Campus Life

Penn State campuses to hold spring 2025 commencement ceremonies May 9-11

University expects to award approximately 14,559 diplomas to students across the commonwealth

Penn State will celebrate the accomplishments of its graduates across the commonwealth during its spring 2025 commencement ceremonies, the majority of which will be held Friday, May 9, through Sunday, May 11. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State will celebrate the accomplishments of its graduates across the commonwealth during its spring 2025 commencement ceremonies, the majority of which will be held Friday, May 9, through Sunday, May 11.

This spring, Penn State expects to award approximately 14,559 diplomas to students University-wide who are completing 185 associate, 11,835 baccalaureate, 1,709 master's, 391 law, 270 doctoral, 142 medical and 27 medical/graduate degrees. All figures listed are estimates as of April 23; totals do not include Penn College.

Ceremonies at Penn State University Park

Livestream options are available for those who cannot attend the college ceremonies in person. Parking information for those attending University Park ceremonies in person is available from Penn State Transportation Services. 

Schreyer Honors College Medals Ceremony

  • Ceremony: 4 p.m. Friday, May 9, Bryce Jordan Center
  • Speakers: Patrick Mather, dean, Schreyer Honors College; and Tracy Langkilde, interim executive vice president and provost, Penn State.

J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School

  • Ceremony: Master’s degree candidates: 4:30 p.m., Sunday, May 11, Bryce Jordan Center.

    • Speaker: Marie Hardin, dean, Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications.
  • Ceremony: Doctoral degree candidates: 4:30 p.m., Sunday, May 11, Pegula Ice Arena.
    • Speaker: Clarence Lang, Susan Welch Dean of the College of the Liberal Arts.

Visit advanced degree candidate commencement for more information and livestreaming details.

Undergraduate Commencement Ceremonies at University Park

College of Arts and Architecture

  • Ceremony: 1 p.m. Saturday, May 10, in Eisenhower Auditorium.
  • Speaker: Mark Shulman, Penn State alum and senior vice president of programming for Oak View Group, a global leader in the live event industry

College of Agricultural Sciences

  • Ceremony: 1 p.m. Sunday, May 11, in Pegula Ice Arena.
  • Speaker: Levon Esters, vice provost, Graduate Education; dean, J. Jefferey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School.

Bellisario College of Communications

  • Ceremony: 1 p.m. Saturday, May 10, in Bryce Jordan Center.
  • Speaker: Judy Woodruff, broadcast journalist and senior correspondent for “PBS News Hour"

College of Earth and Mineral Sciences

  • Ceremony: 1 p.m. Saturday, May 10, in Pegula Ice Arena.
  • Speaker: David Titley, Penn State alum, retired U.S. Navy rear admiral and retired University professor; founding director of Penn State’s Center for Solutions to Weather and Climate Risk.

Eberly College of Science

  • Ceremony: 1 p.m. Sunday, May 11, in Bryce Jordan Center.
  • Speaker: Jane R. Rigby, Penn State distinguished alum; astrophysicist, James Webb State Telescope senior project scientist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

College of Education

  • Ceremony: 9 a.m. Sunday, May 11, Pegula Ice Arena.
  • Speaker: Jhan D. Doughty, Penn State alum, and vice president and global head of belonging and engagement at Everest Group Ltd.

College of Engineering

  • Ceremony: 7 p.m. Friday, May 9, Bryce Jordan Center.
  • Speaker: Riz Shah, founder, Alchemy Ventures; executive member, Boston XChange; CCO, Hapbee. 

College of Health and Human Development

  • Ceremony: 9 a.m. Sunday, May 11, in the Bryce Jordan Center.
  • Speaker: Deirdra Chester, director, Office of the Chief Scientist, United States Department of Agriculture.

College of Information Sciences and Technology

  • Ceremony: 9 a.m. Saturday, May 10, Pegula Ice Arena.
  • Speaker: C. Frank Igwé, Penn State alum, and founder and president of Moravia Health.

College of the Liberal Arts

  • Ceremony: 4:30 p.m. Saturday, May 10, in Bryce Jordan Center.
  • Speaker: Brett King, Penn State alum; author, producer, creative executive and cultural influencer; host of "Breaking Banks" radio show and "The Futurists" podcast.

Penn State Dickinson Law at University Park

  • Ceremony: 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 17, in Eisenhower Auditorium.
  • Speaker: Christie B. Tillapaugh, president and CEO of Dentons Cohen & Grigsby.
  • Visit Penn State Dickinson Law commencement for more information.

Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing

  • Ceremony: 4:30 p.m. Saturday, May 10, in Eisenhower Auditorium.
  • Speaker: Lisa Kitko, dean of the University of Rochester School of Nursing, professor of nursing and geriatric medicine, and vice president of the University of Rochester Medical Center. 

Smeal College of Business

  • Ceremony: 9 a.m. Saturday, May 10, in Bryce Jordan Center.
  • Speaker: Lori Koch, Penn State alum, and CEO of Dupont.

Commonwealth Campuses ceremonies

Penn State Abington

  • Ceremonies: Friday, May 9, in the Athletic Building:

    • 10 a.m.: Arts and Humanities; Science and Engineering; and the College of Education
    • 2 p.m.: Business and Social Sciences
  • Speaker: ShaVon Savage, Penn State Abington class of 2000 and assistant superintendent of the Cheltenham School District.
  • Visit Penn State Abington commencement for more information and livestreaming details.

Penn State Altoona

  • Ceremony: 10 a.m., Saturday, May 10, Arena of the Adler Athletic Complex.
  • Speaker: Shihui Shen, distinguished professor of Rail Transportation Engineering, Penn State Altoona.
  • Visit Penn State Altoona commencement for more information and livestreaming details.  

Penn State Beaver

  • Ceremony: 4 p.m. Friday, May 9, in the gymnasium.
  • Speaker: Walt Everetts, Penn State alum, and vice president of Space Operations and Engineering, Iridium Communications Inc.
  • Visit Penn State Beaver commencement for more information and livestreaming details.

Penn State Behrend

  • Ceremony: 6:30 p.m., Friday, May 9, in the Erie Insurance Arena.
  • Speaker: Tim NeCastro, president and CEO of Erie Insurance.
  • Faculty speaker: Ken Louie, associate professor of economics and director of the Economic Research Institute of Erie.
  • Visit Penn State Behrend commencement for more information and livestreaming details.

Penn State Berks

Penn State Brandywine

  • Ceremony: 10 a.m. Saturday, May 10, Commons/Athletic Center.
  • Speaker: Jerry Parsons, chairman, Communications Test Design Inc.
  • Visit Penn State Brandywine commencement for more information and livestreaming details.

Penn State Dickinson Law at Carlisle

  • Ceremony: 1 p.m. Saturday, May 10, at the Forum Auditorium in Harrisburg.
  • Speaker: Catherine A. Christian, partner, Liston Abramson, New York City; and former Manhattan district attorney; MSNBC and NBC News legal analyst.
  • Visit Penn State Dickinson Law commencement for more information.

Penn State DuBois

  • Ceremony: 11 a.m. Friday, May 9, in the PAW Center Gymnasium, Penn State DuBois.
  • Speaker: Daniel Kohlhepp, Penn State alum, former Nittany Lion Mascot (1967-69); real estate invester, developer and educator, and president of Granite Road, a real estate development company in DuBois.
  • Visit Penn State DuBois commencement for more information and livestreaming details.

Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus

  • Ceremony: 2 p.m. Saturday, May 10, in the Community Center Main Arena.
  • Speaker: Rachel Duda, district executive for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
  • Visit Penn State Fayette Commencement for more information.

Penn State Greater Allegheny

  • Ceremony: 7 p.m. Friday, May 9, Wunderley Gymnasium.
  • Speaker: August Carlino, retired founding president and chief executive officer of the Rivers of Steel Heritage Corporation in Homestead, Pennsylvania.
  • Visit Penn State Greater Allegheny Commencement for more information and livestreaming details.

Penn State Great Valley

  • Ceremony: 7 p.m. Friday, May 9, Main Building parking lot (tent).
  • Speaker: Rina Desai, Penn State Great Valley alum, and principal/owner of Eigen X, a professional services firm focused on data and technology.
  • Visit Penn State Great Valley commencement for more information.

Penn State Harrisburg

  • Ceremony: 9:30 a.m. Saturday, May 10, in Giant Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania.
  • Keynote speaker: Khalid Mumin, Penn State Harrisburg alum, and superintendent of the Reading School District.
  • Visit Penn State Harrisburg’s commencement page for more information and livestreaming details.

Penn State Hazleton

  • Ceremony: 7 p.m. Friday, May 9, in the Dr. Thomas M. Caccese Gymnasium in the Physical Education Building.
  • Speaker: Jacob A. Spies, Penn State alum, and physical chemist; Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, and co-director of the California Interfacial Science Institute.
  • Visit Penn State Hazleton commencement for more information.

Penn State Lehigh Valley 

  • Ceremony: 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 10, outdoor ceremony at Penn State Lehigh Valley (rain or shine).
  • Speaker: Murtaza Jaffer, Penn State Lehigh Valley alum, and founder and owner of EBC Printing & Signs in Allentown.
  • Visit Penn State Lehigh Valley Commencement for more information and livestreaming details.

Penn State Mont Alto

  • Ceremony: 2 p.m. Friday, May 9, in the Multipurpose Activities Center, Penn State Mont Alto.
  • Speaker: Martha King, Penn state Mont Alto alum, and World Champion Lumber Jill winner. 
  • Visit Penn State Mont Alto commencement for more information.

Penn State New Kensington

  • Ceremony: 10 a.m. Saturday, May 10, Athletic Center.
  • Speaker: Ray Mastre, Penn State alum, and head of strategic accounts at Bishop Fox.
  • Visit Penn State New Kensington commencement for more information and livestreaming details.

Penn State Schuylkill

  • Ceremony: 10 a.m. Saturday, May 10, Gymnasium.
  • Speaker: Larry D. Terry II, vice president for Outreach at Penn State.
  • Visit Penn State Schuylkill commencement for more information.

Penn State Scranton

  • Ceremony: Noon, Saturday, May 10, in the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple in downtown Scranton.
  • Speaker: Paige Cognetti, mayor of Scranton.
  • Visit Penn State Scranton commencement for more information and livestreaming details.

Penn State Shenango

  • Ceremony: 11 a.m. Friday, May 9, in the Penn State Shenango Auditorium.
  • Speaker: Deryck Toles, Penn State alum, and former Nittany Lion football team captain; and founder and CEO of Inspiring Minds, an organization that provides after-school and summer enrichment programs for students.
  • Visit Penn State Shenango commencement for more information.

Penn State Wilkes-Barre

  • Ceremony: 10 a.m. Saturday, May 10, in the Athletic and Recreation Building.
  • Speaker: Joseph Boylan, Penn State Wilkes-Barre alum, and portfolio director at Throughline, an enterprise design and strategy firm headquartered in Washington, D.C.
  • Penn State Wilkes-Barre's livestreamed ceremony will be available at this link.

Penn State York

  • Ceremony: 6 p.m. Friday, May 9, at the Pullo Family Performing Arts Center on the Penn State York campus.
  • Speaker: Matthew Sommer, president, Shipley Energy; and chief strategic officer, York Professional Baseball.
  • Visit Penn State York commencement for more information and livestreaming details.
Last Updated May 8, 2025

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