Chandigarh University held its International Convocation - 2026 on Saturday, awarding undergraduate and postgraduate degrees to 273 international students from 24 countries. The graduating cohort included 247 undergraduates and 26 postgraduates, who completed degrees across 57 academic programmes in Engineering, Management, Computer Applications, Health Sciences, Commerce, Humanities, and emerging technology disciplines.
Chief Guest Highlights Responsibility of Graduates
Peter Munyiri Maina, High Commissioner of Kenya, served as Chief Guest and congratulated the students on their achievements. He encouraged them to use their knowledge and skills to contribute to the progress of their home countries. Maina stated, "The graduation ceremony marks a very successful completion of a very important chapter in your lives. Throughout your academic journey, you pushed yourselves, endured sleepless nights, met very demanding deadlines and surpassed through numerous challenges to achieve this major milestone." He added, "Today, you become ambassadors not only of the Republic you come from, you are the ambassadors for India as well, irrespective of the nationality you come from. Because India has hosted and nurtured your academic journey over the last couple of years."
Diverse International Representation
Nepal had the highest number of graduates with 68 students, followed by Zimbabwe (41), Bhutan (37), and Bangladesh (27). Graduates also came from South Africa, Cameroon, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Liberia, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Lesotho, Tanzania, Malawi, South Sudan, and other nations. The convocation was attended by senior university leadership, including Vice-Chancellor Prof (Dr) Raviraja N Seetharam, Pro Vice-Chancellor Operations & Registrar Prof (Dr) S.S. Sehgal, Pro Vice Chancellor Academic Affairs Dr V.R. Raghuveer, and Joint Registrar & Executive Director International Affairs Prof (Dr) Rajan Sharma.
Top Programmes and University Achievements
The highest number of graduates came from Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science and Engineering (36), followed by Bachelor of Business Administration (28), Bachelor of Computer Applications (17), Bachelor of Science in Airlines and Airport Management (16), Civil Engineering (14), and Hotel and Hospitality Management (11). Vice-Chancellor Prof (Dr) Raviraja N Seetharam noted that Chandigarh University secured the 526th rank in the QS World University Rankings 2027, placing it among the top 2 percent of universities worldwide and top 1 percent in India. The university also ranked 109th in QS Asia Ranking and was named the number one private university in India for three consecutive years. It maintains 530 international collaborations with leading global universities.
Quotes on India-Kenya Relations and Future Impact
Maina quoted Albert Einstein, saying, "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving. There's no settling for less. Success is conquering one hill and looking for the next hill." Prof (Dr) Raviraja N Seetharam highlighted the longstanding partnership between India and Kenya, established in 1963, spanning trade, investment, education, healthcare, defence, culture, and technology. He added, "The International Convocation marks an important milestone in the academic journey of our graduating students, many of whom will now pursue professional careers, entrepreneurial ventures and higher education opportunities in different parts of the world."
