COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A state agency is telling 3,000 college scholarship recipients in South Carolina that their personal information was posted online for 10 months.

The Commission on Higher Education sent a letter to students who earned Palmetto Fellows scholarships, saying their names, addresses and Social Security numbers were posted in May 2017 when the agency switched programs.

The letter says a student found the information during a web search. It is only supposed to be available to colleges.

The commission says fewer than five people tried to access the page. The agency apologized in the letter sent Sunday.

The breach pales in comparison to a 2012 hacking of the state Revenue Department, where the data of more than 6 million South Carolina taxpayers and businesses was stolen.

Hispanic Outlook is an education magazine in the US available both in print and digital form.  Visit https://www.hispanicoutlook.com/education-magazine for information about our latest issue.

Renew your subscription to Hispanic Outlook here