NYU Abu Dhabi hosted its 13th Commencement ceremony at Etihad Arena for the first time, celebrating its largest graduating class since the University’s establishment in 2010. Nearly 600 undergraduate and graduate students representing more than 80 countries were honored during the ceremony, marking another milestone in NYUAD’s continued growth and global impact.
In attendance were Evan R. Chesler, Chair of the NYU Board of Trustees; Rima Al Mokarrab, NYU Trustee; Linda Mills, NYU President; alongside other officials and distinguished guests.
The keynote speech was delivered by bestselling author and former Chief Business Officer of Google X, Mo Gawdat.
From its inception, NYUAD has been one of the most selective higher education institutions in the world. Times Higher Education ranks NYU among the top 31 universities in the world, making NYU Abu Dhabi the highest globally ranked university in the UAE and MENA region. Admitted from high schools around the world, NYUAD’s current student body consists of more than 2,200 undergraduate and graduate students from diverse backgrounds. To date, NYUAD has produced 25 Rhodes Scholars, 22 Schwarzman Scholars, 26 Erasmus Mundus Scholars, and 12 Yenching Scholars.
Approximately four percent of those who applied to be a part of the Class of 2026 were accepted for admission.
During their four years, the Class of 2026 has excelled in both academic and extracurricular pursuits. It has participated in student clubs, athletic groups, and built ties with the Abu Dhabi community. Eighty percent of the graduating class held at least one internship during their academic career in some of the world’s most respected organizations including Abu Dhabi Investment Council, Bloomberg, Google, Mubadala, Procter & Gamble, and the United Nations.
Some have received graduate school offers from a range of institutions, including Columbia University SIPA, Harvard University, Imperial College London, and University of Oxford, among others.
Students have also secured offers of employment from key local and global organizations, including Visa, Barclays, Brevan Howard, Conjunction Capital, and Wio Bank.
Class of 2026 Emirati student Maryam Alkenji, who majored in Arab Crossroads Studies, offered welcome remarks.
Class of 2026 student Revathi Angajan spoke on behalf of the graduating class. Originally from India and South Africa, Angajan majored in Business, Organizations and Society with a minor in Film and New Media.
NYUAD opened in 2010 with an ambitious vision to be one of the world’s great research universities addressing complex challenges of local and global significance. Since then, the University has been ranked number one in the UAE for producing publications in top science journals based on Nature index; produced over 10,000 internationally-recognized academic papers, articles, and books; and created and directed more than 880 creative works.
