Case Study: McMaster University improves nursing admissions with Acuity Insights Casper

How McMaster University’s nursing program is using Casper

McMaster University’s Bachelor of Nursing program, a highly competitive collaborative program across McMaster University, Mohawk College, and Conestoga College, needed a better way to assess applicants than grades alone. With about 1,500 applicants a year and admission averages rising as high as 92 percent, the program wanted to identify candidates who also demonstrated the non-academic qualities of a nurse. Acuity Insights’ Casper was introduced to help address that challenge.

Acuity Insights worked with faculty to build a nursing-specific version of Casper and integrate it into the admissions process, where applicants completed the online assessment after applying and were scored by multiple independent raters alongside their academic averages. The program reported that applicants and parents welcomed having a criterion beyond grades, and that more students below the previous 92 percent cutoff were accepted because their Acuity Insights Casper scores strengthened their applications. McMaster University also noted applicant volumes remained consistent, and it plans further studies to measure Casper’s predictive value and long-term impact.

McMaster University

Tracey Jewiss

Assistant Professor