son failed exam today and now wants to leave

That may be best, but not necessarily to leave, maybe to change!

I went to Leeds uni. I wanted to do computers at A-level, but my dad said "only whizz kids do computers, you should do science, like me!" So I did. I went and did fire science. A very interesting course that would have given me a very interesting career, but I couldn't do it, it was too hard! I didn't fail any exams after my first year, but knew that I would only get a third at the end of the degree and struggle to find a job. I looked around the university at other courses, and simple phoned up the computer dept of the uni and said, I like the look of this course can I change?! I was told yes! And started that September.

During the three years I learned a lot, worked for HP for a year, and after graduating with a 2:1 I now work for a very large British Telecoms *cough* company, doing what I love earning more money than I would have if I was still a fire scientist!!!

What am I saying? Well, maybe he shouldn't leave, but there is absolutely no harm is assessing his situation, thinking "is this what I really want?" and if not, doing something about it. Everyone makes mistakes in their lives so there is no harm in simple starting again. Uni is great fun, but you have to work hard at it to get results. I personally feel it should also be regarded as a privilege and if you're not doing what you want then change to a course you do want to do and make the most of it, so its much more worthwhile in the end and not just a wasted experience. You dont want after three years and £15k worth of debt to come out at the end with a low pass mark because you didn't like/understand/care for your degree and then do something completely different thinking the last three years were a waste. I have nearly £16K worth of student debt, but know that it was worth it and pleased that I changed for the better.

But, if he is on the right course and has failed because he is drinking too much, not going to lectures and sleeping with too many freshers, then give him a kick up the !!!! and tell him to knuckle down. Bloody students, dont know they're born! :D

If he's working and failing then yes it's a waste of time and money. If he's been a bit lazy then stay - also matters what year too really.

Like others have said, we really need more info about his age and stage of the course he is on.

part of learning is sometimes we have to learn the hard way - i.e. discover we aren't working hard enough by failing a test. Exams are one way of assessing how we are progressing on a course.

Is this a final exam, can he resit?

why is it he wants to drop out - is he ashamed he failed, does he not like the subject and this has brought things to a head or is there another reason?

All you can do is explore the reasons why your son failed and why he wants to leave (as two seperate subjects) with him and let him talk to you about it. I would be inclined not to encourage him one way or another. Although if he is over the half way mark, he may want to consider the time and money already spent on getting to that point...

Good luck

Most first year results dont count towards a final grade, but have to be passed to progress to second year. He ideally needs to find out why he failed, a lot of first years don't put in the effort they really should do, which I think could be why these results often don't count. But that depends on the course.
Also, he needs to sit down and think why he picked the course, is it what he really wants to do? I don't mean to assume anything, it may be the course is wrong for him, but it could well be he wasn't putting the effort in-a uni degree is a much more self managed learning process compared to A-Levels and some struggle to adjust. I agree its wise to take the resit, then see how things progress.

Not true. University qualifications in junk degrees are not worth the paper they're written on, but you try getting a job as a doctor without a medicine degree.

Despite the government's attempts to reduce the value of higher education, proper degrees are still valued by employers.