mistaken acceptance emails

[Katrina Gulliver]

This year's round features 2 universities offering full ride scholarships to a bunch of applicants by mistake.

In one case it was 50 students and the university agreed to still cover these students' tuition. The other it was THOUSANDS (and I doubt they'll cover that).

It feels like every year there are glitches like this, where a college tells students they've been admitted, and they haven't. I can't imagine how devastating it is for the applicants who get them.

Why do universities KEEP f'ing up on this?

[Durchlässigkeitsbeiwert]

Why do universities KEEP f'ing up on this?

This industry features relatively rare combination of low-level employees doing all the processing and most of decision making for mass (but seasonal) transactions with a high explicit price tag for retail consumers. Remove any element from the above and it would hardly make it into news.

[Caracal]

This year's round features 2 universities offering full ride scholarships to a bunch of applicants by mistake.

In one case it was 50 students and the university agreed to still cover these students' tuition. The other it was THOUSANDS (and I doubt they'll cover that).

It feels like every year there are glitches like this, where a college tells students they've been admitted, and they haven't. I can't imagine how devastating it is for the applicants who get them.

Why do universities KEEP f'ing up on this?

I try to be pretty careful about making sure final grades are correct. I scroll through all the columns and make sure everything is weighted correctly and then before I input a grade, I look at the grade components for each student just to make sure nothing looks wonky. A couple semesters ago, my brain was particularly fried and I just had something in the wrong place and somehow didn't notice it. Fortunately, a student did notice he should have gotten a higher grade and wrote me. I believe the mistake only effected his grade and one other students or something and wasn't a big deal to fix, but it could have easily been more of a mess.

I have to check my grades myself. In a well run admissions office, you'd think there would be a process where several sets of eyes go over admissions and scholarships before they get sent out, but sometimes people just miss stuff. With 5k colleges in the US it kind of figures it happens a couple times a year.

[mamselle]

Why do universities KEEP f'ing up on this?

This industry features relatively rare combination of low-level employees doing all the processing and most of decision making for mass (but seasonal) transactions with a high explicit price tag for retail consumers. Remove any element from the above and it would hardly make it into news.

Excuse me? I've known (and worked with, if not as) those individuals. "Low-level" is not only insulting but inaccurate.

It's more likely a computer coding issue--that's what happened at the first school I ever adjuncted at, as I've described before.

They admitted 600+ too many freshfolk, and the school's lawyers decided they were legally bound to take them.

Much building and renting of extra dorm space and apartments ensued, along with the hiring of many adjucts for entry-level courses. (We were given a "now, don't be mean, but assign very accurate grades" lecture since it was expected many might just flunk out in the first two semesters, thus reducing the bubble in the pipeline to something less elephant-sized.)

Glitches do indeed happen, and if the Dean of Admissions had looked at the list of sendouts, that person might have caught it, too.

But I've been at the desk of people like that Dean's staff assistant, knowing there's a problem but unable to get the 'big boss' to pay attention, too.

The IT guy was fired, as I recall, claiming "new software" all the way out the door, but the Dean kept their job.

The numbers eventually went down; I didn't notice that many less well-prepared students, though.

M.

[Katrina Gulliver]

They admitted 600+ too many freshfolk, and the school's lawyers decided they were legally bound to take them.

This is the element I'm intrigued by. How much is an offer letter considered a contract? Most of the cases I've heard about, the school sent out an "oops, sorry" message and that was that. They withdrew the mistaken offer. I'm surprised there aren't more claims that once they've made the offer (mistakenly or not), they are bound by it.

[marshwiggle]

They admitted 600+ too many freshfolk, and the school's lawyers decided they were legally bound to take them.

This is the element I'm intrigued by. How much is an offer letter considered a contract? Most of the cases I've heard about, the school sent out an "oops, sorry" message and that was that. They withdrew the mistaken offer. I'm surprised there aren't more claims that once they've made the offer (mistakenly or not), they are bound by it.

I wonder if any include "fine print" which basically covers them for an "oops" by essentially denying the offer is legally binding?

[Durchlässigkeitsbeiwert]

This industry features relatively rare combination of low-level employees doing all the processing and most of decision making for mass (but seasonal) transactions with a high explicit price tag for retail consumers. Remove any element from the above and it would hardly make it into news.

Excuse me? I've known (and worked with, if not as) those individuals. "Low-level" is not only insulting but inaccurate.
...
But I've been at the desk of people like that Dean's staff assistant, knowing there's a problem but unable to get the 'big boss' to pay attention, too.

I used "low-level" in reference to their position in the organizational structure - something that your post actually confirms.

[smallcleanrat]

How long does it usually take to recognize such a mistake?

I wonder if, legally speaking, it makes a difference if enough time has passed between a student mistakenly receiving an acceptance letter and a university acknowledging the mistake for the student to have declined acceptances at other schools. Thus the university's mistake led to a student to losing opportunities.

[apl68]

They admitted 600+ too many freshfolk, and the school's lawyers decided they were legally bound to take them.

This is the element I'm intrigued by. How much is an offer letter considered a contract? Most of the cases I've heard about, the school sent out an "oops, sorry" message and that was that. They withdrew the mistaken offer. I'm surprised there aren't more claims that once they've made the offer (mistakenly or not), they are bound by it.

This would explain why the R1 where I worked in the '90s once had an extra-large freshman cohort that it had to house in curtained-off areas of dorm lobbies.

[smallcleanrat]

Why do universities KEEP f'ing up on this?

This industry features relatively rare combination of low-level employees doing all the processing and most of decision making for mass (but seasonal) transactions with a high explicit price tag for retail consumers. Remove any element from the above and it would hardly make it into news.

Excuse me? I've known (and worked with, if not as) those individuals. "Low-level" is not only insulting but inaccurate.

It's more likely a computer coding issue--that's what happened at the first school I ever adjuncted at, as I've described before.

They admitted 600+ too many freshfolk, and the school's lawyers decided they were legally bound to take them.

Much building and renting of extra dorm space and apartments ensued, along with the hiring of many adjucts for entry-level courses. (We were given a "now, don't be mean, but assign very accurate grades" lecture since it was expected many might just flunk out in the first two semesters, thus reducing the bubble in the pipeline to something less elephant-sized.)

Glitches do indeed happen, and if the Dean of Admissions had looked at the list of sendouts, that person might have caught it, too.

But I've been at the desk of people like that Dean's staff assistant, knowing there's a problem but unable to get the 'big boss' to pay attention, too.

The IT guy was fired, as I recall, claiming "new software" all the way out the door, but the Dean kept their job.

The numbers eventually went down; I didn't notice that many less well-prepared students, though.

M.

At this school, were there usually more qualified applicants than there were admission slots?

I recall some university admin being quoted in an interview regarding the anxieties of high school students during the application process. She said many react to a rejection with existential angst, wondering "What's wrong with me?" And she said, for many, the answer is, "Nothing. It's just that there were only so many slots."

[Caracal]

They admitted 600+ too many freshfolk, and the school's lawyers decided they were legally bound to take them.

This is the element I'm intrigued by. How much is an offer letter considered a contract? Most of the cases I've heard about, the school sent out an "oops, sorry" message and that was that. They withdrew the mistaken offer. I'm surprised there aren't more claims that once they've made the offer (mistakenly or not), they are bound by it.

This would explain why the R1 where I worked in the '90s once had an extra-large freshman cohort that it had to house in curtained-off areas of dorm lobbies.

That usually happens because they underestimate how many students will accept the admissions offer.

[Katrina Gulliver]

I wonder if, legally speaking, it makes a difference if enough time has passed between a student mistakenly receiving an acceptance letter and a university acknowledging the mistake for the student to have declined acceptances at other schools. Thus the university's mistake led to a student to losing opportunities.

I don't believe there's a particular timeframe for detrimental reliance claims in law, but obviously the longer it went on the more likely students would be to have turned down other opportunities.

[Caracal]

How long does it usually take to recognize such a mistake?

I wonder if, legally speaking, it makes a difference if enough time has passed between a student mistakenly receiving an acceptance letter and a university acknowledging the mistake for the student to have declined acceptances at other schools. Thus the university's mistake led to a student to losing opportunities.

I think that might be true. In many of these cases, I'm not sure what gets sent to the students is really an official offer of admission. Even if it is, you can revoke an offer until someone accepts it. Seems like in most of these cases, the mistake was caught within a few hours.

[Ruralguy]

BU famously underestimated their first year student classes many years in the 80's and 90's. I think they purposely overstuffed to make money off tuition while not spending what they should have in dorm space. Virginia Tech does this even now. I'm surprised students fall for this, but I guess they value the name on the degree more than a livable dorm?

[smallcleanrat]

BU famously underestimated their first year student classes many years in the 80's and 90's. I think they purposely overstuffed to make money off tuition while not spending what they should have in dorm space. Virginia Tech does this even now. I'm surprised students fall for this, but I guess they value the name on the degree more than a livable dorm?

What do you mean? Are you saying the students are being tricked about their acceptance being based on merit (rather than profit motive) or tricked into going to a supposedly 'good' school with poor management? Or something else?

My university has far more undergrads than they have available dorms, so many students have to figure out their own living arrangements. But I think most know this going in, because it's not exactly a secret (info is in the welcome packet sent to new students, on the school website, etc.). So I don't know if they "fell for" anything as much as they thought it was worth attending in spite of the shortage of dorm space.