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Nov 13, 2024

BYU College of Nursing sends incorrect application decisions to prospective nursing students - BYU Daily Universe

BYU students who applied to the nursing program for the Winter 2025 semester were distressed after their application decision letters were sent to them incorrectly. The College of Nursing sent out

BYU students who applied to the nursing program for the Winter 2025 semester were distressed after their application decision letters were sent to them incorrectly.

The College of Nursing sent out their acceptance and denial letters to each student who applied on Friday, Oct. 25, but instead of sending the correct letters to each student, the college sent everyone both letters. Later in the evening, the College of Nursing sent out an apology email and the correct letters to each student.

“The College of Nursing is truly sorry that an error in a new system used to deliver admissions decisions caused a stressful situation for applicants to its program this past Friday,” the College of Nursing said. “Despite successful tests earlier in the day, the new system malfunctioned and sent both acceptance and rejection letters to all applicants.”

The college also directed all nursing applicants to Counseling and Psychological Services in an apology letter from the college’s dean.

Emma Hansen, a third-year student at BYU who applied to the nursing program, said both letters were sent out just a few minutes apart. The College of Nursing sent her a rejection letter at 5:47 p.m. on Oct. 25, then sent her an acceptance letter at 5:51 p.m.

“In my head, I was like, ‘Oh, possibly someone got accepted and declined it, I guess, and so I was next in line to be accepted,’” Hansen said. “Come to find out, my friend who was at my apartment had also applied, checked his e-mail and realized that he had gotten a rejection letter along with his acceptance letter.”

Hansen said after receiving her acceptance letter, she thought there must have been a mistake.

“I was like, ‘This is too good to be true. There's no way this is actually real,’” Hansen said. “There was no part of me that felt like I was going to get in just because it was my first time applying, and no one really gets in their first time.”

After reaching out to other prospective nursing students who had applied, Hansen learned everyone had received both letters. At 6:36 p.m. that same night, the College of Nursing notified Hansen that there had been a glitch, and Hansen received her correct application decision at 8 p.m., almost an hour and a half later.

“I ended up not getting in, and my friend ended up getting in,” Hansen said. “I wasn't really sad about not getting in just because there's no part of me that felt like I was going to get accepted because no one gets in their first time, but the emotional turmoil of the back and forth of whether I got in or not was just kind of a lot.”

Hansen has not yet decided if she will apply again because she is three years into her education at BYU, and her heart wasn’t set on the nursing program.

“I'm kind of in a crisis now of, ‘Do I go through the effort to reapply? Or do I just move on to a different major?’” Hansen said.

Another student, who was accepted into the nursing program and preferred to remain anonymous, said she felt confused after the College of Nursing sent her both letters. The Winter 2025 semester application was her second time applying for the program.

“I have done so much to get into this program. I volunteer for BYU EMS, I work full time while being a full-time student, and I have a baby, so it was very frustrating,” the student said. “I felt very angry at BYU after they sent the apology email because I felt like even though I did everything to get in, I still wouldn’t be allowed.”

The College of Nursing is a competitive limited-enrollment program. The college said the Winter 2025 application cycle only accepted 45.8% of applicants.