400 have University of Ulster offers withdrawn

More than 400 students who were told they were getting a place at the University of Ulster have had their unconditional offers withdrawn within hours as they were made in error.

Prof Richard Millar, dean of the faculty of computing and engineering at the Jordanstown campus, has apologised.

He said the university would contact everybody involved.

I would love to be in a situation where we could tell these applicants, yes, we will stand over this and honour this, however that is not going to happen”

Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show, Prof Millar said an email was sent out to all applicants by mistake.

"This email went out to all live applicants in the system regardless of what result they had achieved," he said.

"We normally carried out the (acceptance) process by postal service and this is the first time we had tried this new system of communication with applicants by email.

"Clearly things have gone wrong and that's something we would want to put right and we will put additional checks in place to ensure that this is not repeated."

He added that the mistake was confined to the one faculty. The University of Ulster has campuses in Belfast, Jordanstown, Coleraine and in Londonderry.

Prof Millar said it would be impossible to accept all those who applied due to funding reasons and physical space limitations.

"I would love to be in a situation where we could tell these applicants, yes, we will stand over this and honour this, however that is not going to happen."

One caller to the programme said she had been affected.

"I don't think it's on, I think they should be standing by their unconditional offer," she said.

"I had back-up plans if I had not got the grades to get into university, but I have contacted them to say I had got onto this course and I am now left with nothing.

"They need to stand by what they have told us, they can't go back on their word."