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The morning of Saturday, 16 May 2026 arrived with the kind of anticipation that only a landmark day can carry. The graduating cohort comprised of 986 learners from 71 states, 4 Union Territories in India and 23 countries, out of which 451 made their way to the Dr TMA Pai International Convention Centre in Mangaluru, for a day that had been years in the making. Some had driven through the night, some had flown in from cities they had built new careers in but all of them had one thing in common: a degree earned not just through coursework, but through commitment.
This was the 3rd Convocation of MAHE Online Education, held as part of the prestigious 33rd Convocation of Manipal Academy of Higher Education. For hundreds of online graduates receiving their degrees from one of India’s most respected universities, it was the day their digital journey became undeniably, tangibly real.
Here is how the day unfolded, hour by hour.
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Registration: The First Handshake with Manipal
Long before the ceremony began, the foyer of the convention centre was alive. The registration desks opened at 10 AM, and with them came a wave of excitement that no virtual classroom had quite prepared anyone for.
Graduates arrived dressed in their finest, clutching excitement in their hearts. It was the moment the online community became a physical one. Study group members who had only ever spoken on video calls shared handshakes and laughs.
Families accompanied their graduates. Parents who had quietly watched late-night study sessions, spouses who had covered household responsibilities during exam weeks, children who had perhaps not entirely understood what “Mom/Dad is in an online class” meant, but who beamed with pride, nonetheless.
12:00 PM – 2:00 PM | Where the Real Conversations Happened
If the ceremony was the formal culmination of a journey, this window was its heart.
For two hours, graduates mingled freely across programs, across cities, and across industries. An MBA graduate from Bengaluru found herself in conversation with an MSc Data Science graduate from Pune, both discovering they had been in the same live session cohort a year ago. A PGCP graduate who had switched from a decade-long finance career swapped contact with a Business Analytics graduate who had done the reverse.
The Dr TMA Pai International Convention Centre provided the perfect backdrop – its expansive halls accommodating the energy of hundreds of conversations happening at once.
Photographs were clicked, WhatsApp groups were created, LinkedIn connections were made and amidst the hum of conversations, a network was forming.
2:00 PM | The Calm Before the Ceremony
The energy shifted at 2 PM.
The announcement for graduates to assemble and find their seats brought an organised shuffle of hundreds of people finding their places in the grand auditorium. As the auditorium filled, the mood settled into quietness and reflection. Some composed messages to loved ones watching the live webcast at home and some simply sat still, letting the weight of the moment sink in.
The stage was set. The dignitaries prepared to take their positions. The National Anthem and University Anthem waited in the wings. After years of lectures, assignments, and examinations, it was time!
2:30 PM | The Ceremony Begins
At precisely 2:30 PM, the 3rd Convocation of MAHE Online Education was called to commence.
The ceremony opened with the National Anthem, followed by the Invocation and University Anthem, a ritual that grounds every MAHE convocation in the institution’s long-held values and its sense of shared purpose.
The Welcome Address set the tone: warm, celebratory, and deeply cognisant of the unique character of this graduating class, learners who had chosen growth over comfort, and learning over convenience.
Words of The Wise
Dr Sharath K Rao provided an overview of Manipal Academy of Higher Education saying, “The curricula of online degree programs are designed over a global audience. We ensure that these programs have an industry-oriented curriculum and help students to upskill themselves.”
Speaking to a gathering of graduates, Mr Ambrish Sinha, CEO of UNext Learning, reflected on the significance of this milestone: “A few years ago, online education was seen as an alternative. But today, the campus-based education and online education are at the same level. It is up to us, as students and academicians to make the most of it. It is easy to enrol into an online degree, but it is very difficult to graduate the way you guys have done it – with rigour, discipline, and ambition. So, I’d like to congratulate all of you.”
The Chief Guest, Mr Salee S Nair, MD & CEO of Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Ltd., delivered the Convocation Address which was the centrepiece of the afternoon.
“I would like to acknowledge the people who made this possible: the parents and the families because no degree is earned alone. Behind every graduate sitting here today, there is someone who has sacrificed quietly, encouraged consistently, and believed even during moments when you doubted yourself. To all the families here today, this achievement also belongs to you.” – Mr Salee S Nair, MD & CE), Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Ltd.
Also present on the dais were senior leadership including Dr H S Ballal (Pro Chancellor), Dr Sharath K Rao (Vice Chancellor, MAHE), Dr Dilip G Naik (Pro Vice Chancellor, MAHE Mangalore Campus), Dr Narayana Sabahit (Pro Vice Chancellor – Technology & Science), Dr P Giridhar Kini (Registrar), Dr Vinod V Thomas (Registrar Evaluation), and Dr Manojkumar Nagasampige (Director, Directorate of Online Education, MAHE) whose collective presence underscored the prestige of the occasion.
The Heart of the Ceremony: Facts, Figures, and the Conferring of Degrees
Before the degrees were conferred, the Facts and Figures about the graduates segment offered a moment to step back and appreciate the collective achievement on display.
This year’s graduating class represented a mosaic of India: Graduates from multiple states and countries, from metros and tier-2 cities, from industries spanning banking, technology, healthcare, logistics, and more. They had enrolled in programs including MBA, MSc in Data Science, MSc in Business Analytics, and Postgraduate Certificate Programs – each choosing a credential calibrated to their career aspirations.
Conferring the Degrees
And then came the moment everyone had been waiting for.
Name by name, the degrees were conferred. Each graduate who stepped forward did so carrying the weight of their journey and the lightness of having completed it. The handshake, the degree scroll, the pause for a photograph lasted only moments but represented months and years of work. There were tears of relief, of pride, of joy.
Administration of Oath
Following the conferring of degrees came the Administration of Oath, a reminder that education from MAHE is not merely academic, but ethical. Graduates pledged to uphold the values of their institution and their profession: integrity, responsibility, and a commitment to lifelong learning.
It is a moment that distinguishes the MAHE convocation from a simple certification ceremony. It is a statement of intent.
The Closing: Vote of Thanks, Presentation of Graduates & Declaration
The Vote of Thanks was a moment of institutional gratitude to the dignitaries, the faculty, the administrative staff, and most importantly, to the graduates themselves, whose trust in online education at MAHE had helped build and validate the program.
The Presentation of Graduates followed: a celebratory moment where the graduating class was acknowledged collectively, not as individual names on a register, but as a community. The class of 2026. Online learners who had shown that geography is no barrier to ambition, and that a screen is no impediment to a world-class education.
6:00 PM – 6:30 PM | High Tea: The Unofficial Most-Remembered Part of the Day
Ask any alumnus about their convocation, and they will mention two things: receiving their degree, and what happened after.
The High Tea that followed the ceremony was where the day shed its formality and became a celebration. Graduates gathered with families, faculty, and peers over refreshments, reliving the afternoon’s highlights in real time. New connections were deepened. Photographs were organised into albums. Plans were made: “We should stay in touch.” “Our class should do a reunion.” “You should connect with my manager. What you’re working on is exactly what we need.“
This is the MAHE alumni network forming in real time. A network of over 3 lakh+ alumni worldwide, now expanded by one more graduating class, one more group of professionals ready to lead.
The Faces Behind the Degrees
A Legacy Renewed
The 3rd Convocation of MAHE Online Education was proof that quality education, delivered with rigor and care, can reach anyone, regardless of where they live, what their schedule looks like, or what life stage they are in.
Online Manipal has always been an extension of the Manipal legacy, not a lesser version of it, but a different expression of it. The same academic standards, the same values, delivered in a format built for the lives that modern professionals actually lead.
To the graduates of 2026: you chose to grow at a time when it would have been easier not to. You showed up, in online classes, in examinations, in this hall, and you earned what you received.
You are now part of a tradition of excellence that is over seven decades old. A tradition that continues because of you.
Congratulations, Class of 2026.
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