Purdue celebrates over 10,000 graduates for second consecutive year at spring commencement ceremonies

• President Mung Chiang’s keynote address and video of his speech
• Spring 2026 Commencement photo gallery
• Purdue commencement livestreams
• Purdue awards honorary doctorates to two distinguished Boilermaker alumni

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — More than 10,000 Purdue University graduates took their next giant leap during nine spring commencement ceremonies May 14-16 at Elliott Hall of Music. This marked the second consecutive year the university has surpassed 10,000 graduates during spring commencement.

The Class of 2026 in spring, the largest to date for Purdue’s main campus (West Lafayette, Indianapolis and online), included 7,748 undergraduates, 2,296 graduate students, 268 students from professional programs and 90 students from Purdue Polytechnic Institute’s statewide programs. This December, Purdue will also conduct a winter commencement.

Per Purdue tradition, President Mung Chiang presided over the Thursday through Saturday ceremonies and delivered the spring commencement speech.

The university also recognized two alumni with honorary doctorates. Drew Brees — legendary quarterback, entrepreneur and philanthropist — received an honorary Doctor of Business from the Mitch Daniels School of Business during Saturday’s Division IX ceremony. Tim Cahill, president of Missiles and Fire Control (MFC) for Lockheed Martin Corp., received an honorary Doctor of Engineering from the College of Engineering during Thursday’s Division I ceremony.

The ceremonies were livestreamed on the Purdue News YouTube channel and linked on the Purdue commencement website. A photo gallery is also available.

Student responders

Each ceremony featured a student responder:

• Tanmaee Ledalla of Hyderabad, India, who received a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the College of Engineering, was the student responder in the Thursday morning (Division I) ceremony.
• Evelyn McCarthy of Columbus, Ohio, who received a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the College of Engineering, was the student responder in the Thursday afternoon (Division II) ceremony.
• Nehemiah Boyd of Indianapolis, who received a Bachelor of Science in neurobiology and physiology from the College of Science, was the student responder in the Thursday evening (Division III) ceremony.
• Lucas Lyons of Portland, Indiana, who received a Bachelor of Science in agricultural education from the College of Agriculture, was the student responder in the Friday morning (Division IV) ceremony.
• Raja Ali of Indianapolis, who received a Bachelor of Science in computer science from the College of Science, was the student responder in the Friday afternoon (Division V) ceremony.
• Harrison Kane of New Albany, Indiana, who received a Bachelor of Science in professional flight technology from Purdue Polytechnic Institute, was the student responder in the Friday evening (Division VI) ceremony.
• Isabella Tobin of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, who received a Doctor of Pharmacy from the College of Pharmacy, was the student responder in the Saturday morning (Division VII) ceremony.
• Cord Billings of Lafayette, who received a Bachelor of Science in human services from the College of Health and Human Sciences, was the student responder in the Saturday afternoon (Division VIII) ceremony.
• Filippa Rodriguez, who has resided in both Italy and Colombia and received a Bachelor of Science in business analytics and information management, was the student responder in the Saturday evening (Division IX) ceremony.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 106,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 57,000 at our main campus locations in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its integrated, comprehensive Indianapolis urban expansion; the Mitch Daniels School of Business; Purdue Computes; and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.

Media contact: Trevor Peters, peter237@purdue.edu