The IIT Kanpur 59th Convocation ceremony was held on 15 July 2026, marking a landmark day for the graduating batch of the institute. A total of 3,104 students received their degrees across undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral, and eMasters programmes at the event.
IIT Kanpur 59th Convocation: Key Highlights
The graduating cohort at this year’s IIT Kanpur convocation comprised 1,325 postgraduate students, 1,247 undergraduate students, and 532 students from the institute’s eMasters outreach degree programmes. The ceremony was held in two sessions, beginning with a gathering at the Main Auditorium where top-performing students were presented with institute medals and awards. Dr Pawan Goenka, Chairperson of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) and an IIT Kanpur alumnus, attended as the Chief Guest, while Shri Jayant Patil, Officiating Chairperson of the Board of Governors, presided over the ceremony alongside Prof Manindra Agrawal, Director, IIT Kanpur.
President’s Gold Medal and Other Top Honours
The President’s Gold Medal, one of the institute’s highest recognitions, was conferred upon Sagar K.V. from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. The Director’s Gold Medal was awarded jointly to Aditya V. (BS, Statistics and Data Science) and Ritwik Shankar (BT-MT, Aerospace Engineering). Additionally, the Ratan Swarup Memorial Prize went to Dhruv Budhedeo (BTech, Aerospace Engineering). Several other graduates were honoured with Academic Excellence Awards and additional institute medals recognising achievements in academics, research, leadership, and overall contribution to the institute.
What Was Said at the Ceremony
Addressing the graduating batch, Jayant Patil said the degree represents years of hard work and dedication, and encouraged students to carry forward the institute’s legacy of integrity and innovation as they step into the world. Prof Manindra Agrawal also addressed the graduates, reflecting on the institute’s decades-long legacy of producing accomplished alumni across the world. As per tradition, graduating students attended the ceremony in the recommended convocation attire — cream-coloured kurtas with white pyjamas for male students, and cream-coloured kurtas with white bottoms for female students.
About IIT Kanpur’s Convocation Tradition
The 59th Convocation continues IIT Kanpur’s long-standing tradition of honouring academic and research excellence alongside the formal conferment of degrees. Beyond the ceremony, the institute has also been active on the admissions front this season, having recently launched its official JoSAA Counselling Helpdesk 2026 to assist JEE Advanced-qualified candidates through the ongoing seat allocation process.
Also Read….JEECUP 2026 counselling
