Missing Edinburgh student had failed honours exams Russian student Yulia Solodyankina disappeared the day after discovering she would not get an honours degree. Yulia Solodyankina learned on June 6 that she would only receive an "ordinary degree" in physics from Edinburgh University. The following day the 21-year-old was spotted on CCTV at Buchanan Street Bus Station in Glasgow and has not been seen or heard from since. A close friend, who asked not to be named, said Yulia had not passed her fourth year exams, meaning she could not graduate with honours. At what should have been her graduation ceremony on Monday, the official programme did not list her among the students awarded an honours degree. The revelation may help explain why, despite anguished appeals from her parents to come home, the "stressed" 21-year-old has disappeared without trace. She left her home on June 7, travelled to Glasgow, and - police believe - onwards to the Highlands. Yulia started studying physics at Moscow University but switched to Edinburgh, joining the second year of the four-year degree, because she wanted to do a more practical course. The official programme for her graduation ceremony on Monday lists most of Yulia's classmates under the heading "Bachelor of Science with Honours." Yulia's name was under the heading "Bachelor of Science." University insiders said an "ordinary degree" - one without honours - was given at Edinburgh when a student chose to leave at the end of the third year or did not pass their fourth year. One of Yulia's friends, who asked not to be named, said: "She was supposed to get a physics bachelor but apparently she didn't pass her exams. The police confirmed. Another friend of the student, who also asked not to be named, said: "I worked with her a few times. We used to do group work in fourth year and she was really easy to get along with. She was a clever girl. He added: "The grades from third and fourth year count towards your classification. So she had passed third year. I would say something happened during her fourth year. Another source at the university confirmed that Yulia's results were released the day before she disappeared. "The board of examiners released the physics school results on the 6th of June," said the source. Galina Galimova, Yulia's best friend at home in Moscow, said: "They were not grades that were released on the 6th but a list of people who would get honors diplomas." She added: "Unfortunately, neither me, nor her parents have new information because the police do not tell us anything. I am lost for words, crying a lot and asking myself: Why did this happen? How can life ever be the same again? We have been friends for five years, first meeting at Moscow State University where we were studying together before Yulia moved to Edinburgh. But still we remained best friends, chatting every day and visiting each other. Stressed Last weekend, Yulia's boyfriend of six months, engineering student Antoine Dao, 21, revealed she had been "very stressed" during the exams. Yulia's father, Dmitry Solodyankin, last month said he had been told by his daughter she had been awarded a 2.1 honours degree. The 45-year-old said: "She usually got good grades. She told us that she had received a 2:1 honours degree. This is different to Russia but we understand that it is still a good grade. The hunt for Yulia is now focusing on the Highlands and islands of Scotland. Yulia and her mother visited Skye in April this year. Chief Inspector Mark Patterson said: "We think she may have travelled either to the Highlands or to Argyll and Bute. A spokesman for Edinburgh University said: "The University can confirm that Julia Solodyankina was awarded the degree of Bachelor of Science Data Protection legislation prevents any further details on a student's personal information being released without the permission of that student. Asked about the release of exam results on June 6, the spokesman sad: "The release dates of exam results are an internal operational matter between the University of Edinburgh and its students and not something which the University would discuss with third parties." Police Scotland said it was a matter for the university but said they had worked closely with family and friends.