Commencement ceremonies at American universities brim over with emotional speeches and dreams of a brighter future. But to over 200 graduating students at North Carolina State University, this year’s ceremony was more than a pleasant surprise. Indian-origin philanthropist Anil Kochhar surprised the graduating cohort of 2025-26 by pledging to pay off their final-year student loans estimated $4 million to $8 million. He, along with his wife Marilyn, made this announcement at Wilson College of Textiles in Raleigh, NC.
Anil Kochhar’s pledge to clear the debt for 202 students is a tribute to his father who had travelled from India to the US in 1946 to study textile engineering. He said, “It is my privilege to announce today that, in honor of my father Prakash Chand Kochhar, Marilyn and I are providing a graduation gift to cover all the final-year education loans incurred by Wilson College graduates during the 2025-26 academic year.”
The auditorium erupted into cheers and a standing ovation. Many students were visibly emotional as they realized their senior-year debt would disappear. The initiative will benefit 176 undergraduate students and 26 master’s graduates from the college. From Drs. Kiran and Pallavi Patel’s landmark $225 million pledge to Nova Southeastern University to Chandrika and Ranjan Tandon’s $100 million contribution to New York University, Indian Americans have steadily emerged among the most influential supporters of education in America.
