The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Ropar, conferred degrees on 761 students during its 15th convocation held at the institute on Thursday.  The event highlighted major academic reforms, research achievements and expanding collaborations in defence and agriculture.The graduating batch comprised 377 B.Tech, 177 M.Tech, 65 M.Sc, one B.Sc, one diploma and 140 PhD scholars.Founder chairman of Solar Industries India Limited, Satyanarayan Nuwal, attended the ceremony as the chief guest, while IIT Ropar Board of Governors Chairman Adil Zainulbhai presided over the event. IIT Ropar Director Rajeev Ahuja welcomed the gathering and presented his report.Ahuja said the institute had undertaken a major overhaul of its undergraduate curriculum for the 2026-27 academic session by introducing a more flexible, student-centric structure.Under the revised curriculum, students will complete core courses by the end of the third year, allowing greater focus on electives, internships, research and entrepreneurship during the final year, he added.The Director said the institute had also launched an interdisciplinary integrated dual degree program and introduced a one-year postgraduate diploma in UAV operations and Drone Technology in collaboration with Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University.Ahuja said IIT Ropar was currently executing 616 sponsored research projects and around 1,130 industrial consultancy projects. The institute had strengthened its defence research through projects funded by the Army Technology Board and a memorandum of understanding with the Indian Air Force, he said.He said the institute’s Agri Tech initiative, ANNAM AI, had expanded its activities through the Agri AI global summit, an international hackathon organised with Syngenta in France and the deployment of hyperlocal weather stations across Punjab. Construction of a new 500-seat girls’ hostel and a lecture hall complex had also commenced during the year.Addressing the graduating students, Nuwal shared his journey from leaving school after Class X to building Solar Industries into one of the country’s leading defence manufacturing companies. He urged graduates to pursue challenging opportunities instead of seeking only comfortable careers.”Your background does not decide your ceiling. Your persistence does,” he added.Zainulbhai said the graduating class was entering the workforce at a time of unprecedented opportunities in India. He encouraged students to take on complex challenges and remain connected with their alma mater.Congratulating the graduating students and their families, Ahuja said education was not only about acquiring knowledge but also about developing character and values, which would guide them throughout their lives.The convocation concluded with the institute reiterating its commitment to strengthening research, innovation and inclusive education through continued investment in academic and research infrastructure.