SUTD apologises after graduates get transcripts with formatting errors, denies they were due to AI

The Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) has apologised after graduates received transcripts with formatting errors at the school's commencement ceremony.

After the ceremony on May 30 and 31, an individual claiming to be a recent graduate wrote to Mothership about receiving a transcript with errors.

The mistakes were found in the text printed at the back of the transcript.

They include extra and missing spacing, and "?" characters where spaces should be between words.

A number of students allegedly also had some extra-curricular activities missing or repeated in the printing.

"Around 600 to 700 undergraduates would have received this transcript, all with the same errors, some with additional errors," the reader said.

They were unsure whether postgraduates were affected too.

Human errors

According to the reader, there was "general unhappiness" among the affected students, who also discussed the source of the errors on Telegram group chats.

The types of mistakes led the reader to believe that the transcripts were generated by artificial intelligence (AI).

In response to Mothership's queries, an SUTD spokesperson has clarified that the errors were human errors.

"We apologise for the formatting errors in the transcripts. They should have been checked and corrected," the spokesperson said.

"We will be reaching out to all affected graduates to make the necessary amendments. We will also put in place further checks to ensure that this doesn't happen again."

Requests for reprints

Several students made requests for their transcripts to be reprinted, the reader said.

On Jun. 16, the SUTD spokesperson added that the school had sent an email to all affected students.

The email also included a form that affected students can fill in to request a new transcript, the Mothership reader confirmed.

The school apologised for what happened in the email and said it recognised the mistake.