For thousands of students and their loved ones, graduation is more than a ceremony, it’s a deeply personal moment of pride, relief and celebration after years of hard work. This May, the Durban University of Technology (DUT) will share in that joy as it celebrates 7963 adaptive graduates for the 2026 Autumn Graduation season in the Midlands and Durban. The celebrations commence at the Indumiso Campus Hall in Pietermaritzburg from Monday, 11 May to Wednesday, 13 May 2026, before moving to the Olive Convention Centre in Durban from Monday, 18 May to Wednesday, 27 May 2026.
A total of 4973 women and 3031 men will be graduating during the 32 individual ceremonies. Once again, women constitute the majority of graduands, with over 62 percent being women.
The 2026 DUT Autumn Graduation season follows the university’s recent achievements, including the awarding of eight South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) Chairs by the National Research Foundation (NFR). DUT also secured a 15-month contract with Universities South Africa (USAf) to lead a strategic national project aimed at strengthening and harmonising entrepreneurship across South Africa’s 26 public universities. The project will be led by a multidisciplinary team under the leadership of Professor Fulufhelo Nemavhola, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Engagement. These milestones reinforce DUT’s commitment to academic excellence, innovation, engagement, entrepreneurship and impactful research that addresses societal challenges.
A total of 6940 graduands will receive undergraduate qualifications, while 1023 will graduate with postgraduate qualifications. The Faculty of Management Sciences leads with 2889 graduands, followed by the Faculty of Accounting and Informatics with 2264, the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment with 865, the Faculty of Applied Sciences with 737, the Faculty of Arts and Design with 664 and the Faculty of Health Sciences, with 544 graduands.
The graduation schedule with full details of the ceremonies is available on the DUT website at www.dut.ac.za.
There will be a maximum of three graduation sessions per day, with Session 1 at 09h00, Session 2 at 14h00 and Session 3 at 18h00. All graduands are advised to confirm their allocated session and arrive early at the venue. All 32 ceremonies will be livestreamed via the DUT website and once the ceremonies have commenced, no late admission will be permitted.
DUT congratulates all adaptive graduates from the Class of 2025 and wishes them well as they contribute meaningfully to the economy and transform society.
The 2026 Autumn Graduation Ceremonies will be conducted in accordance with university protocols to ensure a safe and memorable experience for all graduates and attendees.
Pictured: DUT adaptive graduates during the 2025 Autumn Graduation.
Photographer: Khulasande Tshayile.
Simangele Zuma
