Central Michigan U. Gives Full Rides in Tech Error
Parker Christensen's celebration was short-lived. Two days later after the scholarship offer, he received a message from the university letting him know his selection was a mistake.
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After giving a full-ride scholarship to some students by mistake, Central Michigan University will award what amounts to a full-tuition scholarship to 58 students.
This comes after the university apologized for its mistake, claiming there was a messaging technology error, according to WZZM13, an ABC affiliate.
Parker Christensen, a 17-year-old student who was accepted to CMU’s fall 2022-2023 undergraduate program, was one of the affected students. He applied for the prestigious Centralis Scholar Award in November and on Jan. 21, he learned that he was selected.
“I was proud of myself. I was happy with what I worked for; I got something in return from it and it was amazing,” Christensen told WZZM13. “I couldn’t believe it.”
That celebration was short-lived. Two days later, when he received a message from the university letting him know his selection was a mistake.
“That literally just tore me apart,” he said. “I told family members and friends and everyone’s congratulating me and I have to go back and tell them something actually happened. I didn’t get it.”
In a statement, CMU said it regrets the mistake and understands the disappointment and anger of the affected and their families, according to the outlet.
CMU increased Christensen’s Maroon and Gold Scholarship Award by a few thousand dollars as a result of the mistake. It doesn’t amount to a full ride offer, he said.
The university wouldn’t say how many students were affected and how they’d prevent something similar from happening again in the future.