Duke Kunshan University will celebrate Commencement on May 15 for the Class of 2026.
Duke Provost and Chief Academic Officer Alec D. Gallimore, chair of the DKU Board of Trustees, will confer the Duke degrees at the ceremony.
The ceremony will also include remarks from Chancellor Yaolin Liu, Executive Vice Chancellor John Quelch, and faculty representative Andrew Cheon, associate professor of international relations and recipient of the 2025 DKU Undergraduate Teaching Award. Student representatives from the undergraduate and graduate programs will also speak on behalf of the Class of 2026.
Commencement comes at a time of continued progress for DKU. For fall 2026 entry, the university received a record 8,006 international undergraduate applications from 147 countries, a 36 percent increase from a year earlier and the eighth consecutive year DKU has set a new high for international demand.
Members of the Class of 2026 have already distinguished themselves through research, international academic engagement, prestigious scholarships and offers from leading graduate programs around the world. As graduating senior Sofia Martinez Gallardo Quijano put it, “DKU challenged me to grow beyond what I knew. Learning alongside people from around the world made that experience even more meaningful.”
The outdoor ceremony will be held in DKU Square and will begin at 9 a.m. A livestream will be available for family members, friends and the wider DKU community who are unable to attend in person. The ceremony will also feature a tribute video honoring the Class of 2026.
