- A University of Glasgow honours student was wrongly told he failed to graduate, leading to his death on graduation day.
- An internal review found the student earned a 2:1 honours degree, but the error was missed by multiple exam boards.
- The university failed to provide necessary mental health support despite being informed of the student’s condition.
- The student’s family demands investigation into systemic issues and assurances no similar errors affect others.
- The university expressed regret and aims to reform grading and student welfare practices.
Ethan Scott Brown, a 23-year-old geography student at the University of Glasgow, tragically took his life after being wrongly told he had not met the requirements to graduate. In September 2024, the university informed him that he had not received a grade for one of his courses, making him ineligible for his honours degree.
However, after his family prompted an internal investigation, it was found that Ethan had actually earned enough marks for a 2:1 honours degree. Unfortunately, this correction came too late to change the outcome.
University errors and mental health failures linked to student’s death
The University of Glasgow admitted it made a “devastating mistake” by wrongly telling Ethan he failed a course needed for graduation. Neither university staff nor several internal and external exam boards caught the error at first.
The inquiry also revealed that even though Ethan reported struggling with his mental health, he did not receive adequate counselling or support. These failures significantly added to his distress. His family accused the university of failing to address both his academic record and mental health needs.
Ethan Brown was just 23-years old when he tragically took his own life after his university wrongly told him he didn’t have the grades to graduate.
His heartbroken family are asking how many more students might have been failed in the same way.@ajjenkins went to meet them. pic.twitter.com/saS86aCLOr
— Channel 5 News (@5_News) September 30, 2025
Family demands accountability and review of other cases
After this tragedy, Ethan’s mother and family have called for transparency and an investigation into whether similar grading errors have affected other students at the university.
They highlighted how the misinformation impacted Ethan’s mental health, labeling the university’s handling of his situation as a “failure.” They seek strong assurances that no other students will face similar risks due to administrative mistakes.
University’s response and commitment to improvements
The university expressed deep sympathy to the family and acknowledged the serious error. While calling the mistake a unique event, they committed to reviewing their grading and support systems to avoid future issues.
The university also recognized that they missed chances to better support Ethan during his mental health struggles. Officials pledged to learn from this tragedy to improve student assessment methods and welfare services.
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Last Updated on September 30, 2025 by 247 News Around The World