The mother of a student who took his own life after wrongly being told that he would not be eligible to be awarded his degree has said he was failed by the university. Ethan Scott Brown, 23, was due to graduate in December 2024 after studying geography at the University of Glasgow. But his family, from Coatbridge in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, said that in September 2024 Ethan was told that he had not been awarded a grade for one course and would therefore not be eligible to graduate with an Honours degree.
They said that as a result he went on to take his own life on December 13 2024, the day he should have been graduating, and was found dead in his bedroom by his mother Tracy Scott early that morning. The family say that after Ethan’s mother sought answers from the university, an internal investigation produced a report confirming that he had actually been awarded the wrong grade for that course due to an error by the university and should in fact have graduated with a 2:1 Honours degree. They claim that the error was not spotted by any University of Glasgow staff, nor identified by two internal exam boards, and one external exam board.
Speaking at a press conference at the family solicitor’s office in Glasgow on Tuesday, Ethan’s mother said: “My son, Ethan, was so happy to be accepted to study at the University of Glasgow. We as a family were delighted for him.
“Ethan was a kind, caring young man who was very much loved. So it breaks my heart to now be aware of the mental anguish this university must have caused my son.
“Ethan left this world believing he had failed, and the University of Glasgow were correct. The truth is, Ethan had successfully attained a 2:1 honours degree, despite the university repeatedly informing him he had been unsuccessful.
“They failed him, not only academically, but also to support him. My son was failed from having a duty of care from the educational system, resulting in my family having been robbed from having Ethan in our lives.
“We seek justice for Ethan in the hope that other students and their families do not have to experience the pain that myself and my family will have to live with forever.”
The University of Glasgow released a statement saying: “Ethan Brown was a final-year undergraduate student in the BSc Geography programme who was due to complete his degree in summer 2024.
“The university wrongly informed him that he did not have the necessary credits to graduate.
“Tragically, Ethan took his own life on December 13 2024, following which his family contacted the university seeking information about his studies.
“Upon investigation, the university identified the error and commissioned an internal report by a recently retired senior professor into the circumstances; this was shared with Ethan’s family on its completion.
“The Deputy Vice Chancellor and the compiler of the report met with representatives of the family in early February 2025 to talk through the findings and offer a sincere apology as well as our deepest sympathies.
“The report found that a tragic error had been made in calculating Ethan’s degree outcome.”
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