University of Kentucky by mistake accepts 500,000 students

The said programme historically accepts only 35 to 40 students a year.

The acceptance email was sent to pupils on March 15 saying, "We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the selective Clinical and Management program in the University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences for Fall 2021."

However, the school followed up with another email less than 24 hours later and apologized for its mistake, citing a “technical issue”.

Students said they worried they might have accidentally applied and were fearful they were taking another student's spot. 

“Only a handful of those on the prospect list had been admitted to UoK,” University of Kentucky spokesperson Jay Blanton said. “The vast majority had not, nor had the vast majority of these students expressed an interest in the program. Nevertheless, we regret the communication error and have sent correspondence to all those who were contacted, offering our apologies.”

The acceptance was for this fall in the clinical leadership and management program in the College of Health Sciences.

“A very small number — a handful” of students who received the acceptance email “had expressed interest in this particular program,” and all students who should have been admitted received their acceptance letters, Blanton said.

Mary Dougherty, a senior from San Antonio, Texas, received the email.

“I was like, ‘Mom, I just got accepted into the University of Kentucky.’ And she’s like, ‘Oh, I didn’t know you applied to the University of Kentucky.’ And I was like, ‘oh, I did not,’” Dougherty told the station.

Other students said they never applied to the UK, visited or even went on its website.

“I had to Google it just to make sure it was a real college because, like, I’ve heard of them,” said Erin Esping, a senior from Georgia