The family of Ethan Brown, a 23-year-old geography student from Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, has reached a settlement with Glasgow University following his death in December 2024. Brown took his own life on 13 December 2024, the day he was scheduled to graduate, after being incorrectly informed that he had failed his degree when he should have been awarded a 2:1 honours degree. The amount of the settlement has not been disclosed.
An internal investigation by the university established that Brown had received an incorrect grade for one of his courses due to a university error. Remarkably, this mistake went undetected through multiple layers of the institution's quality assurance processes, including assessments by two internal exam boards and one external exam board. In September 2024, Brown had been told he had not received a grade for one course and would not be eligible to graduate with an honours degree.
Following the family's pursuit of answers, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) conducted an independent review and found that the university's processes posed a "systemic risk to academic standards". According to the QAA review, two other students in Glasgow's School of Geographical and Earth Sciences had also received incorrect outcomes, with five further cases under investigation.
How did the grading error occur?
The assessment system at Glasgow University was found to be fundamentally flawed in its design and operation. According to an independent assessment review, the QAA described the assessment code as complex and convoluted, with marks collated in varied, locally maintained spreadsheets and no consistent process to monitor exam-board outcomes across the university. This fragmented approach meant that errors could easily slip through without detection.
The family's solicitor Aamer Anwar stated that the mistake had passed through multiple levels of the university's assessment and examination process without being identified.
"Despite Ethan disclosing concerns about his mental health, he was not provided with appropriate support by the university that may have saved his life,"Anwar said. The university later acknowledged a shortcoming in communication that meant Brown was not referred to student support services despite flagging mental health concerns.
What did the investigation reveal about systemic failures?
The QAA's independent Targeted Peer Review uncovered widespread deficiencies in the university's academic systems. According to the QAA findings, the agency issued 21 recommendations to address the identified failures. The university has stated it accepts all recommendations and will implement them through a comprehensive improvement plan.
Aamer Anwar expressed the family's deep concern about the scale of the problems uncovered.
"Ethan's family remain deeply concerned by findings after being told of the 'systemic failures' within the university's academic systems and question how many other students may have been affected,"he said. The discovery that multiple students had been affected by similar errors raised questions about whether the grading failures extended beyond those formally identified.
What support was available to Ethan?
Despite Brown disclosing mental health concerns to the university, he was not directed to appropriate support services. The university's failure to connect him with student welfare resources represented a critical gap in its duty of care. Anwar emphasised that this absence of support may have been consequential to the tragic outcome.
Brown's mother Tracy previously described her son as "kind and caring" and someone who enjoyed his studies.
"He was looking forward to graduating and wanted to be like his aunt who also has a degree from the university,"she said. She later collected his degree during a graduation ceremony a year after his death, a bittersweet acknowledgment of the qualification he should have received.
What happens next in the investigation?
The settlement of the civil claim does not conclude all inquiries into Brown's death. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service continues a criminal investigation into potential health and safety offences and is considering whether a discretionary Fatal Accident Inquiry should be held into the circumstances surrounding his death. Such an inquiry would provide a formal examination of the facts and circumstances leading to his death.
The family has called for a Fatal Accident Inquiry to force the university to learn lessons and protect current and future students.
"The family continue to call for a full and transparent investigation into the university's academic processes, decision-making and student welfare procedures, or it is only a matter of time before another family experiences the same tragic loss,"Anwar said.
The family is scheduled to meet Education Secretary Màiri McAllan on Wednesday to discuss the broader issues raised by the case. Anwar noted that
"Whilst the family's civil claim has now concluded, they say their pursuit of answers will continue until they know that the university has truly learned lessons from Ethan's death."
What reforms is the university implementing?
The QAA has recommended that Glasgow University implement a simplified assessment programme by 2027–28 and conduct an earlier external peer review in 2027–28 to verify progress on the recommended changes. These measures are intended to prevent similar errors from occurring in the future and to strengthen the university's quality assurance mechanisms.
The university previously expressed its deepest sympathies to the family and acknowledged the gravity of the situation. A spokesman stated:
"We are profoundly sorry that this terrible event occurred and understand the deep distress it has caused Ethan's family."The institution also admitted there had been a shortcoming in communication that prevented Brown from being referred to student support services.
Key Facts
- Ethan Brown, 23, took his own life on 13 December 2024, the day he was due to graduate from Glasgow University with a 2:1 honours degree in geography.
- An internal investigation found he had been awarded an incorrect grade due to a university error that went undetected through multiple exam boards.
- The QAA identified two other students with incorrect outcomes and five further cases under investigation in the same school.
- The university's assessment system was found to use complex, convoluted processes with marks collated in varied, locally maintained spreadsheets with no consistent monitoring.
- The QAA issued 21 recommendations, and the university has committed to implementing them, including a simplified assessment programme by 2027–28.
