Under the dome of MIT's Cambridge campus, the Class of 2026 walked across the stage this week to claim their degrees—a milestone marked not by a single moment, but by three days of ceremonies, celebrations, and reunions that pulled together the entire Institute community.
The MIT Commencement festivities unfolded across Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday with a weather pattern as unpredictable as New England spring itself. Wednesday brought pristine sunshine to Killian Court, where the School of Engineering and MIT Schwarzman College of Computing held their Advanced Degree Ceremony. The sun-soaked conditions proved perfect for the unofficial campus tradition of selfies, though spirits remained high when rain rolled in later that week. Families packed Kresge Auditorium and lecture halls, determined not to let Boston's temperamental skies dampen the occasion.
Thursday belonged to the entire graduating class. Lisa Su, chair and CEO of Advanced Micro Devices and herself an MIT alumna—earning her SM and PhD in the early 1990s—delivered the Commencement address at the OneMIT ceremony, which brought together graduates from every degree program across the Institute. It was a moment of collective accomplishment for undergraduates and graduate students alike, a recognition of shared work and shared belonging.
The ceremonies that followed reflected MIT's breadth. Undergraduates crossed the stage on Friday morning. Throughout the three-day span, MIT's five schools—along with the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing—each held their own advanced degree ceremonies, honoring the graduate students who had spent years in laboratories, studios, and seminar rooms. The School of Architecture and Planning's ceremony in Kresge Auditorium featured theatrical lighting that seemed to match the accomplishment on graduates' faces. Dean Nergis Mavalvala honored graduate students at the School of Science ceremony. Paula Hammond, Institute Professor and Dean of the School of Engineering, spoke directly to the significance of the moment, telling graduate students, "What makes MIT special isn't just what happens underneath this dome. What makes MIT special is you."
Beyond the formal proceedings, the celebrations captured something more intimate. A graduate named Michelle Quien, PhD '26, brought along Vinny—her beloved pet—dressed for the occasion. Parents and family members crowded around Killian Court, phones aloft, determined to preserve the memory of their sons' and daughters' transformations. Graduates took time to soak in the moment together, knowing that the rigor of MIT had forged bonds that would extend far beyond commencement week.
Friday evening kicked off Tech Reunions, extending the celebration into the weekend as returning alumni rejoined the community that shaped them. For the Class of 2026, graduation was not a single event but an unfolding recognition—a three-day affirmation that MIT's power lies not in its buildings or traditions, but in the people who have passed through it, and the networks of support and belonging they carry forward.