The family of a University of Glasgow student who took his own life after being wrongly told he would not be eligible to graduate has settled a civil action against the university.
Ethan Scott Brown, 23, was due to graduate in December 2024 with an honours degree in geography.
His family said he was told in September that he had not received a grade for one course and would therefore not be eligible to graduate with honours.
Ethan died on December 13, 2024 — the day his graduation ceremony was due to take place.
He was found at home by his mother, Tracy Scott.
The university later found he had earned a 2:1
After Ethan’s family challenged the handling of his academic results, an internal investigation found that he had been incorrectly graded.
The investigation concluded that Ethan should in fact have graduated with a 2:1 honours degree.
According to the family, the error was not detected by university staff, two internal examination boards or an external examination board.
His mother later collected his degree posthumously.
Civil case settled
The family confirmed through solicitor Aamer Anwar that their civil action against the University of Glasgow has now been settled.
The amount of the settlement has not been disclosed.
In a statement, the family said they were devastated to discover that the grading error had passed through multiple levels of the university’s assessment system without being identified.
Family continues to call for investigation
Despite reaching a settlement, Ethan’s family said they will continue campaigning for a full and transparent investigation into the university’s academic processes, decision-making and student welfare procedures.
They have also raised concerns about the support Ethan received after disclosing difficulties with his mental health.
The family says more appropriate support may have prevented his death, although that has not been established as a formal finding.
Tracy Scott has called for a Fatal Accident Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding her son’s death.
The family is also due to meet Scotland’s Education Secretary, Màiri McAllan.
University apologises
The University of Glasgow has previously apologised over what happened and carried out an internal investigation into its assessment procedures.
It referred the matter to the Scottish Funding Council, which led to a targeted review by the Quality Assurance Agency.
The university said it accepted the recommendations from that review and was implementing them.
The family said their search for “truth and accountability” would continue despite the civil settlement.
