Case Study: McMaster University’s Faculty of Engineering enrolls stronger cohorts with Kira Talent

McMaster Engineering enrolls stronger cohorts with custom assessments delivered at scale

McMaster's Faculty of Engineering faced the challenge of selecting the best-fit students from more than 16,000 applications, many with similarly high grades, making it hard to identify traits like leadership, resiliency, and innovation. Since 2016, the faculty has used Kira Talent’s Asynchronous Assessment to add written and video responses to its admissions process and gain a more holistic view of applicants.

Working with Kira Talent, McMaster customized the assessment to match program-specific competencies and used Kira Talent’s Reviewer Services to score 13,000 assessments each cycle, with results returned in about five weeks. The solution helped the faculty make faster, more informed decisions, enroll stronger students, and achieve a very low attrition rate, while also improving transparency and reducing workload for staff.

McMaster's Faculty of Engineering

Sarah Dickson-Anderson

Associate Dean Undergraduate