IIT Kanpur awards 3,104 degrees to UG, PG, PhD students at 59th convocation

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur awarded degrees to 3,104 students during its 59th Convocation Ceremony. The graduating batch included 1,325 postgraduate students, 1,247 undergraduate students, and 532 students from the institute's eMasters programmes.

The convocation was held in two sessions and was attended by Pawan Goenka, chairperson of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), Department of Space, Government of India, as the chief guest. The ceremony was presided over by IIT Kanpur's officiating Board of Governors chairperson Jayant Patil and institute director Manindra Agrawal.

During the convocation ceremony, IIT Kanpur honoured meritorious students with its highest awards. Sagar K. V. from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering received the President's Gold Medal. Director's gold medals were awarded to Aditya V. of the BS programme in statistics and data science and Ritwik Shankar of the BT-MT programme in aerospace engineering.

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Over 390 PhD scholars among graduates

According to IIT Kanpur, the graduating class included 390 PhD scholars, 502 MTech graduates, 852 BTech graduates, 212 BS graduates, 186 MSc graduates, 59 MBA graduates, 36 MDes graduates, 66 MS (Research) graduates, 107 dual-degree graduates, 35 double-major graduates, 40 PGPEX-VLFM graduates and 492 eMasters students, among others.

Goenka's message to graduates

Addressing the graduating students, Goenka encouraged them to embrace challenges and contribute to the country's growth.

Goenka said, "I have learnt that life is not a 100-metre sprint won in the first few metres. It is a long engineering project, full of failed prototypes and design iterations, where the first version of anything is rarely the final one. Growth, more often than not, begins with discomfort. If I were to leave you with five lessons, they would be these: never give up, take big bets, trust people, never believe you are too old to learn something new, and always listen to your heart.”

Further, he said, "Our honourable Prime Minister has set the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047. It is a national mission to turn growth into inclusion, talent into leadership, and possibilities into achievement. And it will happen precisely when you are at the very peak of your career and influence. So leave this hall with a single thought. Fifty years from now, when you look back, you will ask yourself one question: What legacy did I leave behind? My hope is that your answer will be simple: "I helped build Viksit Bharat."

Patil congratulates Class of 2026

Congratulating the Class of 2026, Jayant Patil said the graduates were carrying forward IIT Kanpur's legacy and urged them to uphold the values of integrity, innovation and lifelong learning.

Patil said, “This is your day. Behind each degree lies years of hard work, late nights, setbacks, and everything you have done to complete your journey here. I congratulate you, your families, and everyone who has supported you every step of the way. As you step out into the outside world, remember that you carry the pedigree and legacy of IIT Kanpur with you wherever you go.”

He added, “Your education does not end today; it begins today. Carry forward the values of integrity, innovation and lifelong learning, give back to the society that invested in you, and use your talent to build the India we all aspire to see. On behalf of the Board of Governors, I congratulate the Class of 2026 and wish you every success as you move forward with confidence.”

Addressing the graduates, Manindra Agrawal, Director, IIT Kanpur, said, “Over the past 61 years, IIT Kanpur has graduated generations of students. While every generation faces different opportunities and challenges, the values that shape meaningful lives remain timeless. Hold firmly to integrity, honesty, resilience, humility, and respect. These values will shape your decisions long after technical knowledge has changed.”

Further, he said, “Today, while machines can retrieve information, summarise knowledge, and generate solutions in seconds, the true value of human intelligence lies in asking the right questions, exercising sound judgement, connecting ideas across disciplines, making ethical choices, and understanding the human consequences of technology. Keep learning, adapt to change, and build new skills throughout your life.”

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The institute also presented the Ratan Swarup Memorial Prize to Dhruv Budhedeo from the Department of Aerospace Engineering. Several students received academic excellence awards and institute medals in recognition of outstanding academic performance, research achievements, leadership and overall contribution to the institute.