Mayo Clinic offers apology for sending medical school acceptances by mistake

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Mayo Clinic offers apology for sending medical school acceptances by mistake

By
Matthew Brenden

February 15, 2020

Mayo Clinic Gonda Building entrance with blue sky in the background

ROCHESTER, Minn. ― On Thurs., Feb. 13, 2020, Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine erroneously emailed 364 letters of acceptance to talented, engaging individuals seeking an appointment at the medical school.

Soon after the emails were sent, a technical error was discovered and the letters of acceptance were withdrawn via email. All affected applicants have been personally contacted by phone. We deeply regret having caused disappointment and stress to these applicants, and we are continuing to investigate the issue.

Below are questions and answers regarding the situation:

What caused the error? We are investigating and performing a root cause analysis to insure that this never occurs again.
Were all accepted students notified? Yes, all accepted students have been notified.
When do classes start? July 2020.
How many new students are accepted each year? Approximately 50 candidates are matriculated to Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, Minnesota campus, while another 50 students commence their studies on our Arizona campus for a total class size of approximately 100 students.
So far, how many students have been informed or received a follow-up call? All affected applicants have been contacted by phone.
There has been reaction online: anger, students upset, what has Mayo done to address this? Each affected applicant was contacted by phone and issued an apology. We are truly sorry to each of the students who were adversely affected and sincerely apologize for increasing their stress during the tense admissions season.
How will students who have been accepted be notified? Applicants will be notified of their acceptance to the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine via a phone call.
How are the folks at Mayo feeling about this? We are embarrassed and deeply regret having caused disappointment and significant stress to these applicants. We are committed to insuring that this never happens again.

Media Contact: Ashley Peck, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs,
507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu