--- description: The State University of New York at Buffalo accidentally sent out acceptance letters to more than 5,000 people who had not yet made the cut. title: University Mistakenly Sends 5,000 Acceptance Letters to Wrong Students image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0af9df03e53e8676/69888f7dab6d779bc16a94b6/university-buffalo-acceptance-emails.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # University Mistakenly Sends More Than 5,000 Acceptance Letters to Wrong Students  by [Melissa Chan](/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 18, 2016 4:51 PM CUT  University at Buffalo sign on the campus in Buffalo, N.Y. on Feb. 15, 2012. University at Buffalo sign on the campus in Buffalo, N.Y. on Feb. 15, 2012.David Duprey—AP  by [Melissa Chan](/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 18, 2016 4:51 PM CUT The [State University of New York at Buffalo](http://www.buffalo.edu/ "undefined") accidentally sent out acceptance letters to more than 5,000 applicants who had not yet made the cut. The university [apologized for the mistake](http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2016/04/039.html "undefined") on Friday, saying the “unfortunate error in communication” happened when an incorrect email list was generated from an applicant database. “The University at Buffalo sincerely regrets this error, as well as any stress it may have caused students and families who received the letters,” it said in a statement. “We know that this can be a stressful time for prospective students and their families.” At least 5,100 applicants received the premature acceptance letters, [NBC News](http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/new-york-s-university-buffalo-accidentally-sends-5-100-acceptance-n557366 "undefined") reports. They were emailed an apology letter clearing up the mishap within a few hours after officials realized the error, the university said. However, the university said the students affected by the mistake are still being considered for admission. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4297673/university-buffalo-acceptance-letters/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4297673/university-buffalo-acceptance-letters/"},"headline":"University Mistakenly Sends More Than 5,000 Acceptance Letters to Wrong Students","datePublished":"2016-04-18T16:51:29.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T09:30:49.556Z","description":"“The University at Buffalo sincerely regrets this error\"","url":"https://time.com/4297673/university-buffalo-acceptance-letters/","keywords":["New York"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0af9df03e53e8676/69888f7dab6d779bc16a94b6/university-buffalo-acceptance-emails.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Chan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0af9df03e53e8676/69888f7dab6d779bc16a94b6/university-buffalo-acceptance-emails.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"NYPD Intelligence Colleges","caption":"University at Buffalo sign on the campus in Buffalo, N.Y. on Feb. 15, 2012.","creditText":"David Duprey—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4297673/university-buffalo-acceptance-letters/","name":"University Mistakenly Sends More Than 5,000 Acceptance Letters to Wrong Students"}}]}] ```