Case Study: UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School achieves deeper applicant insights and higher offers and acceptances with Kira Talent

Gaining a Deeper Understanding of Applicants at UCD Smurfit

UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, a Financial Times top‑100 institution offering the Smurfit MBA and specialist master’s programs including an MSc in Finance, needed a scalable way to assess applicant fit as part of its holistic admissions review. With too many candidates to interview in person, the school turned to Kira Talent’s online interview and assessment platform to provide a practical middle ground for evaluating motivation and fit.

Using Kira Talent, Smurfit added a deeper, more consistent layer to admissions review, enabling efficient management and evaluation of a growing applicant pool. Over two cycles the MSc Finance program saw a 27% increase in applications, a 6.5% rise in offers and an 8.2% rise in acceptances, while admissions staff reported considerable time savings and improved ability to screen for best‑fit, high‑calibre cohorts.

UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School

Richard Murphy

Admissions Manager