Hudson Valley Community College’s 71st Commencement Celebrates More Than 1,600 Graduates

May 17, 2025

Graduates range in age from 17 to 68, and come from 42 countries around the globe

Hudson Valley Community College held its 71st annual Commencement exercises in a three-ceremony format, organized by program of study, on campus at the McDonough Sports Complex in Troy on Saturday, May 17, 2025, honoring more than 1,600 graduates. Three ceremonies were held to include all degree and certificate programs for the School of STEM, the School of Health Sciences, and the School of Business and Liberal arts.

During the school-based ceremonies, graduates received individual recognition on stage and heard inspirational remarks from Officer in Charge Louis Coplin, representatives from Rensselaer County and the Hudson Valley Board of Trustees, the Student Senate president and their academic dean. Thousands of family and friends attended in person, and all three ceremonies were livestreamed on the college’s website: www.hvcc.edu/commencement.

The Class of 2025 includes 1,609 students who have earned associate degrees and certificates in 85+ program areas in the Schools of STEM, Health Sciences and Business and Liberal Arts. Of them, 491 graduated with academic honors; 182 are members of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society; and 27 graduated from Hudson Valley’s Honors College. The Class of 2025 also includes 43 graduates who are either veterans or active-duty members of the military.

The Class of 2025 ranges in age from 17 to 68, and 21 students are graduating from dual-enrollment high school programs. Graduates come from 42 countries around the globe, though more than 82 percent of Hudson Valley’s Class of 2025 resides in the Capital Region.