By Sally Hind

Copyright dailyrecord

The heartbroken family of a Glasgow student who took his own life after being wrongly told he could not graduate today said he died “believing he had failed”. Ethan Brown, 23, was found dead by his mum on what should have been his graduation day in December last year – three months after Glasgow University told him in error that he did not have the necessary credits. A month after his death, his shattered family discovered the Geography student had actually achieved a 2:1 honours degree. On Tuesday, the family held a press conference alongside their family lawyer Aamer Anwar, who branded the university’s conduct “shameful”. Mum Tracy accused the university of “repeated incompetence” in the months before her son’s death, saying they also failed to act after he reported suffering mental health problems. She said: “My son Ethan was so happy to be accepted to study at the University of Glasgow . We as a family were delight for him. “Ethan was a kind, caring young man who was very much loved and 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 obtained 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 his mental health. “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.” Ethan had dreamed of studying at the university since secondary school , writing in his sixth-year yearbook that in 10 years he expected to be “still begging Glasgow University to accept me”. The former Coatbridge High School pupil had been due to graduate in June 2024 but the university said an assignment had not been handed in. Ethan was unable to graduate and the family say the university failed to communicated with him throughout the summer but he hoped he would be able to graduate in December. In September he was told that he had not been awarded a grade for one course and would not be eligible to graduate. Mum Tracy found him dead in his bedroom on the morning of what should have been his ceremony. A report from the university into the tragedy stated that there was “misunderstanding or confusion” among the majority of staff interviewed about what should happen if an honours student fails to complete more than 75% of their total assessments. It said there had been “details of deteriorating health and distress” which could have alerted staff to Ethan’s mental health problems. Aamer Anwar said the family were “considering all options” of how to proceed but wanted assurances that the tragedy could never happen again, saying: “How many other hundreds of thousands of students at the University have been wrongly failed? “The University of Glasgow failed Ethan and his family believe he took his life as a result.” The family said the Principal of Glasgow University , Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli, along with the incoming principal has refused to meet the family unless they attended alone, without their lawyer, the former Rector of the University. A statement from the University of Glasgow said: “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. It indicated that this error should have been picked up during the exam board process. A further shortcoming involved communications with Ethan, including the fact that he was not referred to Student Support Services when he disclosed wellbeing concerns. “The University has checked all its records and is confident that the error in relation to Ethan’s marks was an isolated one and that no other students have been affected. Even so, we have undertaken a thorough review of our academic and wellbeing policies and practices. “We have also revised our training programmes for members of staff involved in exam boards. We continue to look for ways to further strengthen our quality assurance processes and our support for students. “We are profoundly sorry that this terrible event occurred and understand the deep distress it has caused Ethan’s family. The Principal has indicated to the family’s lawyers that he would be willing to have another meeting with the family to express his sympathies and discuss the actions taken by the University.”