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(CNN) -- The university giveth, and the university taketh away.

A computer glitch mistakenly caused around 2,500 applicants to Middlesex University in the United Kingdom to receive acceptance letters to study at the school in error.

The error affected prospective students who applied through the University and College Application System, a firm that handles higher education applications.

The letters went out between July 28 and August 5, and the university said it has sent both text and e-mail notifications to affected applicants clarifying the situation last week.

A representative for the university said in a statement that the applicants who received the notices already had conditional offers from the school and were waiting... on exam results before receiving unconditional offers to study at Middlesex.

The situation isn't without precedent.

This year, several applicants to George Washington University received acceptance letters -- after already getting letters of rejection. According to student newspaper The GW Hatchet, the error happened after heavy snowfall slowed postal delivery, causing the school to opt for e-mail notifications instead.

Last year, an estimated 28,000 students received e-mails congratulating them on their acceptance to University of California-San Diego after being previously denied admission, according to the Los Angeles Times.

A staffer mistakenly sent letters to the entire applicant pool of 47,000, when they were only supposed to go to the 18,000 who were accepted, the newspaper said.

Middlesex University said it will consider each applicant as usual once they receive their test results.