Case Study: University of Michigan achieves a 6% yield increase and 52,000 video views with Kira Talent

How Schools Can Use Video to Inspire Enrollment

The University of Michigan faced a familiar enrollment challenge: improve yield by making admitted students feel personally connected to the school at scale. In a case study presented by Kira Talent, Michigan sought a more emotionally compelling, shareable alternative to standard faculty videos or small-scale in-person acceptance stunts.

Kira Talent’s case study describes Michigan’s solution—a student-produced acceptance film called “The Letter,” featuring a custom arrangement of the school’s Fight Song and distributed to admitted students—which generated 52,000 views in a year when the university admitted 15,000 students. According to Kira Talent, Michigan’s overall yield rose from 39% to 45% (a 6-point increase) from 2011 to fall 2015, out-of-state yield climbed from 24% to 31%, melt declined by 2%, and alumni engagement increased, all while class quality was maintained.

University of Michigan

Betsy Brown

Director of Integrated Marketing