The State University of New York at Buffalo was forced to apologize this week after mistakenly emailing 5,000 prospective students to tell them that their application for admission had been accepted.

According to the Buffalo News, the admissions office gaffe meant the emails were sent to approximately 20 percent of applicants for the class of 2020.

Spokesman John DellaContrada says the mistaken email was sent Wednesday to students whose applications hadn't been fully reviewed. The university sent a second email about three to four hours later notifying the students of the gaffe and apologizing for it.

The university posted a statement on its website saying the "miscommunication occurred when an incorrect email list was generated from an applicant database."

According to the News, the second email explained that the school had intended to send a message reminding prospective applicants to fill out federal financial aid forms.

"In fact, we are still reviewing your application for admission and haven’t made a final decision on your acceptance to the university," the email signed by university vice provost Lee Melvin said. The email added that students who received the mistaken email would be updated on their application status by April 22.

In the past, prestigious colleges such as Carnegie Mellon University, Johns Hopkins University and Fordham University. In 2009, the University of California at San Diego sent accidental acceptance letters to 28,000 prospective students were were supposed to receive rejection notices.

The University at Buffalo has about 30,000 students. The News reports the school anticipates receiving 5,450 freshman and transfer students this fall.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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