News release
College of the Canyons will honor its 2026 graduating class during the college’s 57th annual commencement celebration on Friday in the college’s Cougar Stadium, located on the Valencia campus, according to a news release from the college.
Jonathan Gonzalez, co-anchor of the NBC4 weekend evening newscasts, will be the keynote speaker.
“I wish to extend my sincerest congratulations to the Class of 2026,” COC Superintendent/President Jasmine Ruys said in the release. “Their tenacity, perseverance, and hard work have guided them to this momentous milestone, and we look forward to the many contributions they will make to our community in the future.”
The class of 2026 has 2,295 students who petitioned for graduation.
This class represents 116 majors, with business administration (308) ranking as the leading field of study among graduates, followed by psychology (266), economics (223), liberal arts and sciences CSU social and behavioral sciences (210), accounting (203), and liberal arts and sciences IGETC CSU social and behavioral sciences (187).
There are also 989 students graduating with two or more degrees.
In addition, the class includes the inaugural 11-student cohort of the college’s bachelor of science in building performance program, which launched in January 2025.
The class of 2026 is approximately 56% female (1,286), 42% male (968) and 2% declined to state (41).
Academically, there are 1,010 students graduating with honors — which requires a 3.5 GPA or higher — and 124 students with perfect 4.0 GPAs, which grants them the status of valedictorians at the college. The average GPA of the class of 2026 is 3.35.
The average age of a COC graduate is 24. The oldest student in the class is 75-year-old graduate John Kavanagh. In total, there are 10 graduates over the age of 60.
In addition, the youngest graduates in the class are 30 students who are 17 years old. There are also 89 veteran graduates in the college’s class of 2026.
There are 90 graduates from the school’s Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) program.
Additionally, 61% of this year’s graduates completed at least one course at the college’s Canyon Country campus, which first opened in 2007.
This year’s graduating class includes more than 90 student-athletes, with a combined GPA above 3.4, who will be earning an associate degree and/or transferring to a four-year school. In all, more than 100 associate degrees will be awarded to COC student-athletes.
Gates to Cougar Stadium will open at 5 p.m. The ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. Community members attending the ceremony should plan to arrive early as parking lots are expected to be congested.
The ceremony is planned to be livestreamed at canyons.media/stream.
