'Tis the season...for graduation. 

The class of 2025 crossed the stage, turned their tassels, and celebrated their achievements during commencement ceremonies this week at the Thomas & Mack. Friends and families cheered on from the stands with signs and chants, marking the most important day in the life of a university. 

In their signature scarlet (for undergraduates) and gray (for Ph.D. candidates), Rebels listened to words from Interim President Chris Heavey, acting Provost Kate Korgan, regents from the Nevada System of Higher Education, and their classmates before the big moment arrived. 

“That’s exactly what I love so much about UNLV,” Ryan Pryce Watkins shared at the morning ceremony on Wednesday, graduating Cum Laude with a degree in biological sciences. “It became a force that brought us together in ways we could have never engineered ourselves. Here, our differences didn’t separate us. They strengthened us. They built a home."

“And it was through this community that I discovered my first love wasn’t science or medicine. It was people.”

The graduating class ranges in age from 19 to 77 – with an average age of 27. About half of all students are the first in their family to earn a degree. 

Philanthropist Edward D. Smith received an honorary doctorate in recognition of his significant contributions to Southern Nevada and the UNLV School of Nursing. Dean Sigrid Barrett accepted on his behalf.  

The top three degree-granting colleges for undergraduates this fall were Liberal Arts, Business, and Engineering. The College of Education led the way in awarding the most master’s recipients with Nursing and Business following closely. 

Since 1964, UNLV has awarded more than 186,000 degrees to over 151,000 alumni.

As we wrap up the year at UNLV, what better gift than a break from homework? Congratulations to the class of 2025!