WASHINGTON– A’Zariah Miles’ dream of attending Howard University was just weeks away from becoming a reality. Then everything fell apart.

Miles, 17, of Knoxville, Tennessee, is one of more than 500 incoming freshmen at Howard who learned this week that they had been dropped from the prestigious historically black university in Washington, D.C., and no longer have spots for the upcoming fall semester that begins Aug. 17.

Many have taken to social media, some crying, to share their stories. Some posts have gone viral.

After Miles learned they had been disenrolled, his mother, Kendra Miles, said the school’s automated system would not allow the family to enroll in a payment plan because the amount owed made them ineligible to enroll.

“I’ve been reaching out since we got the email (Wednesday). I’ve emailed literally everyone,” Kendra Miles said. “I emailed his advisor. He responded and said it wasn’t a mistake and there was nothing they could do.”

On Friday, Howard confirmed in an email that the school sent notifications to “502 first-time college students whose accounts did not reflect required enrollment and financial obligations in the previously communicated timelines.”

Starting in March, withdrawn students began receiving specific communications about enrollment requirements, payment expectations and deadlines via email and orientation sessions, the school said.

“The university recognizes that time differences may have occurred between the time financial aid was reflected and the time charges were finalized,” Howard said in the email. “Students who believe their account does not accurately reflect their financial situation as of the deadline should contact the Bursar’s Office. Each case will be reviewed individually to determine if adjustments or reinstatement are appropriate.”

Howard, one of about 100 historically black colleges and universities in the United States, had an undergraduate enrollment last fall of about 11,000. The average annual tuition for undergraduates living on campus is approximately $38,000. Housing costs are around $13,600.

Laverne Mickens advises students and their families on how to apply for college scholarships. Mickens said he responded to more than 400 emails on Wednesday and Thursday from students and families affected by the enrollment situation at Howard. He said most of them were strangers and were “frantic and crying.”

“People are devastated,” said Mickens, who runs The Scholarship College Mama LLC, which is not affiliated with Howard. “Parents say, ‘Can you help us? Howard unenrolled us.'”

A’Zariah Miles, who plans to major in biology, chose Howard over other schools that accepted her. Now she’s worried it’s too late in the summer to enroll elsewhere.

“Everyone has accommodations booked, or I can’t sign up because it’s too late or because I missed orientation,” he said. “I’ve been trying to stay hopeful with Howard, but I really don’t have much time before school starts and I really don’t want to have a gap year.”

Like Miles and others, Saniah Collins learned Wednesday that she was no longer enrolled at Howard.

“My mom is part of a group of parents on the chat,” said Collins, 17, from Atlanta. “That day we found out that many students were being dropped.”

Collins received an email from the school Wednesday afternoon that said the July 10 deadline to pay the tuition balance or make payment arrangements had passed and the school could no longer fill her spot.

But Collins said an advisor also told him that most of his fall semester balance was already paid. She won’t give up.

“I worked like crazy to get into this school,” Collins said. “Howard has been my everything. My entire senior year, my entire summer, I consistently worked on scholarships. We tried to stay 10 steps ahead to make sure we were on the right page.”

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Williams is a member of AP’s Race & Ethnic team. Reported from Detroit.