Email Blunder at York University Sparks Confusion Among Graduate School Applicants

Several prospective graduate students at York University were left puzzled this week after receiving congratulatory emails about their supposed acceptance, months after being officially rejected.

Edward Yusseem, who had applied to the Master’s program in Psychology, was among the recipients of the unexpected message. “The subject line just said, ‘Congratulations on your acceptance,’” Yusseem recalled. “It threw me off completely, I’d already been turned down back in January.”

Initially hopeful, Yusseem chose not to celebrate right away. Instead, he logged into MyFile, York’s applicant portal, to confirm his status. Unfortunately, it still listed his application as rejected.

“I was caught between two conflicting messages,” he said. “I didn’t know what to believe.”

Seeking clarification, Yusseem contacted the university and eventually reached someone in the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies. “They explained that it was a mistake, the email was sent in error,” he said.

York University later issued a statement acknowledging the mix-up. According to the university, the email intended for admitted students as an invite to a webinar was mistakenly sent to a larger group of applicants. Although the message was not an official acceptance, the university recognized that it may have led to “understandable confusion.”

“An immediate follow-up was sent to those impacted, explaining the situation and offering our apologies,” a university spokesperson said. The erroneous message reportedly reached less than half of the total graduate applicant pool, though exact numbers weren’t disclosed.

Applicants were advised to disregard the initial email, with assurances that the actual status of their applications remained unchanged. A contact email was also provided for those seeking more information.

Another applicant, Zubin Gell, who applied to the Urban Planning Master’s program, said he initially believed the email signaled good news. “I shared it with my family and friends, even posted about it online,” he said. That excitement turned to surprise when he later read the correction email.

“It’s wild that such a large institution could make this kind of error,” Gell said. Despite the incident, he added that if he’s ultimately accepted, he’d still consider attending.

Yusseem, on the other hand, has since committed to another graduate program starting this summer. While he recognizes that mistakes happen, he expressed frustration over the experience.

“In a process that’s already so expensive and stressful, communication should be precise,” he said. “Getting a message like that out of the blue, with no explanation at first ,it’s not something applicants should have to deal with.”