Over 1,200 Students Graduate as Villa College Launches Ceremonies of 2026

Villa College opened its 2026 graduation proceedings yesterday at its QI Campus, marking the start of a two-day event where 1,237 students will receive their qualifications. The initial day featured three distinct sessions dedicated to the institution’s home-grown programmes, with senior government ministers delivering addresses to the graduating cohorts.

As informed by the college, students completing Villa College’s internal courses make up 60 per cent of this year’s total graduating body. The remaining 40 per cent, who completed programmes offered in partnership with the UK’s University of the West of England (UWE), will graduate during the ceremonies ongoing today. Villa College highlighted that women represent 70 per cent of the overall 2026 graduating class.

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During the morning session for the Faculty of Educational Studies (FES), the college conferred its first degrees for the Master of Teaching in Inclusive and Special Education. Guest of honour Heena Waleed, Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage, urged the new educators to uphold academic integrity and foster critical thinking in their classrooms.

The afternoon session highlighted developments in technical and business disciplines. Villa College awarded the country’s first locally completed Master of Engineering degrees with specialisations in Electrical, Mechanical, and Mechatronics Engineering. Speaking to graduates from the Faculty of Engineering and Technology (FET) and the Qasim Ibrahim School of Business (QISB), Minister of Fisheries, Agriculture and Ocean Resources Ahmed Shiyam stressed the necessity of building local expertise to fill key roles in national development and called for greater focus on environmental sustainability.

The third session covered graduates from the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS), the Centre for Postgraduate Studies (CPS), the Faculty of Shariah and Law (FSL), and the School of Psychology and Counselling (SPC). The ceremony marked the debut graduation for both the Master of Organisational Psychology and the Bachelor of Pharmacy programmes. Minister of Health, Family and Welfare Geela Ali commended the institution for having trained more than 2,000 healthcare professionals to date and called on new practitioners to maintain strict professional ethics.

Villa College adds that Vice Rector Dr Ali Najeeb outlined upcoming additions to the curriculum while addressing the audience. The college plans to introduce programmes in policing, criminology, criminal investigation, and the CLTP course for legal practice licensing. Additional healthcare offerings will include nursing specialisations, physiotherapy, speech therapy, laboratory science, and a Master of Clinical Pharmacy, alongside new postgraduate pathways in forensic and health psychology.

Dr Najeeb emphasised that the latest graduating class pushes Villa College’s cumulative alumnus total above 27,000. He highlighted the institution’s recent international metrics, including its QS 5-Star Rating, placement in the 301–400 band of the Times Higher Education Sustainability Rankings, a top-100 global position for Quality Education (SDG 4), and its selection as a host university for the King’s Commonwealth Fellowship.

The college also announced two operational frameworks introduced this year: the “Graduate Impact Semester,” designed to encourage practical industry engagement, and the “Graduate Learning Profile,” which documents co-curricular accomplishments alongside academic results.

Villa College also noted that Rector Dr Ahmed Anwar concluded the day’s events by congratulating the graduates on balancing their academic workload with employment and family commitments, encouraging them to apply their skills in service of the nation.