Cardiff University has apologised to the family of a "devoted" student who took her own life just hours after wrongly being told she had failed her exams and could not progress to the third year of her degree.
Mared Foulkes, 21, was in her second year studying pharmaceuticals at Cardiff University when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. And with the country on lockdown, the 21-year-old had to continue her studies online and via zoom calls.
An inquest heard that Ms Foulkes received an automated email from the university hours before her death saying that she had failed her recent exams and would not be moving on to the third year.
However, her result was later updated by the university to a pass. Tragically, Ms Foulkes, of Cae Uchaf Farm, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, had already taken her own life before the mistake was rectified.
After an inquest in October last year, the university said it will simplify its exams process after a coroner said it was "complex" and "confusing". Mared's parents Iona and Glyngwyn said they were sad it took their daughter's death to make changes.
Acting North West Wales Coroner, Katie Sutherland, wrote to Cardiff University urging them to clarify the system for sharing results after an inquest into Mared's death returned a conclusion of suicide.
Now the university has apologised to Mared's family and there will be changes to how exams results are communicated.
Vice Chancellor of Cardiff University Prof Colin Riordan told BBC Wales the correct process had been followed at the time, which meant resit marks were not confirmed until later.
But he admitted there was "room for confusion" and that now all marks will be sent out at the same time.
He said: "Exam results will be communicated in a way which leaves no room for confusion in the future. I apologise, absolutely.
"I'm deeply sorry for this sequence of events. It's a devastating set of circumstances and I absolutely understand the family's need for answers to their questions.
"I'm very happy of course to speak to Mared's parents, if that's what they would like."
Iona and Glyngwyn Foulkes told the BBC they were "encouraged" the university was changing the way results are shared.
"We believe that all students will benefit from such significant changes and they may even save some young lives," they said.
But they said they would have "wished for the courtesy and humanity of a personal apology".
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