Harvard University

Celebrating the Class of 2024

Revisit Commencement and all our other ceremonies

Maria Ressa at the podium during Harvard's Commencement

"Our world on fire needs you"

Commencement speaker Maria Ressa spoke to Harvard graduates about the world of misinformation, fueled by AI and social media, which deepens conflicts, distorts reality, and contributes to the erosion of democratic principles.

Honorary degrees

Recipients include an educator, a conductor, a theoretical physicist, an advocate for the elderly, a writer, and a Nobel laureate.

Jennie Chin Hansen, Sylvester James Gates, Jr., Lawrence S. Bacow, Joy Harjo-Sapulpa, and Gustavo Adolfo Dudamel Ramirez; John Manning, Alan Garber, and Maria Ressa.

Baccalaureate

In his Baccalaureate address, interim President Garber praised the fortitude and resilience of the Class of 2024.

Reserve Officers' Training Corps ceremony

Harvard’s 23 new military officers took their oath of service in front of friends and family.

Military Officers standing on stage for the ROTC ceremony

Class Day ceremonies

Class Day speakers, including leaders in business and government, offered graduates perspective and inspiration.

Introducing the graduates

Explore our student profiles to learn about the dedicated scholarship and ambitious plans of graduates from all of Harvard’s degree-granting Schools.

Meet our graduating class of 2024

More from the celebration

"This is the tipping-point year"

Learn more about Maria Ressa, the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize winner and principal speaker for Harvard’s 373rd Commencement.

The 373rd Commencement began with the ringing of bells

Sonia Sotomayor is the 2024 Radcliffe Medal recipient

The Class of 2024 got a do-over on the prom that the pandemic took away

Students in dress clothes standing on the stairs

The Harvard Medal was awarded to three extraordinary community members

Student orators spoke about equity, uncertainty, and connection