Contributed
The University of Cincinnati celebrated fall commencement Friday, recognizing more than 2,500 graduates during a ceremony at Fifth Third Arena.
UC awarded 2,515 degrees, including 196 associate degrees, 1,141 bachelor’s degrees, 1,044 master’s degrees and 132 doctoral degrees along with two professional certificates, according to preliminary numbers from UC’s Office of Institutional Research. (Some students earn multiple degrees.)
This semester UC had the highest percentage of out-of-state students since 2016. And 14% of grads are first-generation college students.
UC has also seen an increase in the number of students earning advanced degrees. UC celebrated the most students earning master’s and doctoral degrees since the fall of 2016. Many of these come from UC’s College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services, which has seen a surge in information technology majors.
Fall graduates hailed from every state but Maine and New Hampshire and 30 countries across five continents.
About 3% of graduates are military veterans or dependents of veterans. And 66 students this fall are graduates of Cincinnati Public Schools.
In his commencement address, UC President Neville Pinto addressed the theme of change as graduates close one important chapter of their lives and look forward to new beginnings.
“What was it that changed you here?” he asked.
Perhaps, he said, it was living in a new place. Or maybe it was witnessing international events or tragedies or living amid a global pandemic. Or maybe it was something more personal, he said.
Pinto encouraged grads to be agents of change for the better.
“I can’t wait to see how you do that,” he said.