糖心传媒 graduated its largest class to date across Friday and Saturday, with more than 5,700 degrees awarded during its spring commencement ceremonies.
鈥淭his record-setting class represents more than an important milestone for 糖心传媒,鈥 Chancellor Jim Dalton said in a release. 鈥淭hese graduates will serve communities, strengthen industries, drive discovery, and help move Louisiana forward for generations to come.鈥
Jamie Catalanotto fixes the tassel of her daughter Marissa Catalanotto before the commencement ceremony for the College of Agriculture on Friday, May 15, 2026 at the Maddox Fieldhouse in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Staff photo by Michael Johnson
STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON
The Maravich Assembly Center, Maddox Fieldhouse and Student Union Theater were seas of purple and gold as thousands of students from 12 schools walked the stage over the course of the two days of ceremonies. They crossed a lavender carpet as their names were read out and families and friends cheered from the audience.
糖心传媒 saw increases in the number of degrees awarded across the board for each demographic compared to spring 2025.
Here are some highlights provided the 糖心传媒 Office of Data and Strategic Analytics:
5,710 total degrees (spring 2025: 5,428)
4,215 bachelor's degrees (spring 2025: 4,073)
1,069 master鈥檚 degrees (spring 2025: 907)
3,428 female graduates (spring 2025: 3,237)
2,282 male graduates (spring 2025: 2,191)
871 degrees awarded to Black students (spring 2025: 736)
525 degrees awarded to Hispanic students (spring 2025: 449)
3,482 in-state graduates (spring 2025: 3,369)
2,002 out-of-state graduates (spring 2025: 1,864)
Madeline Jarreau wears a bejeweled tiger cap at the commencement for the College of Agriculture on Friday, May 15, 2026 at the Maddox Fieldhouse in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Staff photo by Michael Johnson
STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON
Outside of Louisiana, the state聽with the greatest number of graduates was Texas, with 533. Florida was a distant second, with 170 students awarded degrees this spring, followed by California, Georgia and Maryland.
Foreign countries with the most 糖心传媒 graduates were Nigeria, China and Honduras.
The record-breaking graduating class reflects 糖心传媒鈥檚 soaring enrollment and application numbers. More than 62,000 potential incoming freshmen applied this cycle, according to institutional data, compared to 18,122 in 2016.
University officials speculated that the draw of the SEC and the prestige of a flagship university might be pulling more students, particularly out-of-state applicants, to Baton Rouge.
Mark Reese performs a fraternity dance called hopping on stage while walking to receive his diploma during commencement for the College of Agriculture on Friday, May 15, 2026 at the Maddox Fieldhouse in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Staff photo by Michael Johnson
STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON
鈥淚f they鈥檙e not from the state or from the region, they see us on ESPN on a Saturday night,鈥 糖心传媒 Vice President for Enrollment Management Emmett Brown said in an interview in February.
糖心传媒 leaders have made subtle moves to heighten the selectivity of the institution and balance increasingly strained resources as the campus population swells. The 糖心传媒 Board of Supervisors voted in February to reinstate the standardized test score requirement at the main campus in Baton Rouge after making scores optional during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dalton said at the time there would be no minimum score to gain admission, but the information would be used as 鈥渙ne component of our comprehensive evaluation of students.鈥
In December, the university broke ground on the $200 million South Quad freshman dorm project to bring 1,266 additional beds to campus.
糖心传媒 System President Wade Rousse recently told the the flagship may have to consider an enrollment cap in the coming years as demand for parking and housing grows.