Family of student who took his own life say University of Glasgow ‘failed’ their son

The mother of a student who took his own life after being told he could not graduate has claimed that the University of Glasgow “failed” her son, following a recent Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) report.

Geography student Ethan Scott Brown was due to graduate with a 2:1 degree, but was incorrectly told that he had failed the course in September 2024.

The 23-year-old was found dead in his bedroom by his mother, Tracy Scott, on the morning of 13 December 2024, the day his graduation would have taken place.

An internal investigation revealed that the university had awarded Ethan the wrong grade. The university claimed that no other students had been affected by similar errors.

The university made little communication with students who were at risk of not graduating

However, the University of Glasgow was found to pose a “systematic risk to academic standards”, after broader concerns outside of Scott Brown’s death were raised by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) on 2 July 2025.

The subsequent QAA report revealed that two more Geography students were given incorrect outcomes, while there were five other potential cases.

Among 21 specific recommendations for areas of improvement, the report called for extra “liaison meetings” over the next two academic years to track the university’s progress.

The report also recommended that the university’s next external peer review take place in the 2027-28 academic year, one year sooner than planned.

On 28 January, ITV News reported that the university must submit an action plan within four weeks in response.

Alongside the SFC’s concerns about the management of extension requests and the decision-making processes of degrees, the QAA report also revealed that the university made little communication with students who were at risk of not graduating.

A spokesperson from the university expressed its ‘deepest sympathy’ to Ethan’s family, stating that ‘the university fully accepts the recommendations made by the QAA peer review’

Mrs Scott stated that Ethan had indeed asked for help, but had not been offered support by the university.

Following the findings of the report, she is concerned that the “incompetence” of the university is placing other students at “serious risk”.

Aamer Anwar, lawyer for Ethan’s family and former rector at the University of Glasgow, has called the investigation “a damning indictment of systemic failures at the university”, and said that the family wants “no further manipulation of the facts”.

A spokesperson from the university expressed its “deepest sympathy” to Ethan’s family, stating that “the university fully accepts the recommendations made by the QAA peer review”.

They added that the university will work to implement these recommendations through a “comprehensive plan that builds on current change projects”.