Commencement

Commencement is your academic college’s official graduation ceremony. World Campus students are invited to attend Penn State’s commencement ceremonies. Many Penn State World Campus programs hold commencement at University Park, but some programs have commencement at other campuses.

Summer 2026 commencement will take place August 15, 2026.

As commencement approaches, students who set their intent to graduate will receive information about attending in-person commencement ceremonies. General information is also available on the commencement website.

If you plan to attend commencement at University Park, keep in mind that hotels near University Park fill fast and make your travel plans early!

Graduate Students

Find information about graduate student commencement and how to inquire about attending commencement at a Penn State campus other than University Park.

Graduate students can find more information about commencement on the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School's website, including:

Note that graduate students who wish to attend commencement at a campus other than University Park should contact the Penn State World Campus graduation coordinators at 814-863-5256 or via email at [email protected]. Not all campuses offer commencement to graduate students each semester; there is no guarantee that you will be able to attend commencement at your requested campus.

Undergraduate Students

Review the following information to learn how to reserve your seat at commencement and order your cap and gown and other items you may wish to wear at commencement or have as a keepsake.

Depending on your degree program, and your preference for the campus where you would like to attend commencement, you may need to submit an alternative site form. If you do not plan to attend commencement, you do not need to submit the form.

Note that space at University Park commencement is extremely limited, and approval of alternative site requests is not guaranteed.

Alternative Commencement Site Forms

Important: If you need to complete an alternative site form, you must submit it via email to [email protected] or via fax to 814-865-3290, Attention: Graduation Coordinators.

The deadline to submit an alternative site form for summer 2026 commencement is Friday, July 17.

Associate in Business Administration and Bachelor's in Business

  • Associate degree candidates — Submit the associate degree alternative site form only if attending commencement at a campus other than University Park; otherwise, no form is needed.
  • Bachelor's degree candidates — Submit the bachelor's degree alternative site form only if attending commencement at a campus other than University Park; otherwise, no form is needed.
  • For both associate and bachelor's degree candidates — Enter "University College" as your "College" in the form and enter "None" as your "Assigned Commencement Location." If you would like to attend commencement at University Park, enter "University Park - Smeal College of Business" as your "Requested Commencement Location." Associate and Bachelor's in Business students will participate in commencement with the Smeal College of Business for summer 2026.

Associate in Criminal Justice or Bachelor's in Accounting, Criminal Justice, or Marketing

Associate in criminal justice and bachelor's in accounting, criminal justice, and marketing students are guaranteed a commencement space at Penn State Harrisburg. Space at University Park commencement is extremely limited, and approval of alternative site requests is not guaranteed.

  • Submit the associate or bachelor's degree alternative site form only if attending commencement at a campus other than Harrisburg; otherwise, no form is needed.

Bachelor's in Finance, Functional Data Analytics, Project and Supply Chain Management, or Software Engineering

Bachelor's in finance, functional data analytics, project and supply chain management, and software engineering students are guaranteed a commencement space at Penn State Behrend. Space at University Park commencement is extremely limited, and approval of alternative site requests is not guaranteed.

  • Submit the bachelor's degree alternative site form only if attending commencement at a campus other than Behrend; otherwise, no form is needed.

All Other Associate and Bachelor's Degrees

  • Submit the associate or bachelor's degree alternative site form only if attending commencement at a campus other than University Park; otherwise, no form is needed.

You can order a cap and gown from the Penn State Bookstore online, in person, or by calling the Bookstore at 814-863-0205, option 9.

Students who are eligible to receive academic distinction cords will receive more information from their college. Military and veteran students will receive more information about military honor cords from Penn State World Campus.

You can order a Penn State class ring and personalized announcements on the Jostens website or by calling Jostens at 800-854-7464. When ordering through Jostens, select the campus where you plan to attend commencement. You will need to allow two to three weeks for processing printed announcements. 

Commencement programs are distributed electronically in PDF format. If your intent to graduate is submitted late in the semester, your name will not appear in the program. To have your name included in the program, your intent to graduate must be submitted by the ninth week of the semester for spring, by the tenth week of the semester for summer, or by the eighth week of the semester for fall.