Context #1:

Tom: Did you pass your physics class this semester?
Brian: Yeah, but I barely scraped by. I almost failed!

Context #2:

Jennifer: This Russian class I’m taking is so hard.
Whitney: Are you failing it?
Jennifer: I’m not failing, but I am just scraping by. It’s super difficult.

Meaning: to just scrape by is used when you are barely passing a class. You are right on the border of passing or failing.

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