Computer blunder mistakenly admits 61 University of Delaware students

A University of Delaware website mistakenly told 61 students they were accepted to the university for the fall 2011 semester.

The mistake was made on the website “My Blue Hen Home.”  Students can check the website to see what their admission status is.  The link was activated to the 61 students, and included a link for registration to an event for students who had already been accepted.  When these high school seniors clicked on the site the first line read: “Congratulations, you’ve been accepted.”  However, school officials say admission approvals are mailed to students and this weblink never should have been activated for those students.

“While this computer blunder did not affect a large number of students, it was very hard on those who were affected, and we have been expressing our apologies to them by phone and by email,” said Louis L. Hirsh, Director of Admissions.  Hirsch added, “the last thing in the world we wanted was to add to their pain and disappointment.  Unfortunately, that’s what this mistake has done.”

Twelve students in the group registered for the event.  The link was active on Friday, and when the mistake was discovered, the university deactivated it.  It was put back online Saturday.  By Monday all the affected students were sent apology letters, and, in some cases, phone calls explaining the error.

Many of the students in the group are on the university’s wait-list for possible admission in the future.  They were all out-of state students.  So far, the university has sent acceptance letters to 13,000 students.