The University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) is set to award degrees to a total of 14,861 graduands during its 35th convocation ceremony scheduled to hold from July 21 to July 26, 2025.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Owunari Georgewill, announced this during a press conference in Port Harcourt on Monday as part of events lined up to mark the institution’s golden jubilee celebration.

According to him, the convocation will feature the conferment of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, diplomas, honorary degrees, and prizes on students who completed their programmes during the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 academic sessions.

“A total of 9,788 students will receive first degrees, with 363 of them bagging first-class honours,” Georgewill revealed.

In the postgraduate category, 2,008 graduands will receive Post Graduate Diplomas, 2,131 will be awarded Master’s degrees, while 934 will be conferred with Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees.

The university will also honour four distinguished Nigerians with honorary doctorate degrees. They include the First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu; Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike; Chairman of TETFund, Aminu Masari; and Governor Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State.

Describing the convocation as “a symbolic season of harvest,” Georgewill said it presents a period for the institution to reflect on its achievements and challenges in key areas such as research, infrastructure, and academic growth.

Speaking on infrastructural developments, the VC noted that the university had made significant progress through interventions from the Federal Government, Needs Assessment, TETFund, and Capital Projects.

“These interventions have led to the renovation of existing structures, construction of new office buildings, and upgrading of learning environments across various faculties,” he said.

He disclosed that UNIPORT now boasts of some of the best laboratories in the country, a modern sports complex, fully equipped health facilities, a counselling and entrepreneurial centre, and a world-class convocation arena.

Highlighting the institution’s push for energy independence, Georgewill announced the ongoing construction of a 10.7-megawatt solar hybrid power plant in partnership with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) under the UNIPORT Solar Farm programme.

“This marks a significant milestone in our renewable energy drive and journey towards sustainability and energy independence,” he stated.

He further announced the creation of three new faculties: Computing, Allied Health Sciences, and Media and Communications — as part of the university’s ongoing academic expansion.

On student welfare, he explained that over 1,000 students had benefited from scholarships provided by 13 external sponsors. He also lauded the university’s growing international profile, citing the establishment of two Africa Centres of Excellence (ACEs), ACE-PUTOR and ACE-CEFOR, funded by the World Bank.

“These centres are playing a key role in human capital development and conducting world-class research with both regional and global impact,” he said.

Georgewill added that the university is moving towards becoming a fully digital institution, with plans to establish specialised laboratories, STEM labs, smart classrooms, and cloud-based infrastructure to improve access to academic resources.

He, however, appealed for increased funding to support further development, including the construction of more hostels, staff quarters, internal roads, and administrative buildings.

The vice-chancellor also raised concerns over the continued encroachment on university land by unauthorised persons, calling for government intervention to safeguard the institution’s property.