Did you know nearly 3,500 of »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵstudents just crossed the stage at commencement ceremonies across Alaska?
May 13, 2026
UAA, UAF and UAS honored students across the state with degrees, certificates, endorsements and honorary degrees. They join over 100,000 »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵalumni.
May is a season of acute transition in Alaska. Hibernating animals awaken; the snow that has kept us company all winter recedes across the landscape. It is also the time of year when thousands of people walk across the University of Alaska commencement stages, starting up the stairs as students and stepping down the other side as alumni, diploma in hand.
Campuses from Juneau to Fairbanks to Kodiak marked the occasion over two weeks in May, honoring graduates with ceremonies ornate and intimate, long and short, but all full of pride and optimism. The class of 2026 joins the more than 100,000 graduates and former students who make up »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵalumni.
Highlights from across the system
At UAA, 17-year-old Rainey Spurlock delivered the undergraduate address, becoming the youngest known graduate in UAA history. She began taking college classes at 13 alongside her grandmother, Brenda Spurlock, and the two earned communications degrees together. UAA held ceremonies in Anchorage, Kodiak, Wasilla, Soldotna and Valdez.
UAF's 104th ceremony opened with a performance by the Troth Yeddha' Dance Troupe, who drummed and danced with red handprints painted over their mouths in recognition of the annual day of remembrance for missing and murdered Indigenous people on May 5. It was the final commencement for »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵPresident Pat Pitney, herself a UAF graduate and the first »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵPresident to have graduated from the »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵsystem. UAF held ceremonies in Fairbanks, Bethel, Nome and Kotzebue.
At UAS, the Juneau ceremony was preceded by a Native Graduation Ceremony at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center, where more than 150 students, family members and tribal elders gathered. Two honorary doctorates were presented to L'eiwtú Éesh Herman Davis, 92, and Aanyáanáx Ray Wilson, 93, both recognized for lifelong contributions to LingÃt language, dance and culture. UAS held ceremonies in Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan.
By the Numbers
UAA recognized 1,647 certificate, undergraduate and graduate students during its commencement ceremony at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage. About 581 people walked in the ceremony.
Kodiak College handed out three Alutiiq language certificates.
UAF conferred 1,263 degrees on 1,102 students at its 104th commencement ceremony at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks' Kuskokwim Campus (KuC) held its . The satellite campus has handed out 3,500 certificates, endorsements, degrees, and other distinctions throughout its history.
UAS recognized 585 students across the 2025-26 academic year. In Juneau, 110 students walked at Centennial Hall.
In total, 3,495 students from across the system were recognized at the 2026 »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵgraduations.
Welcome
Commencement means beginning. For thousands of new »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵalumni, that beginning is rooted in Alaska, shaped by the communities that supported them and the institution that prepared them for what comes next.
Congratulations to all of our 2026 graduates. Welcome to the »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵfamily!
Explore the ceremonies
Rebecca Lawhorne is the integrated media manager for the University of Alaska System Office of Public Affairs.
Did You Know highlights the »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵsystem's many successful programs through storytelling and data. Our goal is to educate readers about the universities' roles in improving lives and shaping the state's economy.
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