District colleges awarded three times as many associate degrees as last year, while three campuses marked some of their largest commencement gatherings in years.
San Mateo, CA — San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD) celebrated the achievements of 3,264 graduates last week during commencement ceremonies held across its three colleges. College of San Mateo opened the festivities on the morning of Friday, May 22, holding its ceremony for the first time at the Plaza of the Sun adjacent to its planetarium. Skyline College followed that same afternoon, and Cañada College closed out the celebrations on the morning of Saturday, May 23. Each ceremony drew some of the largest commencement crowds the colleges have seen in years.
The Class of 2026 collectively earned 4,805 awards, including associate degrees—three times the number awarded last year—certificates, and bachelor’s degrees. Among this year’s graduates, 1,649 were first-generation college students, 1,024 were Promise Scholar Program participants, and 139 were veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. The class also included 208 international students representing 42 countries, 184 TRiO participants, 148 DACA/Dreamer/AB540 students, and 29 foster youth. Graduates ranged in age from 16 to 78, and 1,444 earned academic honors.
“This graduating class represents everything our District stands for: access, opportunity, and the transformative power of public higher education,” said Wayne Lee, President of the SMCCCD Board of Trustees. “The energy at all three ceremonies last week was extraordinary, and it was a privilege to celebrate these students alongside their families and communities.”
Chancellor Melissa Moreno, J.D., echoed that sentiment. “Watching thousands of students cross the stage last week was a powerful reminder of why this work matters. Many of these graduates balanced jobs, family responsibilities, and coursework to reach this moment, and their perseverance is a reflection of both their determination and the support systems our colleges have built around them.”
The college presidents reflected on what this year’s ceremonies meant for their campuses and communities:
“This year marks a memorable milestone for CSM. For the first time ever, we hosted our 104th commencement ceremony at the Plaza of the Sun, surrounded by the beauty of our campus, our planetarium, and the San Francisco Bay. Our graduates were quite literally sitting among the stars and planets as they looked toward the horizon and the next chapters in their journey,” said Manuel Alejandro Pérez, Ed.D., President of College of San Mateo.
“Our 58th Commencement was a celebration of the strength, resilience and sense of community that define Cañada College. Watching our graduates cross the stage — more than half of them first-generation college students — surrounded by their families and loved ones, was a powerful reminder of our mission to empower students to transform their lives,” said Kim Lopez, President of Cañada College.
“Commencement is the moment when all the work becomes visible—the late nights, the sacrifices, the determination to keep going. Seeing our graduates reach this milestone reaffirms my belief that access to high-quality, affordable education remains one of the most powerful ways to keep options open and raise long-term ceilings for our students and our region,” said Nathan Carter, Ph.D., President of Skyline College.
The ceremonies capped a landmark year for the District, which has seen enrollment grow 24 percent since launching its Free College program in 2023. SMCCCD is also in the process of constructing an $86 million student housing complex at the College of San Mateo campus, set to open in 2028.
View the 2026 Commencement Ceremonies:
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Media Contact: David McLain, Community & Government Relations, SMCCCD, (650) 730-8049 or mclaind@smccd.edu.
About San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD): SMCCCD operates three colleges, Cañada College, College of San Mateo, and Skyline College, that provide community college educational services to the residents of San Mateo County. The District’s colleges serve over 30,000 students annually and offer the first two years of college-level instruction in various transfer and career-technical programs. The District is governed by a six-member Board of Trustees, with five voting members elected by voters from designated areas of the County and one nonvoting student member elected by students. For more information, see: smccd.edu.