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Anil Kochhar clears loans of 176 college graduates
Kochhar said the initiative honoured his father, who travelled from Punjab to study textiles at NC State in 1946.
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Malvika Choudhary - Sat, 09, May 2026
- 18:04 EDT
- 31
Anil and Marilyn Kochhar, center, enjoyed a visit with David Hinks, the Prakash Chand Kochhar Dean at Wilson College of Textiles, left, and Chancellor Kevin Howell, right. Prakash Chand Kochhar, pictured, inspires the family’s philanthropy at NC State. / Photo by Chris Formont./ NC State University
At the commencement ceremony of the Wilson College of Textiles at North Carolina State University, Indian-American philanthropist Anil Kochhar announced his commitment to pay off the final-year education loans for 176 graduating students from the 2025–26 academic year.
Kochhar and his wife Marilyn made the announcement while he was delivering the commencement address at Reynolds Coliseum on May 8.
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The gift covers all loans incurred by Wilson College graduates during their final year at the university, including students in textile engineering, fashion design and polymer and color chemistry programmes.
“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,” Kochhar said.
“Marilyn and I hope that all of you leave Reynolds Coliseum today not only with a degree but with greater freedom to pursue your goals, take risks and build the lives you’ve worked so hard to achieve,” he added.
The announcement drew cheers and emotional reactions from graduates and their families attending the ceremony, according to university officials.
Kochhar, a textile industry executive and longtime supporter of NC State, said the initiative was inspired by his father, Prakash Chand Kochhar, who travelled from Punjab, India, to Raleigh in 1946 to study textile manufacturing at the university.
“My father could not have imagined this moment. Not just me standing here, but all of you sitting here,” Kochhar said. “A new generation, shaped by a different world, but connected by the same spirit of possibility that brought him here decades ago. And that’s what today represents.”
Prakash Chand Kochhar earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Wilson College of Textiles in 1950 and 1952 respectively, before building a textile engineering career across the United States and abroad.
Anil Kochhar has continued the family’s association with the university through philanthropy and leadership support. Earlier this year, he and Marilyn Kochhar established three endowments supporting students, faculty and college leadership at the Wilson College of Textiles. The Kochhar family has also funded scholarships and made significant donations to the college in recent years.
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