RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA — Entrepreneur and donor Anil Kochhar announced during his keynote commencement address at North Carolina State University's Wilson College of Textiles on May 8, 2026, that he and his wife, Marilyn, would pay off any student loans the graduating class took out during their senior year. The ceremony at William Neal Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh saw 176 students receive bachelor's degrees and another 26 students receive master's degrees.

"I hope that all of you leave today not only with a degree but with greater freedom to pursue your goals, take risks and build the lives that you've worked so hard to achieve," Kochhar said. He closed his remarks by telling graduates, "the world is waiting for what you create with no friggin' last-year debt. Go get 'em."

The Kochhars decided to cover the debts as a gesture in honor of his late father, Prakash Chand Kochhar, an alumnus of the institution. Born in Punjab, India, the elder Kochhar enrolled at North Carolina State University in 1946 and earned bachelor's and master's degrees in textile manufacturing in 1950 and 1952, before embarking on a career that took him across the U.S. and around the world.

"He could not have imagined the life it would create, or that one day his son would stand here speaking to a graduating class at the very institution that welcomed him," Kochhar said during the address. "And that's what today represents."

Anil Kochhar co-founded a healthcare technology software company. The Kochhar family has made several major donations to the college in recent years, including scholarships and funding for faculty and graduate programs.

David Hinks, Dean of the Wilson College of Textiles, said, "Anil and Marilyn Kochhar's gift to the school's 2026 graduates is an extraordinary investment in our newest alumni." Graduate Alyssa D'Costa said, "As a daughter of immigrants, this money helps me and my family a lot."

Video of Kochhar's announcement spread on online platforms highlighting acts of kindness. About 43 million people in the U.S. carry student loan debt totaling nearly $1.7 trillion.