Brigham Young University Apologizes After Nine Students Mistakenly Receive Acceptance Letters -

Brigham Young University (BYU) in Utah has apologized after nine prospective students were mistakenly sent acceptance notices, even though their applications had been rejected.

The error occurred when the students logged into their admissions portals and saw congratulatory messages welcoming them to the university, which is affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

BYU Director of Admissions, Chad Johnson, said in a statement on Saturday, February 28: “We are truly sorry that an unfortunate error in our admissions decision notification system resulted in nine prospective students mistakenly receiving congratulatory messages of acceptance. The Admissions Department reached out to those impacted to express our regret and our sincere apologies. We know that admissions decisions are highly anticipated, and we recognize this mistake caused confusion and disappointment.”

The cause of the mistake is unclear, but Johnson assured that the admissions team is taking steps to prevent it from happening again.

One affected student, 18-year-old Owen Johansen, told NBC-affiliate KSL TV 5 that he was initially thrilled by the acceptance news, as his parents also attended BYU. However, a week later, he discovered that the acceptance notice had been replaced with a rejection letter. “I was really mad,” Owen said, adding that the situation could have been handled better by the university.

Owen’s mother, Talai Johansen, expressed her frustration and called for BYU to admit the nine students affected by the error, saying it would be “the right thing to do.”

This is not the first time BYU has faced such an issue. In 2024, hundreds of students who applied to the College of Nursing received both acceptance and rejection letters due to a glitch in a new admissions system.