costs associated with applying to veterinary school, and we’re passionate about reducing those barriers and setting a new, more equitable status quo for veterinary school admissions processes,” she explained. “With Kira Talent, we’ve been able to interview more applicants, expanding access and opportunities for a wider pool of candidates.”
Opening the doors to a new generation of medicine
“With Kira, we have been able to interview 30% more applicants than in previous years,” shared Pelzer. “Nationwide, the applicant pool for DVM programs has remained the same for 5 years. Underrepresented minority students are often missing from that applicant pool, but we’ve made great strides at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine in recruiting and retaining them.”
“With Kira, we’ve seen a 16% increase in diverse applicants enrolling in the DVM program,” she continued.
“Kira has been instrumental in this effort, allowing us to cast a wider net and attract a more diverse range of applicants.”
Using Kira’s Asynchronous Assessment, the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine delivers an on-demand station-based interview experience similar to the Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs) used by medical schools.
“Candidates are still meeting all the benchmarks to get an interview,” shared Pelzer. “We conduct a holistic review of applicants’ written application and grades, before inviting them to complete a Kira assessment. Once they reach that stage, their pre-interview scores are reset to zero and no longer factor into our final decision-making process.”
“The idea is that everyone we invite to interview has the academic foundation to be successful in our program,” she explained. “With Kira, we are looking for the traits and soft skills that make for successful DVM students, and ultimately, practising veterinarians.”
Keeping bias at bay with horizontal review
“We brought Kira Talent into our admissions process with two goals in mind,” shared Pelzer. “The first was increasing access to our program and reducing cost barriers in admissions, and the second was identifying tools that will help us deliver a transparent and reliable admissions process.”
"When we held in-person interviews, each room had a reviewer equipped with a script designed to ensure a fair process," Pelzer shared. "Unfortunately, this approach often fell short in practice."
“It’s hard to control what goes on in a room,” she explained. “While some reviewers stuck to the script, others did not.”
"With Kira, we not only ensure a consistent interview experience for all applicants, but also actively reduce bias in the review process."
Discover the nine most common forms of bias in admissions and how Kira helps mitigate them
“Applicants see recorded videos of our staff and faculty asking them questions, so they are truly all receiving the same experience,” Pelzer continued. “Once the assessment is completed, we conduct a Horizontal Review.”
“In this process, our reviewers evaluate a single station across all applicants, concentrating on one specific competency to ensure consistent and focused evaluations,” she shared. “Each station is scored by two independent reviewers.”
“We’ve seen that reviewers use the rubric in Kira more accurately than they did in person.”
“With Kira, we had the opportunity to design a custom rubric that allowed us to pinpoint the competencies we were looking for,” Pelzer explained. “All together, since transitioning to Kira, we’ve seen significant improvement in our scoring reliability and we’re observing less bias.”
Learn more about the benefits of Horizontal Review in Kira Talent
Feedback that fuels future veterinarians
“We’ve received really positive feedback from applicants,” shared Pelzer. “They really appreciated the practice scenarios on the Kira platform, and the information sessions we held beforehand helped them feel prepared and confident going into their Kira assessment.”
“By the time they recorded their responses, they were at ease and ready to participate.”
“We are committed to delivering a fair and transparent admissions process from start to finish,” she continued. “With that in mind, we offer feedback sessions for our applicants. With Kira, we’re able to give them direct and transparent feedback because we’re not relying on interviewers’ notes. When I show them why a reviewer gave them a certain score, 95% of the time they say 'yes, I remember saying that' and 'yeah, that makes total sense.'”
“That’s been really phenomenal for us, because it gives us the opportunity to support their growth and help them improve,” Pelzer explained. “We want them to go to vet school, and Kira helps us, help them do that.”