Duke to Celebrate Nearly 7,000 Graduates During 2026 Commencement
Microsoft Executive Amy Hood to deliver address
The undergraduate class of 2026 is the first to complete Duke’s QuadEx experience, a living/learning model implemented four years ago to bolster the residential and academic experience and foster a greater sense of community. Students arriving in fall 2022 were placed in East Campus residence halls, where all first-year students live, but were also connected with a West Campus residence hall community – a group of older students with whom they would be linked. After the first year, those students made the move to West Campus as a group.
While Duke’s Sunday commencement ceremony is the signature event of graduation weekend, there are also other ceremonies happening later Sunday and into Monday celebrating graduates of individual schools, programs and campus groups.
Duke will stream the event live on the university’s YouTube channel. Follow Duke’s social media platforms to keep up with commencement and contribute to the conversation.
Two students will give welcome remarks as well.
The undergraduate greeter will be Juliet L. Peñaranda Pérez, a biology major with minors in global health and chemistry. A first-generation college student from Puerto Rico, Peñaranda Pérez says she was molded by an upbringing repeatedly impacted by natural disaster. Hurricane María in 2017 was a defining moment — her family went months without power. That experience continues to shape how she understands stability, resilience and community.
Her graduate student counterpart will be Lucas Bellaiche, a cognitive scientist receiving his Ph.D. in psychology and neuroscience. A native of Arkansas, Bellaiche’s studies marry arts and sciences by examining how individuals use imagination to improve their mental health, with his dissertation demonstrating the benefits of creative thinking in emotion regulation. He has received Duke’s Dean’s Graduate Fellowship, James B. Duke Fellowship, and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.
Duke will also award four honorary degrees Sunday. Along with Hood, the commencement speaker, the recipients are:
- Abby Wambach, a retired soccer player who is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, a FIFA Women’s World Cup champion, and one of the most accomplished athletes in the history of women’s soccer. A six-time U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year, Wambach was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2019 and retired as the all-time leading goal scorer in international women’s soccer.
- Dianne R. McIntyre, a celebrated dancer and choreographer, innovator, and mentor who has nurtured and inspired generations of dancers and choreographers. Throughout her career, McIntyre has expanded the boundaries of contemporary performance. In Durham, she has served as a faculty member for the American Dance Festival and completed a residency at Duke in 2022, where she developed and partnered with Duke Arts to present “In the Same Tongue.”
- Cass R. Sunstein, an influential legal scholar whose work has helped shape modern understanding of constitutional law, administrative law, environmental law, and behavioral economics. In 2018, he received the Holberg Prize, often described as the “Nobel Prize for the Humanities.” From 2009 to 2012, Sunstein served as administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
There is ample general parking available in close proximity to Wallace Wade Stadium. The majority of parking will be available in the Science Drive Parking Garage located at 3100 Cameron Blvd, Durham, 27708. Graduates should park and drop-off at 2300 Duke University Rd, Durham, 27705, for convenient access to Pascal Field House. Additional guest parking will be available in Blue Zone, PGIV & Chemistry Lot.
The Grounds Lot will be reserved for guests with mobility impairments. Overflow parking will be located in the Science Drive Garage on Level 2. Both of these lots may be accessed via NC 751. ADA vans will be available to transport guests with mobility issues from these areas to the respective entrances to Wallace Wade Stadium.
Individual professional schools and programs will hold their own graduation ceremonies all weekend as well. More information on those celebrations is available on Duke’s commencement website. Graduates and guests are encouraged to consult the Commencement Quick Reference Guide for additional information
Degrees to be Conferred
Duke will award degrees to an expected 1,785 undergraduates and 5,2667 graduate and professional students who finished their course work in September or December 2025 or this spring.
The estimated degree breakdowns for the graduates are as follows:
UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES:
- Trinity College of Arts & Sciences — B.A. 592; B.S. 863.
- Pratt School of Engineering — B.S.E. 330.
GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL DEGREES:
- School of Nursing — M.S.N. 239; D.N.P. 103; B.S.N. 138.
- Duke Divinity School — M.Div. 88; Th.M. 13; M.T.S. 26; M.A.C.P. 11; Th.D. 4; D.Min. 35.
- Fuqua School of Business — MBA 690; MSQM 303; M.M.S. – 235.
- Graduate School — M.A. 228; M.S. 481; M.F.A.16; M.A.T. 26; Ph.D. 466.
- School of Law — J.D. 245; LL.M. 103; S.J.D. 1.
- Nicholas School of the Environment — M.E.M. 139; M.F. 8.
- Pratt School of Engineering — M.Eng.M. 207; M.Eng. 330. ME – Duke Kunshan 26.
- Sanford School of Public Policy — M.I.D.P. 21; M.P.P. 107; M.N.S.P. 15.
- School of Medicine — M.D. 124; M.H.S. 88; M.H.S.-R 25; D.P.T. 104; M.B.S. 47; M.M.C.I. 38; M.S.B.S. 45.