Dozens of prospective college students who were mistakenly told they had won full-ride scholarships have received an apology — and offers of the equivalent of full-tuition scholarships “to make it right.'
School officials said 58 youths received messages last weekend while accessing the university portal telling them they had won a Centralis Scholars Award, which includes full tuition, room and board, money toward books and supplies, and a $5,000 “study away award."
Parker Christensen, a 17-year-old senior at Newaygo High School, said he was so excited to have won the scholarship he told his friends and family, and his mother posted about it on social media.“Colleges are supposed to make your dreams come true not destroy them or make you second guess if they are achievable,” Christensen told Central Michigan Life, CMU’s student newspaper.
“We deeply regret the disappointment and frustration caused by the test message error in the student portal,” CMU spokesman Aaron Mills said in a statement. “To make it right, we will be reaching out to each of the 58 students who saw the congratulatory message regarding the Centralis Scholarship and offering ... the equivalent of a full-tuition scholarship.”