A 21-year-old student from Malaysia has filed a lawsuit against his international boarding school over the purported mishandling of his recommendation letters, causing him to be rejected by 15 U.S. universities, Malaysiakini reported.

The student and his parents filed the writ of summons on Jan. 3 at the Kuala Lumpur High Court, identifying his school in the state of Negeri Sembilan, with four other individuals as defendants.

Improper handling of recommendation letters

The 21-year-old student, who claimed he performed well academically, alleged that the improper handling of his recommendation letters led to his rejection from 15 universities in U.S., including Harvard, Stanford, and Yale in March last year.

He was only accepted into three U.S. universities— Washington University, University of California in San Diego, and University of California in Davis— all of whom did not require letters of recommendation.

The student alleged that the defendants failed to make sure that his recommendation letters were signed by teachers he had personal interactions with during his time in school.

This, in turn, hindered the requirements of many U.S. universities, which require signatures of qualified persons and legal employees on applicants' recommendation letters.

Unethical Practices

The 21-year-old made several declarations against the defendants, including accusing them of committing a breach of contract for failing to give the necessary support for his bid to enter U.S. universities.

He also accused the defendants of "unethical practices" for supposedly using the same standardised content for recommendation letters, and allegedly committing negligence.

Jeopardised future opportunities and earnings

The student claimed that the defendants' mistakes have jeopardised his future career opportunities and potential future earnings.

The 21-year-old student and his parents are seeking multiple reliefs from the defendants, including having them send a written statement to the U.S. universities to explain and admit their alleged oversight and negligence.

Top image via Mung Khat/Google.