Home>Graduation Ceremony 2026
21 July 2026
Graduation Ceremony 2026
On Saturday 27 June, the Grand Rex welcomed the School of Public Affairs Graduation Ceremony for the Class of 2026.
Surrounded by their families, friends, faculty members and the entire School of Public Affairs team, graduates celebrated the successful completion of their studies and the beginning of the next chapter in their personal and professional journeys.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the Scientific Advisers and faculty members who presented the diplomas to our graduates. In particular, we are grateful to Bruno Palier, Emiliano Grossman, Cyril Benoît, Isabelle de Silva, Pierre Heilbronn, Sophie Méritet, Sébastien Treyer, Guillaume Farde, Alexandre Papaemmanuel, Marie Grosset, Luis Pizarro, Christine Musselin and Bénédicte Robert, whose guidance and commitment accompanied students throughout their studies and culminated in this important milestone.
Graduates were then invited onto the stage individually, programme by programme, to receive their diplomas, reflecting the breadth and diversity of the programmes offered by the School of Public Affairs.
The Class of 2026 comprises 882 graduates, representing the School's 11 policy streams within the Master's in Public Policy, the Master's in European Affairs, and the Sciences Po–HEC double degree.
The ceremony opened with a particularly significant milestone: the graduation of the very first cohort of students from the Education and Research Policy policy stream. Eighteen students from the Class of 2026 received their degrees.
Spotlight on our newest policy stream:
Launched in September 2024, the Education and Research Policy policy stream has now celebrated its very first graduates. This inaugural cohort consists of 18 students, while the remainder of their classmates are currently completing a gap year before finishing their Master's degree in 2027.
Created in response to the major political and societal challenges facing education today, the policy stream prepares students for leadership, policy development and implementation roles across the fields of education, higher education and research. Graduates go on to careers in national and local government, international organisations, the private sector and civil society.
Next year, some graduates will prepare for the French civil service competitive examinations, while others will undertake international volunteering placements at French Institutes abroad, join local authorities, international organisations, non-profit organisations or Cités éducatives.
We wish them every success in the next stage of their careers.
Read the profiles of our graduates from the Education and Research Policy policy stream:
During the ceremony, two Students of Honour addressed the audience on behalf of their fellow graduates:
Drawing on their own experiences, they reflected on what it means to graduate from the School of Public Affairs and on the values that will guide them throughout their future careers.
Meet our two Students of Honour for the Class of 2026:
- Dariia Haryfullina (profile available in French)
- Daan Pierson (profile available in English)
In his closing address, Dean Henri Bergeron encouraged graduates to carry forward the values, knowledge and friendships they had developed during their time at the School of Public Affairs as they embark on the next chapter of their lives. He also urged them to engage actively in the implementation of public policy and institutional change, rather than limiting themselves to designing ambitious strategies for reform. However challenging implementation may be, he reminded graduates that meaningful transformation can only be achieved by turning ideas into action.
The ceremony concluded with warm applause and a strong sense of pride and shared emotion.
With diplomas in hand and new horizons ahead, the graduates of the Class of 2026 are now ready to begin the next stage of their journeys, bringing their knowledge and skills to organisations across the public, private and non-profit sectors, both in France and internationally.
The entire School of Public Affairs team warmly congratulates the Class of 2026 and wishes every graduate continued success in the years ahead.
Watch the full Graduation Ceremony:
Virtual Graduate Open House day, October 2025
On 17 October 2026: meet faculty members, students and representatives and learn more about our 30 Master's programmes.