Darren Dawidiuk and Dan Robson scored Gloucester's tries, both converted by Tim Taylor, with the fly half also adding a drop goal. However, it wasn't quite enough despite a huge amount of commitment on the night.
Postives saw Ryan Mills get through the whole 80 minutes on his return from an ankle injury while Academy colleagues Gareth Evans and Rob Langley both did well in the back row.
Evans backed up several fine performances for Hartpury in recent weeks with a physical display in which he carried well.
Dawidiuk also carried well and was rewarded with a try from a catch and drive while Robson looked lively when he came on at half time and scored an opportunist try from a quickly taken tap penalty.
