ST. LOUIS – A Saint Louis University student found out she was not accepted into her program of choice after already spending tens of thousands of dollars on classes.

Almost two years ago, Abigail English applied and was accepted into a dual program at SLU, the Master of Public Health and Physicians Assistant program. For her, it was a dream come true.

“We were all just crying together. It was the best thing that could’ve happened to me in a very long time,” English said.

Her acceptance letter, dated January 2023, says, “Congratulations! I am pleased to inform you that you have been provisionally admitted to the MPH/PA program at Saint Louis University for Fall 2023.”

It brought her one step closer to a career in medicine that she has wanted since her dad’s own medical emergency.

“My love for medicine and biology just accelerated,” she said.

English took out student loans and started public health classes last fall, which is part one of the dual program. But after she started those classes, she found out she could not enroll in physician assistant courses, which is part two. So, English reached out to attorney Dan Rhoads.

“According to the university, there was an application that Abigail failed to complete, but as I said, the steps that the university had laid out in front of her in order to apply for the dual degree program, Abigail had completed all of them,” Rhoads said.

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He sent a letter to SLU on her behalf but had no luck getting English enrolled in the PA program. The mix-up is because for dual programs, SLU requires students to apply to each program separately.

Even though the application English filled out says it was for the “Dual Degree,” SLU says she did not apply for the PA degree. When she re-applied, she was rejected by the university, writing that her GPA was not high enough, an issue English addressed in her original application to the program.

FOX 2 called SLU several times Friday to get her answers. A spokesman told us the university recognizes the wording on the letter could have caused confusion.

“Federal privacy laws prevent the university from discussing specific student records. However, we understand there may have been confusion regarding our dual degree program admissions process.

“In a dual degree program, a student is admitted into two degree programs and pursues them both concurrently. As clearly outlined on the SLU website, students must apply separately to both programs and be accepted into each to pursue the dual degree. If a student is admitted to one program but not the other, they remain eligible to pursue the degree in the program to which they were admitted.

“We recognize that the form letter that was being issued could have caused confusion, and steps were taken to correct any misunderstandings as soon as the issue came to our attention.

“SLU is committed to providing clear and accurate information. We are currently reviewing our admissions letters for all of our dual-degree programs to ensure all communications are as clear as possible going forward. We also remain dedicated to supporting all students throughout their academic journey.”

“If I had known at the beginning that I was not accepted into both programs, I would not have started,” English said.

But for now, English’s aspirations are still on hold.

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