Which Dental Schools Use Kira Talent? Verified 2026-27 List | DentPrep

A verified list of US dental schools that use the Kira Talent video assessment — domestic DDS/DMD and CAAPID advanced standing programs, how each uses Kira, and how to prepare. Updated 2026–2027.

A verified list of US dental schools that use the Kira Talent video assessment — domestic DDS/DMD and CAAPID advanced standing programs, plus how to prepare. Updated 2026–2027. return ( If the MMI is the rare, misunderstood format in US dental admissions, Kira Talent is its opposite: increasingly common, quietly spreading, and often the very first gate an applicant has to clear — sometimes before a single human reads the application. Yet most applicants don't find out a school uses Kira until the invitation lands in their inbox with a deadline attached. This page is the verified, US-specific list of dental programs that use the Kira Talent asynchronous video assessment — separated into domestic DDS/DMD programs and CAAPID advanced standing programs, because Kira is far more prevalent among the latter. Every entry has been checked against the school's own materials or consistent applicant reports, and we flag exactly how confident we

are. Formats change year to year, so always confirm with the program for your cycle. What Is Kira Talent? Kira Talent is an asynchronous, timed video assessment . You're sent a link, you complete it on your own schedule before a deadline, and there is no live interviewer on the other side. Questions — a mix of text-based and video prompts — appear on screen, you get a short preparation window (often 30–60 seconds), and then you record your answer within a strict time limit. Some assessments also include a written or typed component. Programs use Kira for two reasons: it screens large applicant pools efficiently (one dental school publicly credited Kira with saving its faculty hundreds of review hours), and it standardizes an early look at communication and presence before committing interview slots. For you, that means Kira is frequently a pre-screen you must pass to be considered — not an afterthought. Kira needs its own preparation.

Because there's no live interviewer to build rapport with, Kira rewards structure and clarity under time pressure. Practice recording timed answers on camera until the format feels routine, prepare a school-specific "why this program" answer in advance, and treat your setup — lighting, framing, audio — as part of the evaluation. See our full Kira Talent preparation guide . Domestic DDS / DMD Programs That Use Kira These US dental schools use Kira as part of their domestic DDS or DMD admissions. Confirmed against each school's own materials or consistent applicant reports: School. Degree. How Kira Is Used. NYU College of Dentistry. DDS. Required for all applicants as Stage 1; an in-person Candidate Day follows for finalists.. Columbia University CDM. DDS. Designated applicants complete an asynchronous Kira assessment as part of screening.. Roseman University CODM. DMD. Required of all applicants who meet minimum requirements — a core,

holistic screening step.. Indiana University (IUSD). DDS. Required alongside the application and IU supplemental, separate from the interview.. University of Detroit Mercy. DDS. Required after an interview invitation; must be completed within the invitation's window.. We have full interview guides for several of these: NYU , Indiana University , and Detroit Mercy . Not every school with a 'video interview' uses Kira. A virtual or recorded interview is not automatically a Kira assessment. For example, Tufts' domestic DMD interview is a live, conversational video interview — not Kira. (Tufts' international DIS program is a different story — see below.) Confirm the specific platform and format in your own invitation rather than assuming. CAAPID / Advanced Standing Programs That Use Kira Kira is significantly more common among CAAPID advanced standing programs for internationally trained dentists, where it frequently serves as the first

screening stage before an in-person evaluation. Verified programs that use Kira include: Program. How Kira Is Used. Notes. NYU (Advanced Standing). Required for all applicants. Kira async precedes the in-person Candidate Day.. Tufts DIS (international). Two Kira stages: async, then live Kira. The only program reported to include a live Kira stage.. Columbia CDM (Advanced Standing). Designated applicants. Kira as a primary screen after paper review.. University of Minnesota PASS. Stage 1 async Kira. Reported among the earliest Kira invites (as early as April).. Indiana University (IDP). Kira as a distinct stage. Separate from the interview and bench components.. Our CAAPID guides cover several of these programs in depth: NYU Advanced Standing , Tufts DIS , Columbia , and University of Minnesota . Practice Kira Talent With AI Feedback. Record timed, on-camera answers to real Kira-style prompts and get instant feedback on structure,

clarity, and delivery — before the assessment that counts.. Start Practicing Free →. How We Verified This List Every school above was confirmed against the program's own admissions materials or consistent, recent applicant reports — not copied from stale aggregate lists. We deliberately excluded schools where the evidence was ambiguous or outdated. Two honest caveats: Kira adoption is growing. Programs that screened only on paper a few cycles ago are adding Kira as an intermediate step. A school that didn't use Kira in 2024 may use it in 2026 — absence from this list is not a guarantee. Formats change year to year. A program can add, drop, or restructure its Kira stage between cycles. Always confirm the current requirement and deadline directly with the program when you apply. Comparing formats across schools? See our companion guide, which dental schools use the MMI . How to Prepare Once You Know a School Uses Kira Kira is one of the

most preparable stages in dental admissions precisely because it's predictable: timed prompts, no live interviewer, and a near-universal "why this program" question. Three priorities: Rehearse on camera under a timer. The gap between a first take and a tenth practice run is dramatic, and reviewers watching dozens of candidates a day can tell. Write your school-specific "why this program" answer before you open the Kira link. It appears at virtually every assessment and is the easiest to prepare and the most obvious when it isn't. Fix your setup. Lighting, framing, and clear audio are part of what reviewers see. Test them in the exact spot you'll record. Get Kira-Ready in a Weekend. DentPrep's AI coach runs realistic timed Kira drills and scores your answers on the dimensions programs actually evaluate. 5 free sessions, no documents, no credit card.. Try DentPrep Free →. ); }; export default DentalSchoolsThatUseKira;