Skip to content

UBC accidentally sends Orientation Week invites to rejected applicants

An estimated 28,000 invitations went out, although school accepts 7,000 first-year students per year
11452368_web1_180414-BPD-M-180217-CP-UBC
UBC is apologizing for sending out 28,000 email invites to orientation event for new students, including some who will not be accepted into the university. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)

Orientation Week is a time many soon-to-be university students look forward to as a way to kick off their collegiate careers, meet new friends and learn the ins and outs of the campus.

But earlier this week, 28,000 students who applied to get into the University of B.C. were accidentally sent Orientation Week invites, despite only 7,000 applicants being accepted into first-year programs at the school each year.

In an emailed statement to Black Press Media, UBC associate registrar and director Andrew Arida said the emailed invite was to register for JumpStart, an orientation event for new students on campus.

READ MORE: UFV students regaining email access today, following hack and ransom demand

And while the invite was not a notification of admission, he said, the university is apologizing for any misunderstanding.

“We apologize for the confusion it caused for prospective students,” he said. “We know that waiting to find out if you have been accepted into university can be a very stressful time, and we are sorry for any uncertainty that this email created.”

Arida said the school is notifying all individuals who received the email in error, and advises all applicants to log into their Student Service Centre account for their admission status.


@ashwadhwani
ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.



About the Author: Ashley Wadhwani-Smith

I began my journalistic journey at Black Press Media as a community reporter in my hometown of Maple Ridge, B.C.
Read more