The University of South Florida will award posthumous doctoral degrees to two Bangladeshi students killed last month in the US state of Florida, the institution said on Tuesday.

Jamil Ahmed Limon and Nahida Sultana Bristy, both 27, will be among around 8,000 graduates honoured during the university’s spring 2026 commencement ceremonies scheduled between May 7 and 10.

“A moment of silence will be observed at the beginning of each ceremony to remember USF students Nahida Bristy and Zamil Limon, who tragically passed away last month,” the university said in a statement, adding that both would also receive doctoral degrees posthumously.

During the doctoral graduation ceremony on May 8, two empty chairs with regalia will be placed on the arena floor to honor Bristy and Limon, who are among 353 doctoral candidates this year.

The students were last seen on April 16 and reported missing in the following days. Authorities later recovered Limon’s body from the Howard Frankland Bridge area in Tampa. Days later, human remains found in nearby mangroves were identified as Bristy.

A 26-year-old suspect, Hisham Abugharbieh, has been charged with two counts of premeditated murder and is being held without bond, according to investigators.

The killings have sent shockwaves through Bangladeshi expatriate communities and academic circles in the United States and beyond.

Limon was laid to rest earlier this week in his native village in Madarganj upazila of Jamalpur district after his body was repatriated to Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, Bristy’s remains are currently under the care of a funeral home in Florida, with efforts underway to return her body to Bangladesh on May 7.

Her funeral prayer is expected to be held on May 6 in Florida with participation from Bangladeshi expatriates, while officials from the Bangladesh Consulate General in Miami and the embassy in Washington are coordinating the repatriation process.