MIT President Addresses Graduates at 2026 Commencement

MIT held its 2026 commencement ceremony, during which President Sally Kornbluth spoke to graduates about the institution's guiding principles. Kornbluth said stories shared with her show how MIT changed lives, and she identified excellence and curiosity as the two principles that make the experience work.

She described excellence as visible in faculty and graduate accomplishments, prizes, discoveries, inventions, and companies.

Kornbluth stated that MIT supports standards of individual excellence through a systematic focus on merit. She cited the abolition of legacy admissions and backdoor admissions for donors as examples of that commitment. She clarified that excellence involves self-discipline rather than self-regard.

Kornbluth said MIT is suited for people whose curiosity never sleeps, including faculty, staff, alumni, and graduates. She described curiosity as the institution's intellectual rocket fuel that leads to new knowledge and world-changing innovations. She also urged graduates to act ethically, with integrity, and with consideration for others, stating that their talent equips them to meet that standard.