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Commencement 2026

In Focus

Celebrating the Class of 2026

Conan O'Brien at the Commencement podium

At Commencement, Conan called for humility

During his Commencement speech, Conan O’Brien poked fun at the University’s history and culture while also urging the Class of 2026 to set their sights beyond their academic achievements.

College Class Day

Comedian Ronny Chieng urged students to follow their passion and find clarity of purpose.

Ronny Chieng talking at a podium

Baccalaureate address

In his address to the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ College Class of 2026, President Alan Garber urged students to seek out the mountains worth climbing.

Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ President Alan Garber at a podium

Phi Beta Kappa exercises

At the 234th literary exercises of the University’s chapter of PBK, speakers urged Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ grads to build character.

Meghan O’Rourke at a podium

ROTC Commissioning Ceremony

Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Richard Clark instilled the importance of leadership on the 19 graduates who were commissioned as second lieutenants.

Lieutenant General Rich Clark talking on stage

Honorary degrees

The University conferred five honorary degrees during the Commencement ceremony.

Five people who will receive honorary degrees

Photos from the day

Fair Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­!

We join in thy jubilant throng,
And with blessings
surrender thee o’er
By these festival rites,
from the age that is past,
To the age that is waiting before.

students celebrate at Commencement

Graduates from the School of Education celebrating graduation.

A mortarboard with a nice saying written on it
Conan O'Brien receiving an honorary degree

Commencement speaker Conan O’Brien receiving an honorary degree.

Students celebrating Commencement

School of Design graduates entering Tercentenary Theatre.

People in 1700s garb marching

John Nichols leads his group, the Middlesex County Volunteers Fifes & Drums, into Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Yard as part of the Commencement Exercises.

Students cheering at Commencement

Graduates from the Divinity School celebrating with hand clappers.

Students seated for Commencement

Law School graduates awaiting Commencement.

Students celebrating Commencement

Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Chan School graduates cheering on there way to their seats.

A graduate blows bubbles at Commencement.

A graduate celebrates Commencement with bubbles.

Alan Garber

President Alan Garber waving at graduates on his way to the stage.

Meet the grads

Explore our student profiles to learn about the dedicated scholarship and ambitious plans of graduates from all of Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­â€™s degree-granting Schools.

Learn more about the Class of 2026

Exploring our scholarship

Students from all across the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ community share the research they focused on while pursuing their degrees.

SEAS students Kuma McCraw and Mikaya Parente designed a drone to launch vertically from a small research vessel—eliminating the need for a runway—and then transition into fixed-wing flight for efficient long-duration operation.

Graduating students at the School of Dental Medicine presented research spanning artificial intelligence, clinical care, global health, and more.

Explore Jess Jenkins' thesis

Connecting neighborhoods with life outcomes

Jess Jenkins won Radcliffe’s Fay Prize for her Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ College thesis on how much children’s adult outcomes depend on those of their parents. Her thesis became New Zealand’s first suburb-level intergenerational income mobility estimates.

Lauren Bartel’s senior thesis, which studied families of Florida scrub-jays, produced one of the first direct measurements of large-scale DNA mutations in any wild vertebrate.

Andrew Bair’s dissertation focused on ring forts, the most numerous archaeological site type in Ireland. His research challenges the accepted chronology of Irish settlement in the Middle Ages.

For her award winning senior thesis, Gauri Sood explored the gender, race, and age biases that popular image generating artificial intelligence models have.

School events

Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ College and the graduate and professional Schools host additional Commencement events unique to their communities.