2022 marked a return to future-focused strategies across education admissions. After years of adapting processes to meet immediate needs, admissions leaders are now approaching innovations in their admissions processes with an eye to the future, and are embracing the changes they need to make to help attract and enroll strong cohorts for years to come. 

Learn more below about how teams met their admissions goals in 2022 with processes powered by Kira.

1. The Kira enhancements that clients loved this year
2. How schools are using Kira
3. Insights by program type
   • Graduate Management Education
   • Graduate Health Sciences
     • Medicine
     • Nursing
     • Pharmacy
     • Dentistry
     • Veterinary Medicine
     • Occupational and Physical Therapy
   • Law and Humanities
   • Scholarship and Mentorship
   • Undergraduate
   • K-12
4. Kira Client Experience Reports from other years

The Kira enhancements that clients loved this year

Over the past decade and a half, schools have brought Kira into their admissions processes for a wide array of reasons. Whether their focus is on increasing yield, fostering diversity, streamlining clunky processes, or gaining a deeper understanding of applicant values and motivations, our flexible technology and team of experts are on-hand to help admissions leaders achieve whatever their goals may be. 

That’s why in 2022 we focused our product development on building new features and enhancements throughout the platform, that help make Kira better than ever for applicants, admin and reviewers alike.

 

How schools are using Kira in 2023

As admissions leaders look to future-proof their processes and attract the next generation of applicants, we’re proud that they continue to see Kira as the best option for helping them get there.

A measure of customer loyalty and satisfaction, Kira’s NPS score is higher than titans like Tesla (NPS 35) and Netflix (NPS 48)!

Of course, we know better than anyone that a single score can’t tell the whole story. That’s why we asked our clients what aspects of the platform gave them the most value this year. Here’s what they had to say.

61% of schools shared that the greatest benefit of using Kira in 2022 came from the increased efficiency in their admissions process. 

With Kira’s streamlined scheduling, built-in structured rubrics, and integrated score pairing, admissions teams have been able to eliminate many repetitive manual tasks and save hours of work per cycle.

In fact, 45% of schools are saving over 40 hours of work per cycle with Kira Talent.

The flexibility of the Kira platform and the range of assessment and interview tools available meant that programs were able to add these time-saving features where they needed them most.

“Kira has allowed us to streamline the operations, improve our efficiency, and decrease our faculty, interviewer, and staff utilization, helping us interview more applicants in less time.”

- Anne Holtzman, the Program Manager of Admissions and Financial Aid at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

Whether they were looking to more efficiently pre-screen applicants or more conveniently interview candidates for final admissions decisions, 2022’s admissions teams saw significant value in Kira at various stages of their admissions process.

For the majority of schools, Kira offered a new and improved method of delivering their traditional interview, prompting them to transition their tried-and-true process online. But for another 29% of schools, an efficient and budget-friendly process in Kira made it possible to add interviews or assessments as a net new component of their admissions process — giving them more comprehensive insights into their applicant pool.

Deeper insights by program

Want to learn more about how your peers are using Kira Talent? Choose from the list of program types below to see how Kira is helping schools and programs like yours future-proof their admissions process.

1. Graduate Management Education
2. Graduate Health Sciences
   • Medicine
   • Nursing
   • Pharmacy
   • Dentistry
   • Veterinary Medicine
   • Occupational and Physical Therapy
3. Law and Humanities
4. Scholarship and Mentorship
5. Undergraduate
6. K-12

Click here to learn more about why we publish this data and how we collect and use client feedback

Kira Client Experience Reports from other years

Kira Client Experience Report 2021

Kira Client Experience Report 2020

For K-12 schools, efficiency and effectiveness were top of mind in admissions in 2022. 40% of schools named efficiency as the greatest benefit of using Kira, valuing how the platform has helped them streamline the interview process. For another 40%, the effectiveness of the assessments was the biggest benefit, as it helped them increase comfort and convenience for applicants and their families while providing deeper insights into applicants’ personality traits and soft skills. 

 

Where Kira fits in the K-12 admissions process

Kira fit flexibly into different schools’ various admissions processes in 2022, with schools using the platform to do everything from aptitude assessments to parent and guardian interviews.

“Kira allows us to interview our applicants in a safe manner that's not going to be cumbersome to families.”

- Dr. Beth-Sarah Wright, the Director of Enrollment Management at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School.

For 80% of schools, Kira allowed enrollment teams to gather deeper insights into applicants' behaviours and values, helping them identify their best-fit students and make final selections to build well-rounded and dynamic classrooms. 

By allowing applicant families to complete the assessment when and where is most comfortable for them, Kira helps our K-12 partner schools reduce the stress on applicants and their families, and give them the opportunity to put their best foot forward.

80% of these schools added Kira as a new step in their admissions process, often complementing a live interview or campus visit. With a Kira assessment or interview providing a structured evaluation of the applicant, faculty and enrollment managers are able to reallocate their time to other enrollment activities and form deeper connections with applicants and their families.

What’s top of mind for K-12 schools in 2023?

“Increasing the number of applications from underrepresented groups.”

“Identifying applicants whose motivations and values align with our school mission.”

“Diversifying our applicant pool.”

Learn more about Kira Talent for K-12 Schools

With the average program assessing thousands of applicants per cycle it’s hardly a surprise that 86% of undergraduate programs named efficiency as the biggest benefit of using Kira Talent in 2022.

In fact, 67% of undergraduate programs reported saving more than 40 hours of work per cycle with Kira.

 

Where Kira fits in the undergraduate admissions process

These time savings are why all of these undergraduate programs transitioned existing interviews onto the Kira Platform — and why 57% are now able to gather deeper insights about all of their applicants without overwhelming their admissions team

“We interview around 1000 students per cycle. Coordinating in-person interviews at that scale is a massive undertaking. At the end of the day, we are making better use of our time and resources using the Kira Talent platform.”

- Renato Guimarães Ferreira, Program Director at Fundação Getulio Vargas’ Business Administration School in São Paulo (FGV EAESP)

For another 15% of schools, Kira's on-demand assessment allowed admissions teams to meet and assess international applicants regardless of time zones or schedules.

What’s top of mind for undergraduate programs in 2023?

“Gaining deeper insights on applicants and identifying the most outstanding students for early offers.”

“Broadening our reach and diversifying the geographical origin of our applicants”

“Incorporating new ways of assessing applicant ability as GRE scores have declined due to the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Learn more about Kira Talent for undergraduate programs.

Efficiency was key for scholarship and mentor programs using Kira in 2022. 50% of scholarship and mentor programs reported saving more than 20 hours of work per cycle with Kira.

In fact, 67% of scholarship and mentor programs named efficiency as the biggest benefit of conducting their interviews in Kira Talent.

 

Where Kira fits in the scholarship and mentorship selection process

With efficiency top of mind, it’s hardly a surprise that all scholarship and mentor programs chose to evaluate applicants using an Asynchronous Assessment in Kira. The on-demand assessment offers selection committees deeper insights into applicants' traits and soft skills, including leadership and communication, without the organizational burden of a traditional interview.

“The competencies we developed with Kira provide objective, measurable metrics for our mentor selection. We’re getting more qualified candidates with skills that more closely align with the values and goals of the program.”

- Dallyce Bialowas, Student Engagement Specialist at the University of Alberta Faculty of Science

For 83% of scholarship and mentor programs, Kira fit into the final step of the selection process, giving selection teams the comprehensive insights they needed without inconveniencing staff, faculty, or applicants. 

What’s top of mind for scholarship and mentor programs in 2023?

“Transitioning our in-person interviews onto Kira Talent as well.”

“Identifying top talent to offer scholarships to.”

“Increasing process efficiency for our staff and applicants.”

From medicine to social work, Kira Talent works with a wide range of graduate health sciences programs. For this section, we looked at programs in the field of healthcare professions education. Looking for more specific data on your field of study? Dive deeper into the specific data for some of our health sciences programs listed below.

1. Medicine
2. Nursing
3. Pharmacy
4. Dentistry
5. Veterinary Medicine
6. Occupational and Physical Therapy

Efficiency was top of mind for graduate health science programs in 2022, with 65% reporting that the increased efficiency Kira brought to their admissions and interviewing processes was the biggest benefit of using the platform. 

This translated directly into real time-savings for many programs, with nearly 50% of graduate health sciences programs saving more than 40 hours of work per cycle.

 

Where Kira fits in the graduate health sciences admissions process

The increased efficiency in Kira meant that the majority of programs were able to invite all of their applicants to complete an assessment, giving them a comprehensive look at the traits and skill sets across their applicant pool without overwhelming their admissions team.

While some were able to gather sufficient insights from an Asynchronous Assessment in Kira, others also included a real-time interview, for example by using Kira’s Live Interviewing. 

“We found that we were losing some very good applicants as a result of our in-person interviewing process. Once we implemented Kira Talent, we immediately saw the impact that it had on the number of diverse students who ultimately enrolled in our programs.”

- Henry Cantu, Director of Admissions and Special Programs at the University of Texas Health San Antonio School of Nursing

62% of graduate health sciences programs using Kira chose to transition an existing interview onto the Kira platform. More than half of those programs used a Live Interview in Kira Talent to do so, enabling them to still meet and assess their applicants in real-time while streamlining and automating a lot of the manual work. 

These significant increases in process efficiency and ease of management allowed the majority of programs to invite all of their applicants to complete an interview or assessment in Kira Talent, giving them in-depth insights across their applicant pool without overwhelming staff and faculty.

What’s top of mind for graduate health sciences programs in 2023?

“Attracting and enrolling students from diverse or disadvantaged backgrounds.”

“Identifying and admitting students with the highest potential to succeed in the field.”

“Continuing to evolve our interview process to meet the needs of tomorrow’s applicants.”

Occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) programs unanimously named efficiency as the top benefit of conducting their admissions interviews and assessments in Kira Talent in 2022.

40% of occupational therapy and physical therapy programs reported saving more than 40 hours of work per cycle with Kira.

 

Where Kira fits in the OT and PT admissions process

These time savings are what enabled 60% of OT and PT programs to add an assessment or interview in Kira as a net new component of their admissions process - giving them greater interview structure and deeper applicant insights without overwhelming their admissions teams. 

“Kira gives us more touchpoints with our applicants, creating better engagement throughout the admissions process, and allowing us to get deeper insights into our applicant pool.”

- Victoria Prignac, Program Director at the University of Vermont Occupational Therapy 

What’s top of mind for OT and PT programs in 2023?

“Attracting more applicants to our program.”

“Ensuring that we’re admitting the right students who will succeed in the classroom and beyond.”

“Incorporating new ways of assessing applicant ability, as GRE scores have declined due to the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Kira’s Asynchronous Assessment was the star admissions tool for Law and Humanities programs in 2022, with 86% of programs using the on-demand assessment to gain insight into their applicant pool earlier in the admissions process. 

Nearly half of the Law and Humanities programs named efficiency as the biggest benefit of using Kira in 2022. With 71% of these programs having added Kira as a net-new component of their admissions process, these numbers speak to how, with Kira, teams are able to gather valuable insights without slowing down the admissions process or over-burdening admissions staff and faculty.

 

Where Kira fits in the law and humanities admissions process

Law and humanities programs were fairly evenly dispersed when it came to where they used Kira in their admissions processes in 2022, with equal amounts using an assessment to pre-screen applicants and to make final admissions selections.

The unifying point for these schools was in how many applicants there were able to efficiently assess. 71% of law and humanities programs invited all applicants to complete an assessment or interview in Kira Talent. By gaining deeper insights across their applicant pool without overwhelming staff and faculty, Kira is helping schools identify more best-fit applicants for admissions offers.

What’s top of mind for law and humanities programs in 2023?

“Expanding access to graduate school to people from all backgrounds.”

“Vetting and matriculating great candidates and increasing not just the number of applications but the quality of the applicants.”

“Bringing in a class that complements the educational and campus environment we’ve built.”

Efficiency was top of mind for Veterinary Medicine programs in 2022, with 80% of programs naming efficiency as the biggest benefit of conducting their admissions interviews and assessments in Kira Talent.

In fact, 75% of veterinary medicine programs reported saving more than 50 hours of work per cycle with Kira.

 

Where Kira fits in the veterinary medicine admissions process

For many programs, these time savings came not only from a more efficient interview or assessment but also from streamlining the overall admissions process.

Nearly half of this year’s veterinary medicine programs used a combination of Asynchronous Assessments and Live Interviewing to conduct both the qualifying and selecting portions of their admissions processes on the Kira platform.

Wanting to decrease costs and remove barriers to interview, 40% of veterinary medicine programs are using Kira to completely replace what used to be an in-person interview. Another 40% of programs added Kira as a net new component to their interview process in order to bring structure to their assessment, gain deeper insights into their applicants, or support holistic review.

“I would do nothing but recommend Kira, without a doubt. It’s been so helpful. Kira has made our process 110x easier.”

- Katie Beringson, Director of Student Affairs and Admissions at the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine

By improving the efficiency and overall ease of managing a veterinary medicine admissions process, Kira allowed 57% of programs to invite all applicants to complete an interview or assessment in Kira, providing deeper insights into the applicant pool without overwhelming staff and faculty.

What’s top of mind for veterinary medicine programs in 2023?

“Increasing our process reliability and decreasing the cost of travel for applicants.”

“Delivering a comprehensive holistic review.”

“Timing and efficiency for our staff and faculty.”

78% of dentistry programs named efficiency as Kira Talent’s biggest benefit in 2022 — hardly surprising considering 80% saved more than 20 hours per cycle with Kira.

 

Where Kira fits in the dentistry admissions process

Most dentistry programs used Kira to conduct the final selection phase of their admissions process, inviting applicants who met the minimum academic qualifications or were selected following a file review. However, some preferred a more in-depth two-step process.

22% of dentistry programs used a combination of Asynchronous Assessments and Live Interviews in Kira to screen and then select their applicants. 

“Kira allows us to get better insight into our applicants earlier in the admissions process so we could reduce the faculty time on task.”

- Dr. William Harman, Associate Dean at Roseman University’s College of Dental Medicine

A more streamlined process enabled 22% of programs to interview every applicant, gaining deeper insights into their applicant pool while still reducing the amount of time staff and faculty were spending on the admissions process.

What’s top of mind for dentistry programs in 2023?

“Our priority is to attract and enroll applicants whose values align with our mission”

“Supporting fairness, transparency, and efficiency across our processes and procedures.”

“Keeping up with the increase we’re seeing in applications each cycle.”