Apr 23, 2015 1 min read

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Drexel University in Philadelphia is apologizing to hundreds of applicants who were denied admission but then mistakenly received follow-up emails congratulating them on getting in.

The university says the follow-up emails were intended only for admitted students. Though they contained a congratulatory note, their purpose was to remind the admitted students about a reply deadline.

The emails went out in error to 495 students who had been denied admission to Drexel or submitted incomplete applications.

Seventeen-year-old Tearra Bookard told WTXF-TV the email came three weeks after she was denied admission. She immediately told friends and family the good news only to find out seven hours later it was a mistake. She calls it a “slap in the face.”

In 1994, the university mistakenly sent early acceptance letters to 25 students.