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Described as a “technological glitch,” Northwestern University accidentally sent acceptance letters to 50 potential candidates for the school’s Kellogg School of Management, the Chicago Tribune reports (“Kellogg School of Management Accidentally Sends Acceptance Letters to 50 Rejected Applicants,” Dec. 18, 2008).

It truly was a computer error, said a Northwestern spokeswoman Megan Washburn, who stated that this was the first time the school’s automated mail-merge program had erroneously sent an e-mail acceptance letter.

“It has never happened before,” Washburn said. “Our systems have been in place for years. We have never experienced a problem.” She pointed out that the 50 candidates only represent about 1 percent of the 5,500 applicants who applied to the full-time business graduate program.

One student celebrated his acceptance to Kellogg at a dinner with his parents only to discover the next day that he had actually been rejected when he logged onto the school’s website.

“It was pretty embarrassing, to be honest,” said the Chicago resident who asked the Tribune not to identify him. “It’s like you won the lottery and had the rug pulled out from under you.”

Washburn said that the school had been contacting everyone who had received an acceptance letter in error to explain the computer glitch. The 50 individuals will be reimbursed their $235 application fee as a result of the mix up, she said.

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