Penn State to Award 1 Millionth Degree During Summer Commencement

Penn State will award its one millionth degree Saturday during summer commencement at University Park, marking a milestone more than 170 years after the university was founded.

The university has awarded more than 999,400 degrees since it was founded as the Farmers’ High School in 1855. Approximately 2,726 degrees are expected to be awarded university-wide this weekend, officially pushing Penn State past the 1 million-degree mark. 

Penn State will become the first university in Pennsylvania and one of only a few in the country to reach the milestone. 

The University Park summer commencement ceremonies will be held Saturday, August 15 at the Bryce Jordan Center. Baccalaureate and associate degree candidates will graduate at 9:30 a.m., followed by master’s degree candidates at 1 p.m. and doctoral degree candidates at 4:30 p.m. 

Penn State’s first 11 graduates received bachelor of scientific agriculture degrees in 1861, six years after the university was established. The university reached its 500,000th degree in 2001 and its 750,000th degree in 2015. 

“This remarkable milestone honors the lasting legacy of Penn State’s past graduates, while illustrating the University’s ongoing commitment to educate, empower and support future generations,” said Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi. “We are incredibly proud of our alumni, whose achievements and leadership are making a profound difference in communities across Pennsylvania. Our newest graduates – like those before them and those still to come – join a remarkable network of Penn Staters committed to the pursuit of knowledge, community impact and service, and we can’t wait to see how they continue to change the world.” 

Pa. Governor Josh Shapiro issued a statewide proclamation recognizing Penn State’s contributions to Pennsylvania and its role in educating generations of students.

“The conferring of the one millionth degree reinforces Penn State’s commitment to provide accessible, world-class education that prepares students to reach their full potential and contribute to Pennsylvania’s workforce and economy. I am immensely proud of everything Penn State’s students have accomplished and appreciate the administrators, staff, families, and friends who have supported their achievements,” reads Gov. Shapiro’s proclamation.

State College Mayor Ezra Nanes and the Centre County commissioners also issued local proclamations recognizing the milestone. 

Penn State Provost Fotis Sotiropoulos accepted a proclamation from the Centre County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday morning recognizing the university’s upcoming milestone.

“This is a major milestone for Penn State. It’s an enormous honor for us to be the first university in Pennsylvania and one of a handful of universities in the country to actually be able to celebrate this milestone that we are marking in a few days,” Sotiropoulos said. “And what is really important to remember is that for 170 years, Penn State and Centre County have been actually connected in so many ways, so many meaningful ways.”

Sotiropoulos said the moment represents more than the number of degrees awarded, pointing to the impact Penn State graduates have had throughout Centre County, Pennsylvania and beyond.

“It is beyond the numbers,” Sotiropoulos said. “It’s the impact of our alumni. It’s actually how many lives have been changed, how much human potential has been unleashed through education, Penn State education, and even more so what these individuals and these graduates have done for Centre County, the Commonwealth, and the world, for that matter, the nation and the world; because that’s what Penn Staters do. They are problem solvers. They are innovators. They care about the communities, and they give back. And we are very proud to have the vast majority of our alumni to be in this area and the state of Pennsylvania.”

The university plans to mark the achievement during commencement and with events throughout the fall semester. 

One of those celebrations will be a limited-time commemorative ice cream flavor at the Penn State Berkey Creamery. The flavor was selected through a vote of the university community and will be announced this week before becoming available during the fall semester. 

Penn State also launched a 1 Million Gifts campaign allowing members of the university community to contribute toward the education of future students. 

“Reaching 1 million degrees is a remarkable milestone that reflects not only Penn State’s long-term commitment to higher learning and public service, but also Penn Staters’ commitment to their communities and each other,” Penn State Board of Trustees chair David Kleppinger said. “This proud moment belongs to the generations of students, faculty, staff and community members who have come together in supporting its mission and will continue to do so for generations to come.” 

Penn State has expanded significantly since its first graduating class and now offers more than 275 majors and 11,000 course offerings. The university reported 86,557 students enrolled across its campuses in its 2025 annual enrollment snapshot. 

The graduates receiving degrees this weekend will join more than 800,000 Penn State alumni around the world. The university’s alumni network provides graduates with networking, career services and mentoring opportunities throughout their careers. 

Penn State said its university and alumni network support more than one in 10 jobs in Pennsylvania and generate more than $14.3 billion in economic activity in the state over alumni careers. 

The university also maintains the largest statewide footprint of any Big Ten or land-grant institution in the country, with its presence extending through Penn State World Campus, Penn State College of Medicine, Penn State Dickinson Law, Pennsylvania College of Technology and Penn State Extension programs in all 67 Pennsylvania counties. 

The university will livestream Saturday’s commencement ceremonies, which also will be available to watch following the events. 

Information about the million-degree milestone and stories from Penn State graduates are available through Penn State’s 1 Million Degrees page.