Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) held its 62nd Convocation on Friday, awarding degrees to 3,227 graduating students.

As many as 3,661 degrees were conferred, including 529 PhDs— among them several joint and dual degrees with international institutions.

Ajit Doval, national security advisor of India, was the Chief Guest. In his address, he called upon graduates to align their personal success with national progress. “Your skills should not serve just to earn, but to uplift,” he said, urging the cohort to contribute to indigenous technologies and global impact.

Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam, Padma Vibhushan awardee and renowned Bharatanatyam exponent, served as Guest of Honour. She emphasized the growing relevance of interdisciplinary research, noting IIT Madras’ role in fostering both science and the arts. She also lauded the institute’s new initiative to admit students under the Fine Arts and Culture Excellence (FACE) category.

Dr. Pawan Goenka, Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT Madras, encouraged students to take responsibility for realizing the vision of “Viksit Bharat” by 2047, when the nation celebrates 100 years of independence. “You are the architects of future India—in science, policy, and leadership,” he said.

Following the convocation, Ajit Doval inaugurated the Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) Corridor at IIT Madras. Located in the Krishna Chivukula Block, the IKS Centre will promote interdisciplinary research spanning Indian mathematics, linguistics, philosophy, AI, architecture, metallurgy, music, and more. It brings together faculty from Humanities, Civil Engineering, Materials Science, and Computer Science.

The convocation concluded with Department Degree Distribution Programmes (D3Ps), where students received their degrees in person across various departments.

IIT-M milestones in the past year

• A jump of 47 places in the QS World University Rankings (now ranked 180 globally)
• Retaining the #1 spot in NIRF’s Overall and Engineering categories
• Securing Rs.317.99 crore in government-funded research and Rs.906.41 crore through 982 industry-sponsored projects
• Raising ₹320 crore from alumni and CSR contributions

Also read: IIT Madras expands ‘School Connect’ programme to schools across India